BARRIE, Ontario — A former member of the Barrie Rowing Club is continuing the sport at the university level. Kiernan Phillips recently joined the rowing team at the University of Waterloo.

Phillips began rowing with the Barrie Rowing Club’s junior scullers program at the age of 14.

“That’s where I learned the basics of the sport, the stroke and developed a love for it,” Phillips said.

About two years after that when he became of age; Phillips was asked to join the competitive team.

“The first year of my competitive season was a little bit rough. We had four guys, roughly the same age, kind of tossed into the same boat – kind of a rag-tag crew – and went to a few races, but didn’t do very well,” Phillips said.

After another up and down season the following year, Philips then joined fellow Barrian Ceilidh MacDonald – now a member of the rowing team at Queen’s University, to create a mixed double’s team.

“We did a couple of regattas that year and that was the year that kind of brought me back to the sport,” Phillips said. “It was a lot of fun rowing that boat with her.”

That same year COVID-19 hit, and all competitions were canceled.

He then began coaching at the Barrie Rowing Club but was still getting out on the lake two to three times a week to train.

Phillips enrolled in the Environment, Resources and Sustainability program at the University of Waterloo for the fall of 2020. The entire year was done remotely.

Now in his second year and attending school in person, Phillips was asked to join the rowing team.

“They’re very much an up-and-coming team and in the works of acquiring varsity status,” Phillips said. “They’re looking to put the team on the map – sort of thing – so myself, four other varsity men and a handful of varsity women are leading that.”

Phillips was back competing for the first time in a couple of years when he participated in a regatta with his new team at the Guelph Invitational on Sept. 25.

“We were competing mostly in small boats, but it was nice to be back in competition after so long,” Phillips said.

Following that event, Phillips and the team took part in the Head of the Trent regatta in Peterborough on Oct. 2.

That was one of the biggest events of the year.

“We raced quite a few boats there and I also got to see a lot of members from back in Barrie. That was nice,” Phillips said.

Phillips also spent a few years playing with the Barrie Elites Volleyball Club.

“It was a lot of fun playing with the same group of guys for about four to five years,” Phillips said. “Every year you certainly develop friendships and connections with those guys and I’m still in contact with quite a few of them.”

The rowing season at the University of Waterloo winds down near the end of October.

This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.