VICTORIA – Three years ago, Jane Gumley took an interim position as the University of Victoria's head women's rowing coach. A year later, she officially became the program lead and has since been named the Canadian University Rowing Coach of the Year all three years after helping the Vikes win two national titles and making history as the first and only female coach ever to do so.

But for Gumley, this year's win means more than just a banner hanging in the rafters; it means self-belief.

 "I came in pretty young, and my career on the national team didn't necessarily go as I'd hoped, so I think there was maybe a little bit of imposter syndrome. But this year and with this win, I feel like I am possibly making a difference," said Gumley.

While Gumley may have felt like an imposter, that certainly wasn't the case, and now she has three coach of the year trophies to back it up.

"I'm obviously super flattered even to be nominated for the award by my peers three times, it means a lot, and it's really crazy," she said.

A former Vike, Gumley is no stranger to leading a team. As a career coxswain, Gumley led the men's rowing team to three Brown Cup wins and coxed the men's eight at two Canadian University Rowing Championships. As a member of the Canadian national rowing team in 2018, Gumley coxed the men's eight to a sixth-place finish at the World Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland, and an eighth-place finish at the World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She also served as a master's level lead coach with the Victoria City Rowing Club for four years and is completing her master's in leadership studies.

Since taking the program's helm, she's fostered a successful program and an outstanding team culture that embodies the values of being a Vike while positively representing the university at the highest level.

"I attribute a lot of the team culture to the hard work of all the team captains, assistant captains and senior leaders over the last few years. As a coach, I can dictate what I want the team culture to be like, but it's important for the team to be part of that conversation and for the entire group to buy in so that we're all on the same page and value the same things," she said.

The positive team environment is evident even for the new athletes coming into the program.

"The team culture is very, very good; it's the healthiest environment that I've ever been a part of, and that's due to the efforts of the coaches and the strong alumni legacy. Everyone truly supports each other, and everyone wants to see each other succeed," said second-year rower Sarah Stormont.

For Gumley, who spent many years giving orders as a coxswain, she says "I've articulated what I want technique-wise from athletes for a long time, so that part of coaching comes more naturally to me. But in the last three years, I think I've learned how to talk through things, be direct, and have honest conversations with athletes early on rather than sugarcoat things, and to do that with the goal of making them better while also making it clear that it's not personal," she said.

Heading into the 2023 Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC) with a very young and inexperienced team, Gumley felt uncertain about how things would go. With three novice athletes and, a lack of race experience in the women's eight, along with some significant boat changes made between Western CURCs and CURCs, there were a lot of unknowns.

"They performed really well. Honestly, we went into the weekend making sure we had our process goals in place. We've been working hard to stay internal for racing and focus on our targets rather than the outcome. Obviously, they all want to win; that's why they're varsity athletes, but we focus on the things we can control," she said.

Pulling together on race day, the team performed to the best of their ability to defend their national title successfully. The win marks the 13th overall for the Vikes women's rowing program, but even more importantly, it outlines the power of a positive environment where athletes feel empowered to work towards a common goal. 

"As a coach and leader, Jane has surpassed all expectations. How can you top three coach of the year awards in your first three years? Not to mention the all banners. I know Jane would be the first to admit that this success is down to her team, and this humility truly sets her apart as an exceptional role model. We are so proud to say she is a Vike," said Director of Varsity Performance Sport, Nick Clarke.