Individuals from across Canada came together virtually from January 24-25 for the Rowing Canada Aviron National Conference, a weekend of learning, inspiration, and celebration.
The conference opened with a keynote by John Atkinson, who spoke on Balancing the Delicate Art of Modern High-Performance Coaching.
The day continued with sessions from National Team coaches, Lauren Fisher and Tom Morris, on Rowing Movement – Drilling down to Fundamentals, Judith Kasiama of Colour the Trails, speaking to Community Engagement in Action, and Jill Sadler from BluePrint North America, on Rowing Smarter: Leveraging AI for Growth.
Saturday’s sessions kicked off with an inspiring keynote from Rugby 7s coach, Jack Hanratty and player, Chloe Daniels, on Podium Performance based on Trust and Respect Behaviours that Build the Team. Other highlights of the day included a presentation from Casey Galvanek, sharing Athlete Development Principles for Pathway Performance, and Vantage Point’s Christina Bennett speaking on Effectively Engaging Today’s Volunteers.
The weekend concluded with the Semi-Annual Meeting, the announcement of the 2024 RCA Excellence Awards recipients, and some engaging discussion sessions around RCA’s Strategic Plan. At the Semi-Annual Meeting, the 2024 Annual Report was approved by the membership, and a strong majority of the membership approved the report and recommendations of the RCA Committee on Dues and Fees. With the approval of this report, effective April 1, 2025, the Dues and Fees are as follows:
- RCA Seat Fee – $4.30
- RCA Base Participant Fee – $29.40
- Club Dues – $490
- Special Association/Associate Organization – $615
- Provincial Rowing Associations – $855
The 2025 Annual Meeting will take place on September 25, 2025 and be hosted online via Zoom. The 2026 RCA Semi-Annual Meeting will be held on January 26, 2025, location to be announced.
RCA’s 2024 Excellence Awards recipients were celebrated following the Semi-Annual Meeting, with Doug Diet, Judy Sutcliffe, and Susan Kitchen being named as the recipients of the 2024 President’s Award in recognition of their outstanding achievements and dedication to the sport of rowing. View the full list of honorees and award winners HERE.
The 2026 RCA National Conference will take place January 23-24, 2026, with location and format to be confirmed.