Aalbert Van Schothorst enters his 12th year as head coach of the Vikes men's rowing program in 2025-26. After serving as an assistant coach since the 2012 season, Van Schothorst took the helm of his alma mater's rowing program when he succeeded Howard Campbell in the spring of 2014.
Posting a fourth place finish at the Canadian University Rowing Championships in 2024, capturing five medals in six events on the national stage. Giancarlo DiPompeo was part of three medal wins to lead the Vikes, and also earned Rowing BC Athlete of the Year honours and Rowing Canada U23 Athlete of the Year accolades in 2024-25.
Van Schothorst's 2023 team took third at the Canadian University Rowing Championships for the second-straight year, highlighted by an individual gold medal from Giancarlo DiPompeo in the men's lightweight 1x race. The Vikes' 8+ boat captured the silver medal, improving on its third-place finish from the 2022 championships.
The Vikes' 2022 squad finished third at the Canadian University Championships, with every boat finishing in the top three. Patrick Keane led the way for Victoria, claiming individual gold, silver, and bronze medals en route to being awarded Co-Athlete of the Year honours. Later in the season at the Brown Cup, the Vikes' reserve 8+ captured the Campbell-Dowd Cup for the first time since 2015.
Capturing his first Canadian University Rowing Championship as the head coach of the Vikes, Van Schothorst led UVic to the 2021 CURC national championship banner, including the Vikes’ first-ever win in the in the lightweight 4+ race. Van Schothorst was named the CURC Coach of the Year following the regatta, his second Coach of the Year honour after earning the accolade in 2016.
Van Schothorst has since consistently podiumed his crews at the Canadian University Rowing Championships, Brown Cup and Royal Canadian Henley regattas, and under his direction the Vikes have been ranked in the top 20 North American Crews.
Van Schothorst credits his oarsmen's results to a crew culture committed to developing themselves and each other as athletes and citizens, demonstrated by the program's annual contributions to Rowing Canada’s national teams at both the U23 and senior levels.
In recent years, Van Schothorst has represented Canada on the international stage, coaching crews at the U23 World Championships, FISU games, and Junior World Championships. On the national stage, Van Schothorst was named the head coach for the U22 Team B.C. for the 2022 Canada Summer Games.
An RCA Level 4 coach and National Coaching Institute Victoria graduate, Van Schothorst has served on the boards of the Greater Victoria Youth Rowing Society, Rowing British Columbia and the Canadian University Rowing Association. He also drove the successful junior program at the Victoria City Rowing Club prior to joining UVic.
Through his role with the Vikes, Van Schothorst has worked to further the success of rowing in his community. An ambassador for the sport, Van Schothorst has worked to grow local regattas like Head and Tail of the Gorge into major events attracting racers from all across the country and generating recognition as a top regatta in Rowing News. Van Schothorst was also a key driver in elevating the Brown Cup, the pinnacle Canadian rowing event of the spring, back into a Victorian spectacle, attracting thousands of viewers along its waterways.
Prior to his coaching days, Van Schothorst rowed at the college level for both the University of Calgary RC/Calgary RC and the University of Victoria.
Van Schothorst holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Calgary and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Victoria.
ARTICLES
2018 March:
Vikes alumna Zimmerman honoured as RCA Senior Athlete of the Year
2016 November:
Men's eight earns gold, Vikes finish third at University Championships
AALBERT VAN SCHOTHORST'S RECORD AT CURC CHAMPIONSHIP
| 2014 |
2nd |
| 2015 |
4th |
| 2016 |
3rd |
| 2017 |
2nd |
| 2018 |
3rd |
| 2019 |
4th |
| 2021 |
1st |
| 2022 |
3rd |
| 2023 |
3rd |
| 2024 |
4th |
