VICTORIA – The 1960s and '70s witnessed the emergence of the women's liberation movement in North America, where women increasingly fought restrictions in all areas of life, including participation in sports.

While the University of Victoria/Victoria City Rowing Club operated a men's rowing team during the 1950s and '60s, it took another 20 years to establish UVic's first women's rowing program—a program that has since gone on to win 11 Canadian University Rowing Championship titles and carve a path for countless World Championship, World Cup, Royal Canadian Henley and Olympic appearances.  

How it started

In 1972, Rowing Canada started pushing to see more competitive women's rowing ahead of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. That fall, Wayne Van Osterhout, a former UBC rower and PanAm Games silver medalist who had recently moved to Victoria to teach physical education, expressed interest in helping to drive Rowing Canada's initiative forward. 

Doug White, a men's rowing team member who later coached the Vikes men's program, recruited about 40 novice women to try out for the team, passing them along to Van Osterhout, who would become the first-ever UVic volunteer women's rowing head coach. The program operated on a $200 honorarium.

"I wasn't planning on becoming the head coach, but I'm glad it worked out that way," said Van Osterhout. 

"The women who came out were serious about learning to row and competing. I told them I didn't want to be a club team, but I wanted us to contest for a national championship—which is exactly what we did." 

What started as a 24-person crew in September dropped to nine as the program got more demanding and the athletes were introduced to weightlifting and 5:30 a.m. winter training sessions on the water.

That year, with support from UVic, the women's rowing team went to St. Catharines, Ont. for the Canadian Championship where the women's four, dubbed the 'Cinderalla team,' took first place. Because of their success, Rowing Canada sent the novice crew to Moscow, the former Soviet Union, to compete in the 1973 European Championships where they placed 10^th. 

Van Osterhout coached the women until 1976, when he began a master's degree at UVic. His efforts laid the foundation for what has become the modern-day women's varsity rowing program.

In 1976, women's rowing debuted at the Olympics and UVic rowers Ina Delure (Winterburn), Sandra Kirby and Linda Schaumleffel went on to compete as members of Team Canada's first-ever women's rowing delegate, cementing themselves in history as the first Vikes to compete on the Olympic stage. 

The wonder years

The '80s saw an explosion of talent in the sport locally. Over the span of two years in 1981 and 1982, UVic fielded one of the most successful groups of women's rowers in the program's history. Eleven key rowers spanned this time frame that saw the Vikes win the championship eights titles at the 1981 and 1982 Royal Canadian Henley regatta. They were named Victoria's Team of the Year in 1981. 
 

The incredible group of women combined seasoned competitors with new talent. The crew of Lisa Roy, Janice Mason, Katie Burke, Shelley Donald and Andrea Schreiner Stapff, all 1980 Olympians, along with Canadian junior and national team members Carla Pace and Lorna Schultz Nicholson, joined forces with newcomers Joanell Storm, Lisa Robertson, Marilyn Brain Campbell, and Carolyn Trono. Trono, Roy, Mason, Schreiner Stapff, Brain Campbell, Storm and Robertson were also Canada's 1984 Olympic team members. 

The late '90s and '00s were banner years for the program, with the Vikes winning the inaugural Canadian University Rowing Championship (CURC) in '97. The two decades were highlighted by dozens of talented athletes and multi-time Olympians like Silken Laumann, Buffy Williams, Rachel Viinberg and Lindsay Jennerich, to name a few.

Under head coach Rick Crawly, who led the Vikes for 35 years, the team took home all 11 Canadian University Rowing Championships, including a run of seven straight, as well as 92 Canadian Henley titles.

The Canadian University Rowing Championships, Brown Cup, Elk Lake Spring Regatta and Head of the Gorge are all regattas that Crawley helped to found or evolve into the successes that exist today.


50 years later

Now, 50 years after its humble beginning, the UVic women's rowing program is well established as one of the country's top programs and one of the winningest teams in Vikes history. When it comes to Olympic tradition, the program is second only to men's rowing (35), with 33 individual Olympians and 13 medals.   

"There have been a lot of changes in women's sports over the past 50 years, including women's rowing; it's amazing to see how much the program has changed and grown," said women's rowing head coach Jane Gumley.

"What's even more amazing are the incredible relationships and strong bonds that have been built by this program."

"Our overarching theme this year is '50 years strong,' which is a celebration of building connections and community."

The Vikes get set to compete at the Canadian University Rowing Championships in St. Catharines, ON., Nov. 5-6. Following a silver medal performance in 2021, the Vikes are looking to bring home their 12^th program banner.

To celebrate the milestone 50^th anniversary of Vikes rowing, an alumni event is taking place on Nov. 19, starting at 5:00 p.m. at the CFB Esquimalt officers mess in the Wardroom building. The deadline to register is Monday, Nov. 7. Register here.