Changes in Canada's Final Olympic Selection

Canada’s eight ready for medals
© D Keller

Canada secured all seven of their Olympic spots last year at the World Championships. Remarkably all seven of these boats finished in the top six, three of them winning medals. This significantly raises the country’s Olympic medal hopes for 2004 particularly with the men’s sweep programme.

Since last year’s successful World Championships Canada has gone through a rigorous trial process that began in November 2003. The process reopened the opportunity for Olympic selection to everyone including those attempting comebacks and to others on the edge of national team selection.

Those attempting comebacks included Darren Barber who returned to Canada last year from his medical studies in Ireland to pursue selection. Barber is the veteran of two Olympic eights and with a gold medal from 1992 he is considered a Canadian rowing hero. Retiring after the Atlanta Olympics, Barber’s 2003 comeback was initially successful when he made it through trials and into Canada’s two-time World Champion men’s eight. However, the pool of potentials pushed Barber out of the boat and off the Olympic team. A back-to-health Ben Rutledge now replaces Barber.

The men’s eight returns to the same team line-up that won the World Championships last year minus one member. Dave Calder began the season in the pair and remains there. This elevates Scott Frandsen from last year’s pair, into the priority eight with Chris Jarvis joining Calder.

The men’s four remains the same as the crew that came together in 2003 to win gold at last year’s World Championships. The tightly knit crew is making headlines due to their push to use hooded row suits in Athens.

The lightweight men’s four sees the return of Iain Brambell to the crew that finished fifth last year. Brambell raced in the lightweight pair in 2003 and will now head for his second Olympic Games. He joins the most experienced Canadian team member, Gavin Hassett, who will add Olympics number three to his credentials. Hassett won sliver in Atlanta and finished seventh in Sydney.

The women’s eight has two changes from last year’s bronze medal crew. Romina Stefancic and Sabrina Kolker join the crew. In Sydney the women’s eight salvaged Canada’s medal hopes when they finished with bronze. The only surviving member of the Sydney crew, Buffy Williams will compete in the pair. Williams, who missed the World Cup season this year due to injury, has teamed up with relative newcomer, Darcy Marquardt to race in Athens.

The lightweight women’s double has been rearranged to include last year’s lightweight single World Champion, Fiona Milne. Milne joins Mara Jones and they have already won gold at the Lucerne BearingPoint Rowing World Cup and silver in Munich this year.

The team will head for Italy at the end of July to complete their Athens preparation.

Men’s Eight|
Scott Frandsen
Kevin Light  
Ben Rutledge                  
Kyle Hamilton
Adam Kreek
Andrew Hoskins
Joe Stankevicius
Jeff Powell
Brian Price

Men’s Four
Barney Williams
Jake Wetzel
Tom Herschmiller
Cam Baerg

Men’s Pair
Dave Calder
Chris Jarvis

Lightweight Men’s Four
Jon Beare
Jon Mandick
Iain Brambell
Gavin Hassett 

Lightweight Women’s Double
Fiona Milne
Mara Jones

Women’s Eight
Sarah Pape
Karen Clark
Romina Stefancic
Sabrina Kolker
Roslyn McLeod
Andréanne Morin
Jacqui Cook  
Pauline Van Roessel
Anna-Marie DeZwager

Women’s Pair
Buffy Williams
Darcy Marquardt