The UBC rowing team is preparing to compete for more national championships as it builds on a century of success that has made it one of the most prosperous athletic programmes in Canadian university history.
Sally Jones, the team captain, told Global’s This is BC, “Seeing what individuals before you have done is incredibly encouraging as an athlete.”
Launched in 1922, UBC’s program has produced rowers who have gone on to win 40 Olympic medals. The first was Ned Pratt in 1932.
The Second World War put an end to competition, but a decade of dominance followed.
Coach Frank Read created a dominant team out of thin air that would astound the world with shocking victories at the most prestigious regattas.
“Frank had a reputation of being tough, and hard and all the rest of it,” said Bill McKerlich, who competed in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics.
“But the biggest thing about Frank was that he had extremely keen vision.
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UBC rowers won gold and silver medals on the same day at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
“All of a sudden, in 1956, you start to receive messages from all over North America, Europe, and Australia asking, ‘What’s your secret? How did you accomplish this?” Jason Beck, curator of the BC Sports Hall of Fame, stated.
A new generation of competitors, like the late Kathleen Heddle, who won three Olympic gold medals, were inspired by the success that lasted into the 1960s and the varsity debut of women’s rowing in 1976.
The boats at the UBC facility have the names of the heroes who contributed to the development of the programme. The Thunderbirds rowing team is still one of the best in the nation and is growing in stature internationally.
According to sixth-year team member Brendan Wall, “We’re really looking to grow our footprint worldwide and see how we can compare against some of the best colleges in the United States, as well as Europe.”
Head coach of the men’s team Mike Pearce remarked, “We have fantastic support from our alumni group and great support from the University.
So, we’re just pursuing it and seeing where it takes us.
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UBC’s rowing programme celebrates 100 years of accomplishment
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