Skip to content

Local to row in Boston

This Sunday, Oct. 20 Sechelt's, Shanti Thurber, a member of the Shawnigan Lake School's girls senior eight rowing crew, will compete in the Head of The Charles Regatta in Boston, the largest regatta in the world.

This Sunday, Oct. 20 Sechelt's, Shanti Thurber, a member of the Shawnigan Lake School's girls senior eight rowing crew, will compete in the Head of The Charles Regatta in Boston, the largest regatta in the world.

Initially, entries to this regatta are secured by a top placement from the previous year. The rest are drawn out of a hat by pure chance. This is the first time Shawnigan has entered as a school, and both the girls and boys crews were accepted. The crews will spend most of their Thanksgiving break training and ironing out any final kinks before flying to Boston.

"I started rowing in Grade 9 because I had absolutely no idea what it was and thought I would try something new," said Thurber. "Shawnigan sprouted my love for the sport. I arrived at the school with no expectations for rowing, and surprisingly I am leaving the school with a deep passion for early morning rows, long pieces, and technical practices."

She said her two favourite parts about rowing are the team and the feeling one gets after a hard piece or race.

"Rowing is very different from other sports because it's perceived as a somewhat individual sport; you do need personal drive, however it is your team-mates and your coach that push you to do your best," she said. "Next year, I plan on going to Western University and this is largely because of their prestigious rowing program that could lead to huge opportunities for me. Developing as a teenager with rowing at Shawnigan, has taught me to commit 100 per cent to everything I do, to do things for the passion, not the recognition, and mainly to work off of other people in a healthy and competitive way."

Rowing is one of Shawnigan Lake School's flagship sports. One of the main goals of the school is to develop the whole person, on and off the water. Their hard work embodies all aspect of Shawnigan life and thus many of Shawnigan Lake School's rowers receive scholarships to top notch universities in British Columbia, Ottawa, and the United States, including UBC, UVIC, Western, Harvard, UCLA and Princeton.

"The Shawnigan Lake School rowing crews work incredibly hard on a daily basis to be the best they can be," said director of rowing, Tim Coy. "But since we formed these two crews to go to Boston just six weeks ago, their hard work, determination and passion have intensified. I am so proud and thrilled for them all."

- Submitted