Lauren Wilkinson. Olympic Silver Medal winner
Lauren has been on the national rowing team since 2006. She is currently studying Micro-Biology and immunology at UBC.
She raced as part of the Canadian women's rowing team at the Summer Olympics in London. They won the Silver medal. She started rowing at high school. She has been on the national team since 2006.
She had a car accident that nearly took her life and forced her to re organise her goals as she refused to take no for an answer.
She rowed in the singles in Beijing in the Junior world Champions in 2007.
She went to Princeton University from 2007 to 2011 and rowed in the under 23 National team for Canada and in 2011 won the National Championship. in their first heat at the beginning of the year her team finished dead last. The last race of the year they won it as they set a new world record.
Lauren started in the national team as a spare. She asked the coach what one thing she could take on to improve her chances of being on the team and he said learn to row on both sides of the boat.
That is so difficult but its what got her on the final team. That paid off.
At the summer Olympics she raced at the Eaton course which is a two mile course with 50.000 people in the stands.
The roar of the crowd when you start 2 kms away is terrific.
July 29th at 12.00 noon they started the Dutch. They are fast and they beat the Canadian team at Beijing but we beat them this time.
August 2 at 12.30 and they were in the woman's finals. They finished second to the American team. They were gaining on them at the finish line but the race ended just a little too soon.
Everybody was so happy to be Canadian.
Afterwards we got to see London and visit with the other teams. We learned to pursue excellence. We met teams from other countries that were in conflict with each other. The olympics are amazing. We made friends for life.
We took a tour of Ottawa when we got back to receive our Silver Medals in Parliament. That was exciting.
April of next year we start training again for the National team as each year is a new selection.
Next summer olympics will be Rio for 2016.
Her aim is to beat the Americans next time. Gold.
The speaker was thanked by Harreson.