Rowing to the rescue; daniel klassen goes from overweight student to scholarship rower
BERNIE PUCHALSKI
Sports - Thursday, July 19, 2007 @ 09:00
No one could have anticipated Daniel Klassen's rowing career.
"I had never played any sports and I was grossly overweight," the 17-year-old said. "The rowing team needed one more person to fill an eight and I guess they were pretty desperate."
He was a Grade 11 student at Eden High School at the time and the clincher to join came in the form of a little feminine persuasion.
"The coach got his daughter to flutter her eyelashes at me and convince me to join."
He loved the sport at first stroke.
"It was great. Our team wasn't too competitive, so I didn't feel too out of place. I started dropping weight and getting competitive so I kept going."
His weight loss was the most dramatic change - he dropped to 215 pounds from 280 pounds.
"If you saw pictures of me, it's ridiculous. I have people who don't recognize me any more.
"
It's no stretch to suggest rowing has altered his life mentally and physically.
"Everything I do now is more or less a product of rowing: the school I'm going to; what I do with my time; my girlfriend; it has completely changed my life."
Last year, Klassen was unofficially turned down for a scholarship at Princeton because he was too young, so he bided his time this past year working, studying part time at Brock University and training with Ridley Graduate Boat Club coach Jack Nicholson and fellow rower David Wakulich.
In the winter, Klassen and Wakulich worked out with weights and ergometers. When spring came, they were on the water twice a day.
"That was a huge, huge period of growth for me." Klassen said.
Overcoming his lack of sports background was Klassen's biggest challenge.
"Physiologically, he had a very poor aerobic base and that's where we have made the biggest gains," Nicholson said.
Klassen has also learned the training regime required to become an elite rower.
"It's learning how to pace yourself," Nicholson said. "He's never had to go to the wall and back and beyond, but he's going to be a good one.
"We'll keep him."
Klassen's rapid improvement garnered him a scholarship from Yale and he entered the Junior Speed Orders (national team trials) in Welland brimming with optimism.
He didn't have a great race in the A singles final - he placed sixth out of six boats - but his performance was good enough to earn a spot in the CanAmMex training camp and regatta this week in St. Catharines.
"I wasn't distraught over my results from the time trials," he said. "I was hoping to do well, but every race is different."
The CanAmMex camp, which rotates between Canada, the United States and Mexico, is the first international step for junior rowers with national team aspirations.
Klassen describes the camp as the best of both worlds.
"I get to race internationally with new coaches and teammates, but at the same time, I can still stick with Ridley, which has been really good to me, and I can still race Henley."
CanAmMex participants are eligible to compete in the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta while junior national team members are ineligible.
Brie-Anne Breton, Katrina Pichelli, Jenna Burke, Jill Stark, Ian Norton, Ben Cushnie from the South Niagara Rowing Club are also taking part in the camp.
The camp started Sunday night and Klassen will be staying with the team during the week at the Brock University residences.
Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.
