Carihi grad Avalon Wasteneys hasn’t been long on the international rowing scene – in fact, she only switched her focus from skiing to rowing three years ago – but the Campbell River product is already making some serious waves in the sport.
After her strong background racing with the Strathcona Nordic Ski Team on Mount Washington and achieving second-place ranking in her age group in Canada as a junior skier, Wasteneys made the switch to rowing in 2015. During the winter of 2017 she won the RBC Training Ground BC Regional competition, last summer she won three gold medals at the 2018 Canada Summer Games and this year she has made both the senior and the U23 national team.
Then, just last week, Wasteneys won a silver medal in her international debut rowing with Canada’s Women’s 8 at the Rowing World Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland. This week, she and the team take to the water in Poznan, Poland for the U23 World Championships.
“I am so thankful to my community for their support,” Wasterneys says. “Growing up at Strathcona Park Lodge with all the outdoor play and activities, skiing with the Strathcona Nordic Ski Club and additional training in phys. ed. at school all gave me a very strong foundation. More recently, RBC Training Ground funding has allowed me to focus on my training and Strathcona Toyota’s loan of a vehicle this spring has helped me to get to my daily practices.”
However, with a $2500 fee per athlete for the U23 Worlds any additional help would be very much appreciated, she says.
You can help support Wasteneys and the rest of the team by going to worldrowing.com and looking for the 2018 World Rowing Championships link.