Watch out Canada, it's Smith and Biesenthal

Smith’s influence recognised

Watch out for rowing Olympians Tricia Smith and Laryssa Biesenthal. That’s the word from Canada following the announcement of the 2005 list of Most Influential Canadian Women in Sport and Physical Activity.
FISA’s executive committee member and council representative Smith was named on the list of top 20 influential women while Biesenthal came under the ?ones to watch? category.

Both Smith and Biesenthal rowed at the Olympics for Canada with Biesenthal moving from athlete to coach after the 2000 Olympics. After being named assistant national team coach last year, Biesenthal led her lightweight women’s quad through to gold at the World Rowing Championships. Biesenthal names this as one of the accomplishments that she is most proud of.

National team coach Biesenthal

An accomplished athlete Biesenthal says she is most recognised in Canada for her string of international winnings. She collected five World Championship medals and two Olympic medals in her six years on the Canadian national team. As a coach to watch Biesenthal says she hopes to help Canadian lightweight women perform at their best.

?In achieving this, I hope to assist the lightweight women in our quest to have them stand on the podium, something the Canadian lightweight women have not achieved in over ten years,? says Biesenthal.
Smith is a rowing groundbreaker. She competed in the first ever Olympics for women’s rowing in 1976.  Thirteen years of international rowing later Smith had gathered seven World Championship medals and an Olympic silver. Racing in the pair Smith says her and partner Betty Craig were often the only ?western? crew to make it to the final in an era dominated by eastern bloc crews.

Now a lawyer Smith sits on a large number of sporting boards including the International Council of Arbitration for Sports and the Canadian Olympic Committee. Next year Smith will lead Canada to the Pan American Games as Canada’s Chef de Mission.

For more information on the list go to: www.caaws.ca

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