FISA Women’s Camp Coach Profile - Laryssa Biesenthal

Laryssa Biesenthal (3rd from left) and athletes at the high performance training centre in Seville

The 3^rd FISA Women’s Development Camp is in its second and final week at the high performance training centre in Seville, Spain. Although the camp is focused on providing a high level training experience for female athletes from around the world, it is also a development experience for coaches.  Laryssa Biesenthal from Canada is one of the new young coaches who is assisting Camp Manager Penny Chuter.

Biesenthal is a five time World Champion, and a two time Olympic bronze medallist – in the W4x at the 1996 Olympics and the W8+ in Sydney, and has only recently retired from international rowing.  Currently, she is working full-time to complete the Canadian Coaches Level 4 certificate, a certification that allows coaching on an international and Olympic level in Canada.

Peter Cookson, coach and owner of CRC Sculling Camps in Canada had contacted FISA about funding assistance for a young female coach to attend the camp and was able to provide a scholarship to cover some of Biesenthal’s expenses. As she is not able to work while she studies, resources are limited but the camp offers a valuable opportunity to enhance her international experience.

Cookson said that throughout his more than 30 years in the sport of rowing he has had the good fortune to see the introduction of women’s rowing into the international forum and its’ impact on the sport.  As well as meeting and working with many female rowers who continue to have a positive and important influence in the sport. Yet, even though women’s rowing is now an established entity, he feels there are still hurdles to overcome and that women’s involvement in coaching is an important step forward. He hopes that the donation from CRC Sculling Camps to a coach like Biesenthal will assist her in her chosen career as she can help to influence more women to make coaching a professional career choice.

32 year-old Biesenthal made the decision to go into coaching following her retirement from international rowing because she still had a great love of the sport and had so many great experiences as an athlete.  She noted that her decision was in part due to the many great coaches who worked with her and influenced her to want to share and pass on her knowledge to other athletes.

In Seville Biesenthal has met athletes and coaches from countries where there is not the same support for rowing as in Canada.  “It is wonderful to see the athletes are so excited and keen even though they have limited resources” she says. “It is also great to see these younger athletes being exposed to a very serious training camp to improve their level as well as being exposed to some of the rowing elite who are training in Seville at the same time and are very accessible to these younger athletes”.

She is also grateful to be learning from Penny Chuter and the other coaches at the camp, “It is truly and amazing experience”.

The camp closes Friday and the athletes will all be able to compete in the FISA Team Cup and Andalucian Cup that follows on the Saturday and Sunday, February 22 and 23.