Cait Whittard earns CanAmMex selection

Cait Whittard continues to enhance her scholarship rowing resume.

The Grade 11 student at Denis Morris was recently named to Canada’s squad for the CanAmMex regatta, a developmental regatta featuring athletes from Canada, Mexico and the United States.

“I was really happy with that but sadly there is no regatta this year,” the 16-year-old St. Catharines native said. “Just to be named to the team is an accomplishment.”

If not for COVID, the event would have been held this July at Lake Fanshawe in London, Ont.

“Although there will be no CAM in 2021, Rowing Canada Aviron feels it is still important to announce a CAM squad,” a press release stated. “This squad represents those athletes who would have been invited to the CAM selection event. Additionally, if we are able to run regional programming or camps over the summer, this is the group that would be invited to participate.”

Athletes were notified by email but Whittard found out when she was informed by her coaches at the Ontario Next-Gen Performance Centre in Welland.

“It was a surprise when I head it from them first,” she said. “They thought that I already knew.”

It was an exciting moment for the member of the St. Catharines Rowing Club.

“After this year and all the hard training we have been putting in, it was nice to be named to the team.”

The 5-foot-11, 150-pounder started rowing in the fall of Grade 9 at Denis Morris and then joined the St. Catharines Rowing Club the following summer.

Among her rowing accomplishments are: a Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association gold medal in the junior coxed four and a bronze in the senior coxed four; a silver in the youth coxed four at the Head of the Charles Regatta; Canadian and Ontario ergometer championships in 2020; and, a nomination for St. Catharines Rowing Club’s under-17 oarswoman of the year in 2019.

Since last September, she has been training full-time at the Ontario Next-Gen Performance Centre.

“Ever since I started, it has been amazing. I have seen a lot of improvement on the water and especially with my erg scores. It has been going really well and I hope to train there again next year. The coaches are awesome and I can’t wait to keep that up.”

During the lockdowns, the centre’s athletes weren’t able to train together in person and had to be content with group Zoom sessions. Each rower was sent a weekly training session to follow.

“My training never went down and I stayed consistent throughout the whole year,” Whittard said.

She has made big improvements in two areas.

“We did a lot of strength training, especially in the month of November and December. We were lifting three times a week and that helped me on the erg and on the water. We also worked on my technique all through the fall and I have seen major improvements now in the spring. I can see it all coming together.”

Her training schedule will continue on this summer and she is not anticipating any racing in Canada during this season.

“Most have been cancelled but I am going to train hard over the summer just to prepare for the fall season,” she said. “Hopefully there will be some racing and I am going to keep up the same hours, the same training and the hard work.”

She admits it isn’t easy to continuously train and not have any competitions.

“It is hard but I train with a really good group of girls and guys. We all push each other to be our best. Having each other really helps and I know the training will help me achieve my long-term goals.”

Those goals are to one day be a member of Canada’s national team.

“I am taking steps to get there and keeping up my hard work.”

The next major step for her will be to obtain a rowing scholarship.

“I am hoping to go the States but I am keeping all my options open.”

Her final destination will be the school that offers the best combination of academics and athletics.

“For me and my family with its values, I need to go to a good school and I want to get a good education,” she said. “And I want to go to the best program. After all this hard work I want to make sure I get good coaching because I want to continue to improve.”