SHAWNIGAN ROWING
2018-2021 Strategic Plan
Through its 100-year history, Shawnigan Lake School has enjoyed prominence in Canadian rowing and
introduced thousands of athletes to the sport, many achieving national and international success for their school and country. Rowing is, and always will be, an integral part of the Shawnigan experience. Shawnigan rowers excel on the water and throughout the school community, often achieving national championship wins, top-of-class academic awards, fine art distinctions, and student leadership positions all in the same year. Our athletes are top performers. As we set the course for the next century of Shawnigan Rowing success, this 2018 - 2021 Strategic Plan strives for continuing excellence and outstanding results in school-wide participation and performance. Shawnigan Rowing will pursue excellence on the water with novice to national level athletes while supporting our school’s well-rounded approach to education, including academics, athletics, fine art, and student life curricula.
Since the earliest days of Shawnigan Lake School, when C.W. Lonsdale won the single sculls event
at the 1917 edition of the annual Shawnigan regatta, rowing has been part of the life of our school. Today, it consistently contributes to our well-rounded education and places graduates in prestigious university programs and on national teams. With the support of our generous donors, rowing enjoys an enviable foothold on our waterfront. The Frank Read Crewhouse, itself a donation from Shawnigan and Canadian Olympic alumnus John M.S. Lecky (‘57, Groves’), is fully equipped with world-class rowing shells and will soon have a newly renovated indoor training and reception area. Our lake, I am told, is on a par with the best rowing waterways in the world, as evidenced by regular National Team training camps that use our facilities. This 2018-2021 Shawnigan Rowing Strategic Plan secures and builds upon the sport’s rich history in our School, ensuring that it remains a vehicle for effective youth development, not just athletically but as an integral part of the formative and unique education for boys and girls that Shawnigan continually strives to offer. We hope you will join us on the exciting journey ahead.
Richard D.A. Lamont Headmaster
PROGRAMMING
O
ffer a dynamic, engaging, and fulfilling program that guides young athletes from their first rowing experience to the highest levels of their performance potential, consistently prioritizing the development of teamwork, values, and character through a well-rounded Shawnigan education.
• Build participation by offering a program that engages early-stage athletes in a fun and dynamic program of on-water training and appropriate local-area competition, building a love for the sport while opening opportunities for higher-level performance on the national and international stage. • Offer a path to high performance by developing the Shawnigan Athlete Pathway to integrate with Rowing Canada’s Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model, encouraging progression through graduated levels of on-water training and competition within an annual plan that includes other sports and activities and opens up post-secondary and national/provincial team opportunities. • Pursue excellence by delivering a high performance, small boat training program for U19 athletes (Grades 11 & 12) that offers extra training time, sport-specific training blocks, technical training, access to National Team resources, and annual international tours. • Engage in character development by intentionally highlighting rowing’s natural lessons in the pursuit of excellence, perseverance, commitment, teamwork, and service by integrating these themes into activities at the Crewhouse, around the school, and in the surrounding Shawnigan Lake community.
PROMOTION & PROFILE
A
vidly and consistently promote Shawnigan Rowing within and outside of the school, ensuring that motivated students are attracted to the program, and parents, alumni, and friends feel connected to our pursuits, challenges and successes. • Develop an internal promotion plan to attract 150+ rowers across three seasons by maintaining a high online and Shawnigan community profile, inviting other Shawnigan athletes to try the sport, building team spirit, sharing the opportunity to progress from novice-to-nationals, highlighting post-secondary and national team paths, and collaborating with other sport coaches and staff. • Develop an external promotion plan to attract novice and experienced rowers to Shawnigan each year to expand our talent base in all competition categories, encourage the pursuit of excellence at the highest levels of rowing, and contribute to other areas of a well-rounded education. • Feature rowing consistently in school priorities, announcements, news, and marketing to emphasize its profile at Shawnigan. • Engage and communicate regularly with our community of parents, alumni, and supporters to ensure that they are well informed and feel a genuine connection to Shawnigan Rowing.
COACHING & LEADERSHIP
R
etain first-class coaching and leadership to create a dynamic and engaging program while ensuring best practices in technical instruction, physical training, and integration with the larger Shawnigan educational experience. • Ensure that Shawnigan Rowing is led by a distinguished coach/ teacher with notable credentials and experience in coaching, teaching, and youth development. • Consistently employ a group of 10-12 qualified coaches. • Ensure that coach compensation and benefits are competitive, leading to a strong candidate pool, multi-year retention, and maximum commitment. • Maintain an active group of volunteers for events like the Shawnigan Regatta, Nationals, tours & travel, and fundraising initiatives.
FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT
U
pgrade and consistently maintain state of the art facilities and equipment to ensure that resources necessary for continuing success are always available.
• Replace and upgrade all equipment that is no longer serving the program well, striving for an ongoing renewal plan where all boats, oars, and accessories are replaced on a five to seven year timeline. • Expand indoor training and gathering space and consider upgrades to boat bays and dock facilities to improve functionality and use by the National Team. • Develop and maintain positive relationships with Shawnigan Lake community residents and property owners to build an appreciation of and support for rowing on the lake.
RESOURCES FOR SUCCESS
E
nlist the resources necessary to support the pursuit of excellence in all areas of Shawnigan Rowing, including annual funding for operations and major donations for capital improvements and strategic initiatives.
• Generate sufficient annual funding to support the operational needs of the program through school budgets, parent and alumni giving, and other fundraising efforts. • Ensure that our supporters are welcomed into the program and recognized for their positive impact. • Seek leadership donations to achieve major capital improvements and strategic initiatives for the program. • Identify areas of potential revenue generation, such as regatta entries, apparel sales, and facility rentals.
There is an aging black and white photo that hangs still in one of the boat houses out of which I was lucky
enough to row. In it, a young man grimaces as he turns to look at his puddle. The wooden shaft connecting his body and blade is bent at an almost impossible angle – the result of his strength, good technique, and perhaps a little help from aging equipment. Looking at that photo, any rower will remember the feeling of the energy built up in that shaft as it propels the boat forward. It’s a sight, and sense, of pure joy. Looking back, I think of Shawnigan – and Shawnigan Rowing in particular – as that oar, propelling me forward. I have had the honour of rowing for some of the best clubs and teams in the world, of making friends for a lifetime, of having a job I love and a family I adore. This was only possible because of the doors that opened for me through rowing – doors that would have remained closed had Shawnigan not encouraged me to step into a shell for the first time in the spring of 1996. Now, I want to ensure that the students coming through the bays of the Read Crewhouse have those same doors open for them. I suspect you do too, and I hope you’ll join me in the coming months and years in helping to achieve that goal. All my best, Kip McDaniel Honourary Ambassador, Friends of Shawnigan Rowing
Shawnigan Lake School ’00, Harvard University ’04, Cambridge University ’07 Canadian National Team, ’05 – ’08