Rowan her way to Brock
Swede Burak has been eyeing Rowan O’Neill’s rowing potential from an early age.
The coach of the lightweight program at Brock and former national rower noticed O’Neill as a young rower in Grade 7 when he was introducing athletes to the sport.
“I told her one day you’ll be rowing for me at Brock and it’s come true,” Burak said Tuesday morning at Lakeshore Catholic High School where O’Neill announced she has committed to Brock. “I’ve know Rowan since she started rowing and her work ethic is off the charts in school, which is really important to us as a program, and in her sport.”
O’Neill, an 18-year-old, Grade 12 student, is thrilled to become a Badger.
“I like that it’s close to home. At first, I thought I wanted to go far away but then I realized that I didn’t want to go that far,” she said. “I was always planning on rowing for a university and I looked around at schools in the States and reached out to a lot of the schools, but there’s not a lot of lightweight in the States. It’s mostly Ivy League and I really don’t want to do Ivy League.”
O’Neill, who plans to major in sports management, is looking forward to working with Burak once again.
“He made me love rowing and he’s the lightweight women’s coach at Brock so I couldn’t be happier about that,” she said.
O’Neill fell in love with the sport and hasn’t turned back.
“I’m addicted to it,” she smiled. “It’s an addiction after you’ve done it for so long.
“The feeling of racing and practising in the morning and getting off the docks as the sun is rising and being with your team and your friends.”
From left: Lakeshore rowing coach Bob Young, O’Neill, Lakeshore principal Denice Robertson and Brock coach Swede Burak.
Her high point thus far has been a bronze medal two years ago at the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association (Schoolboy) Regatta. She has also competed at a national level in British Columbia as a single.
Lakeshore rowing coach Bob Young has high praise for O’Neill.
“She’s very dedicated and she’s able to understand the rowing motions in a deep sense of the word and consequently she knows what she’s doing in terms of moving the boat,” Young said. “Rowing is a feeling sport, it’s not a visual sport. It’s important the athlete understand that. It’s excels them and their ability grows.”
Young feels O’Neill will be able to step into the next level with little difficulty.
“She’s already there. She’s going to add to the potential of the team.”
O’Neill is already working out with the Brock rowers.
“I’m excited to have a bigger team. The girls are all great. I have started training with them already and I really enjoy training wth them,” she said.
O’Neill also made it clear she owes much of her success to Young.
“He’s been my coach since Grade 10 and without him I would never be where I am today,” she said. “He’s very positive and he’s not loud. He’s not constantly yelling. When you’re racing and he’s cheering you on, it’s like a conversation.”
Now that Rowan is in the fold, Burak is working on her twin sister, Riley, who is a cox.
“She’s been looking around and narrowed down to Brock and UVic (University of Victoria),” Rowan said.
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