Episode 9 Para-Rowing – Therapy Without Walls

Better Together With A Life Worth Living
Better Together With A Life Worth Living
Episode 9 Para-Rowing - Therapy Without Walls
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 Hosted by: Phil Peck Guests: Sara Chapdos, Doug Diet, Stacey Trottier-Mousseau, Mike Whitehead, Sue Whitehead, Adrienne Skinner, Robert Cusinato, Kathy Dresser

Excerpt Episode 9 Para-Rowing – Therapy Without Walls

Many call it physical and emotional therapy without the walls. The LaSalle Rowing Club offers a Para-Rowing program for individuals with disabilities. Listen as some of them launch into the sport.

About The Host:

Phil Peck is a freelance journalist and media specialist. Originally from Saint John, NB, he as lived in the Windsor areas since 1984. During his career, Phil filled in a variety of roles in broadcasting. He worked as a technician, a Disc Jockey, Videographer and writer. Phil also worked for 30+ years at CBC Radio & TV as a reporter, an editor, and a program producer.

Transcript Episode 9 Para-Rowing – Therapy Without Walls:

Phil Peck     0:07

Welcome to Better Together with A Life Worth Living. I’m Phil Peck.   Our stories teach, inspire and bind people together.

This podcast goes out on the water, in a boat, a rowing boat to be specific, a very sleek boat designed for speed.

However, the boats are not the story here. This is about the individuals with disabilities who are learning to row those boats.

Sara Chapados  0:32

Gliding along on the water feels very calming and peaceful. Exciting.

Phil Peck     0:40

Thanks to our sponsor St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology. “Start Here. Go Anywhere.”

Music – ends

Phil Peck   0:49

The LaSalle rowing club sits on the banks of the Detroit River about two kilometers downriver from Windsor, Ontario.

It has a garage large enough to fit a transport truck. Rowing sculls line the walls on both sides, on shelves that reach to the ceiling.

There are one-seat boats, two-seaters, four and eight seaters. The large garage doors lead to the dock used to launch those rowing boats.

Doug Diet is the president of the LaSalle Rowing Club. He also coaches rowers. He explains how the club became involved with para-rowing.

 

Doug Diet   1:24

The club initiated the para-rowing program based on one of our rowers, Stacey. She was our initial para-rower here. And we saw what kind of effect it had on her lifestyle. And we wanted to become a more inclusive club.

Phil Peck     1:42

And did you have to get special equipment or facilities to accommodate the para-rowers?

Doug Diet    1:49

We do need special equipment for our para-rowers, depends on their abilities. So, they come in all shapes and sizes and different abilities. And what para-rowing does is adapt the equipment for our athletes?

Phil Peck     2::04

Can you give me an example of one of the things, or two of the things that you actually have to do to the equipment?

Doug Diet   2:10

Some of our athletes have no mobility from the waist down. And in rowing, you would use a sliding seat, if you had the ability to use a sliding seat and use your leg muscles. For an athlete that doesn’t have mobility from the waist down, we install a fixed seat so that they’re able to row using their upper body and their arms and their core.

Phil Peck     2:30

Okay, and how do you get all this equipment?

Doug Diet   2:33

We purchased the equipment through the club. And, thank you to Windsor Essex Community Foundation, through Sport Canada, through several different grants that have come our way. So, generosity helps along.

Phil Peck     2:45

Is it a competitive sport? Or is it more recreational?

Doug Diet   2:49

Rowing can be what you want it to be. So, we have rowers that just want to row recreational. We also have rowers that are competitive. And the same goes for para-rowing. Do you want to come and just be recreational? You certainly can. But para-rowing is in the Olympics and the Paralympics. Right. So yes, it can be whatever level you want it to be.

Phil Peck     3:08

You’re a coach as well as president of the club. When you’re coaching people, what do you see them gaining from their experience in rowing?

Doug Diet   3:18

Active and healthy lifestyle is one thing that I encourage.  One of our rowers, and you’ll meet Stacey, likes to call it ‘money in the bank’. When you’re exercising, and you’re living an active and healthy lifestyle, it’s like money in the bank. So, if you have a disruption in your life where you get sick, you know, having that money in the bank, it will get you through that sickness, right?  I guess that’s one of the attitudes that we have around here.

Phil Peck     3:45

Is there any psychological advantage?

Doug Diet   3:48

For the para-rowers here, what we found is there’s a huge community of para-athletes that we’ve built here. One of the first practices that we had, the practice was over, and yet our athletes stuck around. They talked about their experiences, their strengths, some of their weaknesses. And they just became a community of, you know, just simple things. Like a couple of para-athletes were chatting about wheelchair brakes. And you know what, they went on for a good 45 minutes after the practice. It was as great community,

Phil Peck     4:18

What do you hope happens to this program as it develops?

Doug Diet    4:22

I hope more people become aware that we have a program here and if they want to come to try it, for sure, come on out.

Phil Peck     4:28

Thanks very much. Thank you.

Phil Peck   4:33

This is a rowing machine. It simulates the motion and the effort required to roll a scull. There’s a handlebar that requires about the same force it takes to row a scull. There is a seat that moves back and forth, just like in a scull. The machine shows the rower how far they’ve traveled in their simulated rowing session. They call the machine an ergometer or erg. The coaches are urging Sarah Chapados to complete 2,000 metres.

Coaches   5:01

Eight. Nine. (Cheering) You did it. Good job.

Phil Peck   5:10

Stacey Trottier-Mousseau is a rowing coach. She talks about a typical training session for the para-rowers.

Stacey Trottier-Mousseau   5:17

Tonight, we did a little team building with our walk, which helped warm up the athletes. And then we did a short stretch before we carried on with the 2-K test. So, it’s giving all of the athletes a benchmark to judge their performance by.  For most of them, it’s their first time doing a test. So, it’s gonna give them a personal best. So we have all around personal best for the room today.

Phil Peck     5:43

So, the athletes sit here, pull the handle?

Stacey Trottier-Mousseau   6:45

Yep, push with their legs. So, a lot of people think rowing is a pulling sport. But 60% of the stroke comes from the legs. So, it’s push and not pull. So, you’re just kind of bringing the handles along with you. Just the last 10% is with the arms.

Phil Peck     6:03

And how is this adapted for the parallel rowers?

Stacey Trottier-Mousseau   6:06

It would depend on what their needs are. So, Mike wasn’t rowing today. We do have some rowers that require a fixed seat because they’re not using their legs. It depends on if they have trunk control or not. So, this machine is perfect for modification for any customization needed for disabled athletes.

So, these guys, two of them have MS. So, they have functional leg movement. They just might have weakness and balance, spasticity, that sort of thing. So, it’s probably the first time that they’ve had the opportunity to work out to this extent. Work hard, in community, but still get the good workout where they might avoid working out in a community setting because it’s not something that is accessible to them.

Phil Peck     6:58

Got it. How long have you been in the sport?

Stacey Trottier-Mousseau   7:01

Since 2016.

Phil Peck     7:03

How did you get started?

Stacey Trottier-Mousseau   7:05

Because I have MS, I had a pretty substantial relapse that I had to rehab from. So, I was working with a personal trainer who used rowing as part of my training. And I’m a veteran. So, I knew that the Invictus Games were coming up and I started kind of looking into it because I really liked rowing just on an erg. So, I thought, well, that might be something that I could do. And then I got picked up for the team. So, my main focus was rowing at the Invictus Games, but I also did wheelchair rugby, which Mike (Whitehead) was my coach for that. So, it’s a weird connection that everything sort of aligned. And I also did swimming.

Phil Peck     7:49

How has it helped you overall compared to anything else that you’ve done?

Stacey Trottier-Mousseau   8:27

I love rowing because there’s something magical that happens on the water. So, we endure this indoor conditioning during the winter when we can’t row on the water. But it’s all to get back on to the water.

I used to be a marathon runner. So, I was always chasing that feeling of a race, like where you were having spectators. And there’s a lot of people that you’re doing this hard thing with, and the rowing is the same sort of thing. And I can get the same type of workout. But running is not accessible to me anymore. So now I can row and replicate part of the experience that I loved with running.

Phil Peck   8:31

Can anyone do it?

Stacey Trottier-Mousseau   8:33

Yes. It can be customized for just about anybody. I mean, we had a rower with one arm and one leg, you know. And we just adjust the experience so that they’re able to take part and there’s so many aspects to it that are helpful. In an exercising community, it is really the priority to get people out. It helps the para-rowers themselves, the para-athletes, but it really helps the whole rowing community to become more accessible and to celebrate the victories that people with different sorts of challenges are overcoming and achieving.

Phil Peck   9:14

Perfect. Thanks.

Stacey Trottier-Mousseau   9:15

Okay.

Phil Peck     9:16

Para-rowing was initially called adaptive rowing. It was first raced at the 2002 World Rowing Championships. The sport was added to the Paralympics and held its first events at the Summer Games in 2008.

Mike Whitehead has participated at the Paralympics as a member of Canada’s wheelchair rugby team. He’s been at the LaSalle Rowing Club, working out on the ergs with other rowers.

Mike Whitehead   9:41

I like it. I like it because it’s me and the clock. When I look at that meter, it says exactly how hard I’m working. So, I could be thinking, wow, I’m working hard. But the power and the meters are saying another thing. So, it doesn’t lie which is cool. So, I can push myself. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Phil Peck     9:63

And have you been on the water yet?

Mike Whitehead   10:005

No, no, it’s been years. Last time I was on the water rowing was in Sarasota, Florida. In 2013. Yeah, I’m excited because I grew up in Essex County, so I can’t wait to be back on the river.

Phil Peck     10:19

And how does the equipment get adjusted, to accommodate you?

Mike Whitehead   10:22

Yeah, so there’s some great people that have invented some really cool things. And it’s just a quick couple of fixes for the seat. You get a fixed seat in the boat and strap your legs in, strap your feet in, strap your waist in and then get going with the oars in your arms.

Phil Peck     10:38

And does this machine simulate the kind of effort you’ll need on the water or does it help you build to that?

Mike Whitehead   10:44

Good question. I am such a novice and I’m hoping so. I’ve done some Para Nordic rowing, which is cross- country skiing, seated. The ski erg is very similar to that movement. But with the rowing erg,  I’ve heard it’s very similar and I’ve heard it’s very different. So, I don’t know. We’ll see.

Phil Peck  11:05

It’s a wait and see?

 

Mike Whitehead   11:07

It’s a wait and see. Yeah, I’ll trust my coach.

Phil Peck     11:10

Who is your coach with this?

Mike Whitehead    11:12

Doug is my coach. Yeah, Doug is such a sweetheart. The whole crew here at LaSalle rowing, so many sweet people who motivated me. Doug is my guy.

Phil Peck     11:22

He told me that one of the nights that all the para-rowers came out, they stayed afterward and talked. It was like a social.  Is that an important part of it?

Mike Whitehead    11:33

Social health for me, as you know, I like to think movement is medicine. So, when I’m moving, I feel healthy and happy. But also, when I’m chit-chatting with friends, that makes me happy, too. So yeah, that night was special. There was some old friends and new friends and it was just a lot of good social health.

Phil Peck     11:50

Stacey said that you were her coach.

Mike Whitehead   11:52

Yeah. What a tremendous person. And what a great story. She’s great. I’m so proud to be a friend of hers. I coached her. I was part of the coaching team for wheelchair rugby for the Invictus crew in 2017 in Toronto, with “Soldier On” and the Canadian Air Forces. What a special journey, you know, we had dinner at Rideau Hall and then we get to go and compete in Toronto and Maple Leaf Gardens and play some wheelchair rugby there. And Stacey was on the court competing against several teams. New Zealand was one of them. A lot of special moments.

Phil Peck     12:27

So, helping each other is really what it’s all about?

Mike Whitehead   12:39

It’s all about, yeah. I guess you can call it service work.  I feel like a lot of people have helped me along my way, so if I can give a hand along the way, kind of just ‘pay it forward’ as they say. Yeah, helping others, I think is where it’s at.

Phil Peck     12:48

We’ll hear more about the Para-rowing program and its benefits as this podcast continues.

We appreciate the support from St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology. “Start Here. Go Anywhere.”

You’re listening to Better Together with a Life Worth Living. I’m Phil Peck.

MUSIC——ends———-

Phil Peck   12:54

Rowing sculls are not like fishing boats or dinghies. The sculls are long, narrow boats that have the oar locks on a frame that extends beyond the side of the boat. A scull may have one seat, two, four or eight seats. The more seats, of course, the longer the boat. But they are all narrow boats and a narrow boat has a greater chance of tipping than a dinghy. It’s the long oars that give the sculls added stability.

Part of the training for para-rowers is to practice tipping the boat over. So, they took a scull to the Windsor International Aquatic Center. Sue Whitehead is a member of the LaSalle Rowing Club and is coach for the para-rowing program.

Sue Whitehead   13:49

Tonight’s drills are brand new to us as coaches and our club. We usually do a tip and flip in the river but this is the better way to get people comfortable with flipping. So, there’s four segments of these drills. There’ll be three drills without the oars. And then the last one will be with the oars. So, we’re all learning this.

This is Rob. He’s a first-time rower and he’s on top with his feet out and he’s just going to flip.  There he goes, and he’s good. He’s really excited about it.

Phil Peck   14:25

All smiles.

Sue Whitehead   14:36

Yeah, all smiles. So, it went well. (chuckles)

So, Kathy now is sitting in the boat.  This time the drill will be with her feet in the shoes. Now the shoes have Velcro straps. What will happen when they flip, they have to pull the straps to get their feet out of the shoes. She looks comfortable. That’s a good sign. So, they’re walking her out, and she’ll give the signal to the coaches.  There she goes. She releases her feet from the shoes and up she comes. It’s all good.

This here is Leslie. She is one of our ‘Learn to Row’ coaches. She will be flipping and then she will be tapping the hull. So, she’ll stay under the water a bit and tap the hall. There she goes, just to let us know that she’s not panicked about flipping.

Phil Peck     15:18

And that’s the whole trick to this, being comfortable in the water and being able to hold your breath?

Sue Whitehead   15:24

Yes, that is. And I for one do not like this. But as a coach, I have to do it.

This drill is now with the oars in. So, Sarah is getting in the boat holding the oars, putting your feet into the shoes, and she’s going out. So, she’s holding the oars, like she would in a boat and ready to roll. And now she’s gonna pull the oars in and roll. She’s a little nervous right now. Talking to the coach. There she goes. This one’s a very difficult drill. But we’re all learning from it, and the rowers are doing well.

Phil Peck     16:08

The LaSalle Rowing Club is one of several clubs in Ontario that offer para-rowing. Accessibility is critical. The same is true for other on the water programs. Adrienne Skinner knows firsthand. She’s a former coordinator for the PaddleAll program for the Western Ontario division of Canoe Kayak Canada. She joins me from Toronto. Welcome, Adrienne.

Adrienne Skinner   16:30

Hi.

Phil Peck   16:31

I’m just wondering, from your standpoint, what’s the attraction of getting out on the water?

Adrienne Skinner   16:36

Getting out on the water is one of the best things I’ve found to help you get through your day. At the end of the workday, you don’t think about everything else that’s going on during that day and you just paddle and enjoy all our lakes and rivers that we have here. I’ve been doing it for years, and I hope I never have to stop.

Phil Peck     17:00

Now, is para-paddling a growing sport?

Adrienne Skinner 17:03

Yeah, definitely. So, the movement started in about 2008. And that’s when I got involved. Eventually the goal was to get the sport into the Paralympics, which we did do in Rio in 2016. So that was a great success. And now it’s part of the Paralympics, para-rowing has been around for quite a lot longer than para-canoe. So, they had a they had a head start on us.

Phil Peck     17:32

So why do you think Para-sports in general are growing?

Adrienne Skinner 17:35

I think there is a movement in all kinds of areas of life where people are demanding equal airtime, equal access, equal opportunities, and this is one of them. So, for people with disabilities, we’re demanding a more accessible world, a more inclusive world. And sports are part of it.

Phil Peck     17:59

Is it a factor that people can see para sports on television?

Adrienne Skinner 18:03

I think so. I think that gives us a feeling of having more respect from the able-bodied world. That our sports are legitimate and worth watching and are competitive, and that we are athletes.

Phil Peck     18:20

So, what makes it difficult for para-athletes to get involved in either para-rowing or para-canoeing or any of these watersports?

Adrienne Skinner 18:28

I would say there are a lot of things. Accessibility to the sport is one thing. Having a club or a venue that offers the sport.  Because a lot of the time, the equipment that you might need, whether it’s a basketball wheelchair or a canoe, kayak or rowboat that’s outfitted for you. And to have a venue that’s accessible and coaches who know how to coach you, are all barriers. Through the movement though, there’s better coaching.  There’s more training. There have been grants available to help clubs get the equipment they need, become more accessible for people with mobility issues, and to just make it easier for people to get involved.

Phil Peck     19:33

Adrienne, what do you think prevents clubs from offering on the water programs, either canoeing or rowing or anything else for your athletes?

Adrienne Skinner    19:31

Well, for canoe clubs, we’re on the water. So, at my club specifically, there’s a steep grade down to the river. It’s very difficult to get down, difficult to get up for anyone who has any kind of mobility issue. Right now, it will be impossible for someone who uses a wheelchair exclusively to get down to the dock without it being dangerous and having a lot of help. So that’s one thing. Also, having the right equipment. Sometimes you need to have it modified and adapted to your specific disability. Thankfully, there are some people out there who are working toward making that more accessible and available.

Phil Peck     20:19

What do they have to do to adapt a canoe for you?

 

Adrienne Skinner 20:22

Well, it could be anything, helping someone hold on to the paddle using special kinds of gloves that might have Velcro. For myself, I have an above knee amputation. So, I’m not able to hold the rudder for my kayak in between my feet, because I don’t wear my artificial leg when I paddle. So, my prosthetist had kind of a little mechanism with Velcro and a plastic tube that I can wrap around my foot. And it holds on to the rudder for me and I can just slide my foot back and forth. Some people might need a special chair that holds them upright in the boat with straps and supports on the side and around the back, depending on what kind of core strength they might have.

Phil Peck     21:12

Somebody is pretty inventive when it comes to adapting these boats, aren’t they?

Adrienne Skinner 21:17

Yep.  Oh, yeah. Necessity is the mother of invention, for sure.

Phil Peck     21:35

Do you have any idea of how many people with disabilities would be interested in watersports if there was access?

Adrienne Skinner 21:28

That’s a hard question to answer. I talked to a lot of people who have disabilities about the program. And I think some people are wary because it is water. And if you have a mobility issue, you might feel a little reticent about getting on the water in a fairly tippy boat. Sometimes, you know, we can adapt the boats to make them less tippy and stable. But for some people, it is maybe a mental barrier that they have to get past.  But I think, if more people knew about it and knew how well run the programs are, and how clubs are making it as accessible for people through having the equipment there. They don’t have to buy it. And they have coaches who are quite passionate about getting people out on the water who have disabilities, and they’re there to make it easy for them.

Phil Peck     22:30

Do you have anything else to add about your sport?

Adrienne Skinner   22:35

Well, it’s such a healthy thing to do. To be outside. And there’s nothing better than being active or maintaining a good state of mind.

Phil Peck     22:44

Well, thanks for spending your time with me today and all the best out there on the rivers and lakes.

Adrienne Skinner   22:48

Thank you very much. Bye.

Phil Peck     22:50

The LaSalle para-rowers are fortunate that their club is accessible and has the sculls. They’ll head out on the Detroit River as Better Together continues.

The sponsor for this podcast is St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology. “Start Here. Go Anywhere.”

You’re listening to better together with a life worth living. I’m Phil Peck.

Phil Peck   23:15

Para-rowing is a program that many call physical and emotional therapy without the walls.

It’s time for the para-rowers to experience open water for the first time. Their four-seat sculls are carried from the boathouse, out onto the dock and carefully placed in the water.

Coach   23:34

Kathy, you’re in seat two.

Phil Peck   23:36

Next, it’s into the boat, take hold of the oar and start paddling.  They’re off!

Coach   23:43

Perfect.

Phil Peck   23:44

On their return, there were lots of smiles. I talked with some of the Para rowers.

Sara Chapados, what was it like out there?

Sara Chapados   23:52

It was amazing. I had great coaches too. So, that really helped me. Coaches were fantastic, positive encouraging. Very excited. Just learning to balance and do the strokes. So just gliding along in the water feels very calming and peaceful, exciting.

Phil Peck     24:13

Any concern that you’re going to get dunked out here tonight,

Sara Chapados   24:16

Just a few times, I was a little bit nervous. But more about my own balance issues.

Phil Peck     24:23

What do you like about coming here?

Sara Chapados   27:27

The groups of people are fantastic. They’re very encouraging. And just relating to people that have disabilities. I’ve never been involved in a group that is active and includes people that have chronic illnesses. That and the fact that I’m building endurance and strength. That helps. That’s very encouraging for me, too. I would come every night if I could. I think about it every day. I’m so excited to be here.

Phil Peck     24:55

How important is that camaraderie that comes from being with others?

Sara Chapados    24:59

It’s very important. I feel accepted. Don’t feel really very different from other people.  Feel like I fit in. My disabilities aren’t pointed out to me. They show me how to adjust or get around my disabilities.

Phil Peck     25:18

So, when you’re not here, do other people noticed your disability?

Sara Chapados  25:22

Oh, yes.

 

Phil Peck  25:23

So, this is what makes it special here?

Sara Chapados   25:35

It does. Whether we go out to eat or for a drink and we’re laughing and talking, everyone cares deeply about each other. It’s very interesting to see the dynamics of a group like that. That’s how I feel. I love it.

Phil Peck   25:33

Robert Cusinato.

Robert Cusinato   25:44

You know, I needed something to exercise. I kind of lost a lot of things with this MS that I’m dealing with and I wanted a new sport. And here it was. So, Stacey came in talk to us about rowing. We thought we’d give it a try on the ergometers and then it progressed to today, outside on the water. It’s wonderful. It’s social, which was nice. I played soccer all my life, I’ve kind of lost that. So, this is my new sport.

Phil Peck   26:14

Tell me a little bit about what happened to you.

 

Robert Cusinato    26:16

So, I have MS. It’s been a little aggressive in the last few years. And so that’s what led me to need a crutch to walk? Among other things.

Phil Peck     26:27

Was there anything special they had to do for the boats to accommodate you and your condition?

Robert Cusinato   26:32

So, nothing has been done differently to the boats. It’s the crew that has been very helpful in making sure that we are safe. For example, I can’t walk and carry the oars. They’re doing that kind of thing for me. They’re taking care of a lot of the jobs that maybe I should be able to do, but I can’t. They’re doing that for me.

Phil Peck     26:34

So, out tonight! How did it go?

Robert Cusinato    26:57

Wonderful. A little different than using an ergometer. We had to learn a lot of technique. So, I was sloppy. But it was day one. It was peaceful. It was beautiful out there. Met some really neat people. I look forward to rowing with them again.

Phil Peck     27:14

That’s good. Thanks very much, and all the best with your rowing career.

 

Robert Cusinato   27:18

Thank you.

Phil Peck    27:19

Kathy Dresser

Kathy Dresser   27:20

It’s exciting. It’s amazing. It’s so great to go glide across the top of the water. It was fun.

Phil Peck     27:26

And how tough was it for you to actually manage this?

Kathy Dresser   27:29

I think I’ll get the hang of it. It was just the first time I put oars in the water. And it feels a little different than what I’ve done before.

Phil Peck     27:36

What did they have to do to accommodate you? So you could do this?

Kathy Dresser   27:41

I’m hard of hearing. So, picking up sound behind me is always hard. Putting Sue on my boat was perfect. Her voice projects so well across the water.

Phil Peck     27:48

Good. And anything else that they had to do?

Kathy Dresser   27:51

When we’re out in the water, my cochlear slipped and I had to pull the boot off and put it back on to make the connection again. So, once I did that I could hear again.  Sue has also been calling out words that catch my mind, as to what I’m supposed to be doing. How to put the oars in and row.

Phil Peck     28:09

Okay. When you were in the pool last week, how was that? Dumping over.

Kathy Dresser   28:00

That was amazing. It’s lovely to have that experience, to know what to do, if our boat does fall.

Phil Peck     28:17

Will you come back and do this more?

Kathy Dresser   28:19

Yes, I will. I’ll be back next week.

Phil Peck     28:07

So, one other thing.  What made you decide to do this?

Kathy Dresser   28:23

Stacey, came into our meeting. I’m part of the MS community. And she came into our MS community meeting and she invited us to try it. It was no cost and no obligation. No requirements. So, we just showed up.  Rob and I showed up together and tried it out for that first month.

Phil Peck     28:385

Okay, good. Thanks very much.

Kathy Dresser   28:41

Oh, you’re welcome.

Doug Diet   28:39

Nobody went for a swim. (applause) So, it’s your first night for a lot of you. You guys did amazing. I don’t think there’s anything critical we need to say. It’s just one of those nights.

Phil Peck     28:54

Thanks to the para-rowers, their coaches and the LaSalle Rowing Club for their assistance in preparing this podcast.

You’ve helped us understand the value of sport in your life, and how important is it for you to share it with others.

29:08

I’m Phil Peck. Know who you are, decide where you’ll go and choose A Life Worth Living.

This was Better Together. Thanks for listening.

Again, thanks so much to our sponsor, St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology.  “Start Here. Go Anywhere”

Music ends at 29:41