The RCA Canada Coach Development Program has officially begun, bringing together 39 developing coaches from across the country with an experienced team of mentors for a journey focused on targeted learning, growth, and cross-Canada connection.

The program is designed to provide individualized support while also creating opportunities for coaches to learn from peers working in similar roles across Canada. A key priority in pairing mentors and mentees was creating connections beyond their local regions, giving coaches the opportunity to learn from different experiences and perspectives across the country. Each mentor will support a small cohort of three to four coaches, combining monthly one-on-one meetings with group discussions every two months focused on coaching development themes, shared challenges, and progress toward individual goals.

The first formal virtual meetings will take place in August, when coaches will begin working with their mentors to develop individualized development plans. That said, many participants are already connecting in person at summer regattas across the country, including at the upcoming Royal Canadian Henley Regatta and other regional events.

The program places a strong emphasis on supporting coaches working in Learn to Row, Masters, community, local club, regional, novice, and assistant university coaching environments – areas that have historically had fewer opportunities for sustained national coach development support.

By helping coaches strengthen their understanding of the Canadian Rowing Model Technique, advance their training knowledge, and progress through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), this initiative aims to build coaching capacity across the country and support future provincial, national, and Canada Summer Games programs.

The coach mentor group has also grown since the original announcement in May, with the addition of Roger Meager and Mike Purcer, joining the program to support the next generation of Canadian rowing coaches.

As Head Coach of Girls Rowing at Kent School in Connecticut, mentor Christine Wilson brings extensive coaching experience and a passion for developing others to the RCA Canada Coach Development Program. For Wilson, the program is also an opportunity to give back to the sport that helped shape her own career.

“My involvement with the mentorship program in Canada has been one of the nicest ways to reconnect with the rowing community in my homeland,” said Wilson. “Our sport has expanded in such exciting ways and it’s important for all athletes to receive solid grounding in the fundamentals of rowing. I feel fortunate to support developing coaches and give back, since my own career expanded thanks to the mentorship of some of the world’s top coaches.”

For mentee Manny Azarcon, Director of Rowing and Community Programming at Upper Canada College (UCC), the program offers both professional development and a chance to bring new ideas back to his rowing community.

“Getting to work and network with like-minded Canadian rowing coaches and the opportunity to learn from Coach Michelle Darvill as our coaching mentor provides an invaluable platform for personal and professional coaching development and growth,” said Azarcon. “In addition to learnings that I can bring back to UCC Rowing, this program will also provide motivation towards completing my RCA Performance Coach Certification – education that I hope provides a springboard to working with junior athletes provincially, and possibly, internationally.”

The Canada Coach Development Program will continue through the 2026–27 season with regular mentor meetings, cohort discussions, and educational opportunities. Coaches can also look forward to the next webinar in September, while the Made in Canada Coach Development Program is scheduled to launch later in August.