OTTAWA ROWING CLUB

A letter to club members from Mike Walker

August 8, 2008

I have accepted an assignment to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for a one year deployment to the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Kandahar, Afghanistan from September 2008 to September 2009 to lead Canada's development efforts in that region as Director, Development. This absence means that I will not be able to carry out the duties of President from now to the end of my term at the AGM in February 2009. The ORC Executive Committee has approved the appointment of an Acting President to assume the duties of President from 1 August 2008 to the AGM. This duty will be shared between Andy Hall (1 August to 31 October) and Chris Waddell (1 November to the AGM). I would like to offer a big thank you to both gentlemen for agreeing to take on these duties over the next few months.

To give you a brief idea of what I will be doing in Afghanistan, I will be responsible for leading Canada's aid and development efforts in Kandahar Province, overseeing the establishment and maintenance of relationships with key authorities, lead work on identifying new programming options as well as ensuring the effective management of existing projects, building and maintaining relationships between CIDA and key Ministries, UN agencies and local partners; representing CIDA at meetings of selected local consultative groups; and providing information, analysis and recommendations on strategic and programming issues to CIDA headquarters as it relates to Kandahar Province. The Government of Canada recently announced three signature projects in Kandahar Province for which I and my team will be responsible. These are: polio eradication; education, including building 50 schools and expanding the Ministry of Education's ability to deliver quality educational services; and repair of the Dahla Dam and its irrigation system. You will also be interested to know that Bob Snider (namesake of the ORC's 4-/X "Robert 'Bobby' Snider") will be a member of the CIDA team with me in Kandahar, so perhaps you will hear something of a Kandahar Rowing Club while we are over there!

It has been an honour to serve as President of the Ottawa Rowing Club and represent the membership of the ORC since February 2006. It has been a time of significant change in the club with three areas standing out where I think we have succeeded in meeting some difficult challenges. By meeting these challenges, I am confident the ORC is well prepared for the years ahead.

First, and the most obvious, was the change of our Head Coach. The Lubo era represented a watershed for the club's competitive programs and with his departure, it was a challenge for the Executive to find the right person to take on the Head Coach duties who could support the needs of the membership as we moved forward. We were very fortunate to have found Siobhan to take on this role. Her knowledge, enthusiasm and the match of her rowing goals and philosophy to those of the club made her an ideal fit to meet the requirements the membership set out when we started our search last October.

The second change is the changing profile of our membership and how the club is able to meet the membership's needs. We are a very large, "full service" rowing club and our unique position in Ottawa and the rowing community presents both challenges and opportunities. We have seen growth in non-competitive rowing programs, High Schools and Universities, while the summer competitive program numbers have flattened. The opportunities in this are obvious, as a large, diverse membership strengthens the club and makes it viable both financially and as a significant organization in the community. And the increase in High School and University rowers bodes well for the future of the competitive program. But we also have to be aware that the club has to serve all its members. As such, we have started on a multi-year program to acquire and replace not only competitive boats but also boats that largely serve recreational and instructional programs.

The final significant change is administrative and has taken place largely in the background. When I took on the role of President, the club was in the throes of a two-fold administrative transition. The first part was the retirement from the Executive of a number of long term members. This is always difficult, as the institutional memory resided with many of these people and we were very lucky that they continued to be generous with their time and advice. The ORC was also fortunate that we have been able to attract strong new members of the Executive Committee, so that as I depart, I can say that this year's Executive is good as any management committee I have served with in my volunteer or professional life. The club is very fortunate to have such high quality leadership. The second area is the need to bring the finances and administration of the club up to date. While there are still things to do in this area, such as looking into online registration and payment, we have made strides in a number of areas, including "biting the bullet" on a significant fee restructure two years ago, working out an updated agreement with the City of Ottawa (our landlord), putting measures in place to better support our employees, and securing improvements to the club's infrastructure, such as the parking lot and the roof on the new boathouse.

As I prepare to depart, there too many individuals to name in thanking them for their support, particularly the volunteers and coaches who put in so much time and the people who have given me some quiet words of encouragement at the right times. I do want to single out the members of the Executive however, who have given freely of their time to work with me and others taking on many of the more difficult and thankless tasks that keep the club running. These people have included Wes Kuran, Donna Makin, Robert Boraks, LaVon Amesbury, Chris Waddell, Vince Goodfellow, Derek Howe, Andy Hall, Lana Burpee, Chantal Saunders, Cam Sabour, Lubo Kisiov, John Muir, Julie Shearer and Siobhan McLaughlin. I hope that on my redeployment next fall as Past President I can be as supportive to next year's Executive as these people have been to me.

Finally, a special vote of thanks goes to Brian Adams, who's support and commitment to the club and its members has gone far beyond the call of duty.

Mike Walker

President

President's Report 2007-08

Highlights

A significant increase in the size of the high school competitive program this year shows that there continues to be interest in competitive rowing among youth in Ottawa. This was followed by another strong fall season, with both University of Ottawa and Carleton University programs gaining strength over the past couple of years. I was glad to see this, as it has been a priority of the ORC Executive over the past couple of years to strengthen the spring and fall competitive programs.

Our instructional and recreational programs continue to have strong interest within the community, with the Adult Rowing League selling out two months before its start again this year and our recreational rowers having a large cadre of returning participants, many of whom are on the water so much that we have coined the phrase “High Performance Rec”. We also have increasing interest in adaptive rowing, both competitive and recreational, and will be looking for new ways to ensure our facilities can support these athletes.

Regattas

We hosted three regattas again this year. The National Capital High School Regatta was attended largely by Ottawa region high schools in May because of a conflict with the Quinte HS Regatta. This year we may see more out of town participation with some changes to the schedule of High School regattas in the ERA. Our Recreational Regatta, held in late August, continued to attract athletes from out of town and will see a date change this year to 19 July accommodate more rowers from nearby Quebec clubs, which have very active recreational programs. Finally, the Head of the Rideau, co-hosted by our two universities, saw increased attendance this year and is expected to continue to become larger. Peter Burpee and Marcel Gingras have agreed to co-chair the Head of the Rideau and I look forward to the energy and leadership they will bring to organizing this key club event.

A fourth event, the annual P.D. Ross Challenge was also held, with the University of Ottawa beating Carleton University for the challenge trophy that dates back to 1950. A few years ago this event was a small lonely affair, with two eights racing alone up the Ottawa River trailed by one or two coach boats. Since then, some enterprising students have helped turn the event into something of a mini-festival, putting a great deal of energy into the event. This is an encouraging trend, with the Recreational members also taking more responsibility for their own regatta in the summer. The next step will be to have the High Schools and parents take greater ownership of the spring High School regatta. By continuing this trend, we keep the club and its main events in the hands of the members, where they belong.

Programs

Our Head Coach, Lubo Kisiov, departed the club in October after seven years with the ORC. Lubo accepted a position in England at the Thames Rowing Club coaching club and national U23 athletes and his departure leaves a gaping hole in the club and Ontario rowing. We are finalizing the selection of a new Head Coach and I hope to have more for you shortly.

We also continue to have a good volunteer cadre of experienced coaches, enabling us to cover all competitive programs, along with a strong cadre of coaches and instructors for recreational and instructional programs. However, it is always a challenge to find new coaches and develop them. One of the priorities for our new Head Coach will be instrumental in maintaining the strength of our coaching team.

Another key area for development is the need for new umpires and officials. The ORC has had for many years a large number of licensed umpires who have been very generous with their time officiating at local, regional and national regattas. However, this group needs new blood and we will be looking for members interested in learning another facet of the sport to begin their training

Numbers in the core competitive programs decreased slightly again, reflecting broader trends we have seen in the club and across the country. The larger numbers of local university and high school rowers may help offset this in the next couple of years, as we seek ways to interest these athletes in continuing in the sport throughout the season. Another priority of the new Head Coach will be to halt this trend and work toward rebuilding the strength of our year-round competitive membership. Having strong junior, high school and university bases to build on will help in this area.

The high participation rate in recreational and instructional programs presents challenges in supporting so many different rowers at peak times of the season. The boats for these programs, already some of the oldest in the boathouse, are becoming harder to maintain. The threesome of a new Head Coach, new VP Competitive, and the VP Rec and Instructional Programs will face some interesting choices in selecting where we should invest in rowing shells this year.

Trends in the competitive areas have also led the Executive Committee to decide that there is a need for a Executive member who’s sole focus is on competitive programs. This will help bring more attention to these areas, including a focal point for administration of the competitive programs, organization of regattas and organizing of umpires and officials.

Finances

Program costs continue to rise, particular gas and repairs for a large, overused coach boat fleet and club transportation to regattas, which makes it challenging to keep membership rates down. The ORC's distance from southern Ontario makes it expensive to participate in as many regattas as we might like, as the travel time takes away from training and the expense makes it difficult for many athletes to afford many trips. We are going to hold the line on membership fees this year but inflationary demands and rising expectations of members will continue to put pressure on operating costs. The revenues from the Equipment Levy are being put aside until a new Head Coach and VP Competitive can provide advice on priorities for investment.

We continue to seek new sources of funding, and have had some success in raising corporate donations, although we are still trying to land the "big fish". Our Interpretive Centre bookings increase every year, bringing another source of revenue to the club. Its success is due mostly to Donna Makin, who has graciously offered to continue to volunteer to manage this venture for the ORC. We have decided to be more active in promoting the facility as a banquet and meeting place and will be calling it the “Ottawa Rowing Club Boathouse” in our promotional literature for now. The net revenues we receive from this venture will be accounted for separately from the operating revenue of the club and will be used for capital projects and major equipment purchases.

My view is that membership revenues should be able to sustain the ongoing operating costs of the club such as coaching costs, operations and maintenance of the boathouses and boats, and club management and administration. Sponsorships, donations, grants and revenues from ventures like the ORC Boathouse rentals are not guaranteed sources of funding that can fluctuate from year to year. Therefore, they should be applied toward capital needs, such as rowing shells, major equipment such as trucks, coach boats or trailers, and major boathouse improvements.

Conclusion

The ORC faces two main challenges to its core competitive program: replacing an iconic Head Coach and improving participation rates in the year-round competitive program. Our third biggest challenge comes in continuing to ensure the club is financially viable well into the future.

These challenges come with a number of opportunities. We have a strong interest amongst youth in competitive rowing. We also have a strong interest in recreational and instructional programs, which are critical to our visibility in the community and contribute a great deal to the viability of the club.

On the balance, the ORC has a bright future as the centre of rowing in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec.

Mike Walker

February 2008

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