Tuesday, June 25, 2019 – Victoria, BC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rowing Canada Aviron and the Canadian Olympic Committee are pleased to announce the eight crews and their coaches named to compete in rowing at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

The team was selected following a selection trials last week on Elk Lake in Victoria, B.C. The team consists of Canada’s top next generation rowers looking to make their mark on the international stage. These Games will not serve as a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but will play a critical role in the development of Canada’s future Olympic rowers.

“We have a strong team headed to Lima with a good mix of veteran and next generation athletes,” said Rowing Canada Director, National Team Operations, Adam Parfitt. “It is a great opportunity for all our athletes to gain international experience in a multi-sport Games environment. We look forward to seeing their hard work pay off in Lima.”

Veteran Kate Haber (nee Sauks) (Owen Sound, Ont.) makes her return in the lightweight double sculls event with new crew Jaclyn Stelmaszyk (Uxbridge, Ont.). Haber will be looking to repeat her gold medal performance from the TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games in Lima. Haber competed at the 2018 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, placing 9th overall in the lightweight double sculls.

“I had the special opportunity to race and win in the lightweight women’s double in the 2015 Pan Am Games with Liz Fenje,” said Haber. “The experience was incredible and will remain one of my favourite sporting moments in my career. I am thrilled to return to the Pan Am Games this summer in Peru to defend my gold! I will be racing with Jaclyn Stelmaszyk, she’s fantastic and I am excited to see how fast we can go!”

Jessie Loutit (Calgary, Alta.) and Larissa Werbicki (Saskatoon, Sask.) will compete in the women’s pair for the first time at a Pan American Games, previously rowing for Canada at the 2018 World Rowing Championships in the women’s four event. Also making her Pan Am Games debut is Trish Mara (Victoria, B.C.) in the lightweight women’s single sculls. Racing in the women’s double are Layla Balooch (Burnaby, B.C.) and Shannon Kennedy (Toronto, Ont.).

On the men’s sculling side, Alex Bernst (Ottawa, Ont.) and Joshua King (Ottawa, Ont.) will double up in the lightweight event, Lucien Brodeur (St. Catharines, Ont.) and Graham Peeters (Omemee, Ont.) will compete in the double sculls event and Matthew Finley (St. Catharines, Ont.) will compete in the single sculls event. This will mark the first Pan Am Games for each of these men’s crews.

Rowing athletes took home 11 medals from the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games including eight gold, one silver and two bronze.

The rowing competition will take place from Friday, July 26 to August 11, 2019 at Albufera Medio Mundo in Huacho.

The athletes and coaches nominated are:

Women

Lightweight single sculls
Trish Mara (Victoria, B.C.)

Pair
Jessie Loutit (Fort Simpson, NWT)
Larissa Werbicki (Saskatoon, Sask.)

Lightweight double sculls
Kate Haber (Owen Sound, Ont.)
Jaclyn Stelmaszyk (Uxbridge, Ont.)

Single sculls
Jessica Sevick (Strathmore, Alta.)

Double Sculls
Layla Balooch (Burnaby, B.C.)
Shannon Kennedy (Toronto, Ont.)

Men

Lightweight double sculls
Alex Bernst (Ottawa, Ont.)
Joshua King (Ottawa, Ont.)

Double Sculls
Luc Brodeur (St. Catharines, Ont.)
Graham Peeters (Omemee, Ont.)

Single Sculls
Matthew Finley (St. Catharines, Ont.)

Coaches

Carol Love (Peterborough, Ont.)
Dane Lawson (Brockville, Ont.)

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Colleen Coderre, Communications Lead
Rowing Canada Aviron
C: 613.530.6217
E: coderre@rowingcanada.org

Josh Su, Specialist, Public Relations
Canadian Olympic Committee
C: 647-464-4060
E: jsu@olympic.ca 

Photo: Canadian Olympic Committee