Healthy and Active Living through Rowing at PVNC with the Peterborough Rowing Club

Over the course of the school year, Monsignor O’Donoghue, St. Martin, and St. Joseph Catholic Elementary schools took part in the first-ever Healthy and Active Living through Rowing program with the Peterborough Rowing Club (PRC).

Recognizing a need in the community to promote healthy and active living for youth, the PRC introduced students to a new way of participating in healthy and active living that is intended to build skills in resilience, goal-setting, and key components of a healthy lifestyle. Offering free programming to Grade 7 and 8 students this year at PVNC, students learned those important values through rowing on ergometers.

Over the course of 3-5 days, students participated in virtual coaching sessions with athletes that lasted an hour, with time for instruction on proper ergometer usage and technique, stroke rate, warm up, and key elements of training for competition. During one session, students engaged with an individual that is versed in healthy or active living, whether it was an Olympian, nutritionist, or varsity athlete, who spoke on a variety of topics including overcoming setbacks, balancing school, personal life, and athletics, as well as the importance of sleep and nutrition.

The Peterborough Rowing Club’s Healthy and Active Living through Rowing Program is delivered with the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation.