Niagara called rowing hotbed

Ontario Nextgen Performance Centre in Welland to take scullers from across province to next level

Niagara is a hotbed for rowing, says Andrew Backer.

The Row Ontario chief executive made that comment last week in Welland during the grand opening of the Ontario Nextgen Performance Centre at 129 Hagar St.

“The centre provides an opportunity for high-performance athletes that are aspiring to national teams to have a chance to train daily with elite level coaching, and elite sports science, sports medical access,” he said.

Rowers from across Ontario, including Kingston, Ottawa, Sudbury and Niagara, have shown interest in or trained at the facility.

Backer said Welland was chosen as site of the centre because of the city’s recreational canal.

“It’s the best training water in Ontario, I’d say Canada,” he said.

Backer said a partnership with the city and the Hagar Street facility were also factors in Row Ontario choosing Welland for on-water and on-land training.

For on-water training, rowers use the north end of the recreational canal at the boathouse on Thorold Road.

“We prefer the north end because there are 7.5 kilometres for training. We have more space. The flatwater centre is ideal for competitions, but only has four kilometres and gives us a little bit less opportunity for long-distance training.”

Since the centre opened last September, Backer said between 30 and 35 athletes have trained on the water and in the Hagar Street facility.

Once the on-water season is over, winter training takes over from November through April.

“The performance centre is used 12 times a week once we’re off the water,” Backer said.

He thanked the City of Welland and its other partners for getting the performance centre open. “It’s felt like home from the beginning,” he said of the partnership with the city.

One of the other partners in the centre is the Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario.

It provides a team of physiologists, nutritionists, biomechanists experts, sports psychologists and strength and conditioning coaches.

Mayor Frank Campion said it’s a great facility for Welland.

“It means there’s a commitment from Row Ontario, and essentially rowing organizations, to make Welland home. We have been aspiring to do that for some time. It’s important for us to be a provincial centre for rowing,” said Campion during the grand opening.

The mayor said it shows the city, which bid to host the performance centre, can co-operate with other organizations on the provincial, national and international levels.

“To have them here is a meaningful thing because it’s their home. That means we have rowers and rowing community interested, involved and happy with our community,” he said.

Campion said the more organizations there are, the more it makes Welland a rowing community.

“It makes a difference. I think it will attract attention from other organizations. Who knows what’s next. It could be a national organization like Row Canada,” he said.

The mayor said Welland will receive more attention with the Canada Games next year.

“I think it puts the city on the national and international stage for rowing,” he said.