Lakefield Rower Ranks At 2022 World Rowing Cup In Poland
/Trevor Jones of Lakefield represented Canada at the World Rowing Cup in Poland and ranked sixth in Men’s Single Sculls.
Photo courtesy of Team Canada.
Peterborough Blogs
Trent University Welcomes New Excalibur Varsity Rowing Head Coach
/It is back to the old stomping grounds for Trent rowing alumna Ugette Vanderpost as she becomes the new Trent Excalibur varsity rowing head coach announced on Friday.
Vanderpost has also graduated from Queen’s and Royal Roads University after graduating from Trent. Photo Courtesy of Trent University.
Vanderpost had graduated from the university in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and English.
“We are excited to have Trent alumna, Ugette Vanderpost join the Excalibur team as the new head coach of our rowing program,” said Deborah Bright-Brundle, director of Trent Athletics and Recreation. “Joining Trent Athletics and the Peterborough Rowing Club, she will be a great mentor for our student-athletes and continue to advance for the sport of rowing for our community.”
Vanderpost was coach of the Peterborough Rowing Club and Trent Excalibur rowing program from 1998-2000. She remained involved with the Peterborough rowing programs for several years and has seen the transformation and growth of rowing in the community.
She returns to Trent bringing more than 20 years of teaching and coaching experience to her new role.
“I feel very honoured and humbled to join the legacy of Trent rowing,” said Vanderpost. “It’s very exciting to join it at this time in its history as a program. I did this role 20 years ago and I’m excited to be a part of all that it is now.”
Vanderpost is joining the School of Education as an instructor during the 2021/22 academic year and says she hopes to continue promoting a welcoming and inclusive environment for student-athletes of all levels.
“For student-athletes who are trying the sport for the first time or they’re returning to rowing after being away from it for such a long time and waiting for it to come back, it’s a very social and collaborative sport,” she explained. “I’m really looking forward to creating an opportunity for them to return and have them excited.”
With Vanderpost being in the position before, her knowledge and understanding of what Trent and surrounding area has to provide for the student-athletes and community members according to the press rlease.
She wants to bring people back to sport, whether they are just beginner or experienced rowers.
“The thing about sport is that it can be really unifying and energizing, when there’s been a lot of uncertainty about going back to school, it’s nice to marry sport and school back together in a somewhat normal way.”
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Douro Local Chases Olympic Rowing Dream
/Grace VandenBroek started her rowing career when she was a grade 9 student at St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School and she has not stopped since.
Photo Courtesy of Rowing Canada Aviron.
The 20-year-old grew up in Douro and is now temporarily living in British Columbia where she was training for the U23 World Championships.
The event took place in Račice, Czech Republic from July 7-11. VandenBroek and her teammates placed 11th in the quadruple skulls.
“I decided to come back here because I’m able to train with people that have the same mindset and have similar goals as me,” said Vandenbroek. “That will help keep me motivated.”
She will return to Peterborough in September to enter her fourth year of Trent University in the Business Administration program.
While her successes in rowing have taken her all over the world, VandenBroek says she likes coming home to her small town.
VandenBroek takes home Bronze at the 2017 World Rowing Junior Championships with Kieanna Stephens. Photo Courtesy of row2k.com.
“It’s a blessing for me to be from such a small community,” she said. “I feel like the whole community is behind you more so than they would if you were from somewhere big like Toronto.”
Her parents and two older brothers have been by her side since the very beginning explained VandenBroek. She also points out her large extended family offers a huge amount of support.
“It’s cool to come home after having all of these opportunities and going to all these places and still come home and wave an everyone that goes by your house because you know who everyone is,” she said.
VandenBroek will continue training when she comes home and has her eyes set on the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.
“All of my training is directed towards the 2024 Olympics,” she said. “But there’s a lot of steps I need to take between now and then in order to get there.”
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Olympic Hopeful Grace VandenBroek Chooses Trent University Over Other Schools
/Peterborough Grade 12 student Grace VandenBroek had Stanford, Harvard, Princeton and many other top-tier American and Canadian universities actively pursuing her after an impressive showing at the world junior rowing championships this past summer.
But the young rower has chosen her postsecondary home, and it's right here in her hometown: Trent University. As one of Canada’s top young rowers, VandenBroek was inspired by and drawn to the opportunity to remain in the city, and to continue training with Carol Love—Rowing Canada’s NextGen Hub lead coach and one of the best rowing coaches in the country.
Photo courtesy Trent University
“I really like the idea of having Carol as my coach as I continue to develop and hone my rowing skills and experience,” says the 17-year-old, who has been training with her since Grade 9. “With the one-on-one coaching, Trent’s varsity program really focuses on the whole athlete. I like Trent’s size, the close proximity to home, and Trent offers a nice balance of rowing and academics. I love the feeling of the campus.”
“Trent will give Grace the rich environment a small and outstanding university experience can offer,” says Coach Love. “The supports and balance of home, the community and the University will enable her to excel in the goals she has set for herself.”
Photo courtesy Trent University
