Tillsonburg Rowing Club officially christens five boats
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August 28th marked a special day for the Tillsonburg Rowing Club.
Five boats, acquired over the past three years, were officially christened in a ceremony near the Lake Lisgar boathouse.
“Rowing has a rich history here,” said Tillsonburg councillor Dave Beres, with a nod toward two of the club’s founding families, the Gibsons and Parsons; the Kinsmen Club of Tillsonburg; former national rower Kubet Weston; the Pinter sisters Julie and Sue; and long-time club executive Al Almas; and the rest of the rowing community.
“You’re certainly a huge asset to this town,” said Beres.
“None of these five boats you see here would be here without Frank Tamasi,” said TRC president Sharon Puente, introducing TRC’s vice-president and head coach, who joined the club three years ago and instigated the purchase of three singles (one heavy with pontoons and two mediums), one quad and one double, bringing the TRC ‘fleet’ up to about 12 boats.
August 28th also marked a special day 50 years ago – Martin Luther King Junior’s 1963 ‘I have a dream’ speech, and Tamasi, borrowing from that theme, talked about the Tillsonburg Rowing Club’s dream.
“Thirty years ago a group of individuals in the Town of Tillsonburg also had a dream. They looked at the lake and said, ‘we could have a rowing club here.’ That dream was born roughly 30 years ago, and through time, hard work and effort, the Tillsonburg Rowing Club became a reality.”
Tamasi thanked and acknowledged the hard work, dedication and perseverance of Glen and Darlene Parsons, and Bruce and Janice Gibson. The four founding members christened the boat, The Spirit of Lake Lisgar.
“The Spirit of Lake is something that we hope will carry on for many, many years.
“You have to have a passion, you have to have a dream to row at the national level,” said Tamasi, speaking of Weston, who was a member of Canada’s silver-medal winning women’s eight. “We are honouring Kubet, a rower who started here and went on to national-team prominence, for what she has accomplished.
“Julie and Sue Pinter, they also had a dream. They had a dream to keep the club going as rowers, and as coaches. They rowed competitively in high school, they were club captains, and they came back to coach. They kept the dream alive. If it wasn’t for the coaches who come back to coach, there would be no rowing.
“Al Almas, he shared the dream as well to keep the club going,” said Tamasi, recognizing the efforts of the long-time club treasurer. “It’s tough slugging it out…
“And our friends at the Kinsmen, they believe in our dream, they help support us,” said Tamasi, noting the quad purchased last year, named Kinsmen II – TRC’s second Kinsmen-sponsored boat.
Tamasi also acknowledged the support of the Lake Lisgar Revitalization Project and their efforts to keep the lake beautiful – and usable.
“Without them (LLRP), we would be losing our lake and the beauty we have today.”
NEW DOCK
“It’s a great dock, but it’s a community dock,” said Tamasi, stressing the importance of ‘community’ and everybody chipping in to make things happen.
“You can’t do things in a town like this without everybody’s help – that’s what I’ve learned. That’s what makes this town work. That’s what made this club work through the years.”
Tamasi said his dream is to build rowing in Tillsonburg so it does not take ‘backstage’ to any other sport.
“I want rowing to be a go-to sport for the youth of the community. Rowing is a great sport. This is a sport that you can take with you for the rest of your life. I also have a dream of seeing more adults out here rowing.”
Turning his focus in the direction of Summer Place, the facility attached to the boathouse, he said, “I look at the boathouse and Summer Place and I don’t see what ‘is,’ I see what ‘can be.’ And for me the answer is simple – a home for the Tillsonburg Rowing Club. A permanent home.”