Re: "It takes money to win medals," Aug. 14.
The editorial correctly identifies that it takes a lot of money to win Olympic medals, and questions whether any of that trickles down to benefit the community.
The editorial asks: "How many residents of Greater Victoria get to row one of those racing sculls out at Elk Lake?
How many of us would even wish to?"
The answer to both questions is: A surprisingly large number.
Before the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic
Games, there was a plywood shack on the west side of Elk Lake. No power, no running water, no heat. 91原创 rowers from across Canada basically camped in the woods at the lake for the winter of 1983, and from there travelled to Los Angeles to bring back the gold medal in the men's eight, as well as several silver and bronze medals.
That was the spark for the modern rowing craze in our city, and the impetus for the boathouse we see now on Elk Lake. Local, provincial and federal politicians recognized the community benefit, and assisted with capital funds. Those who took on the project promised community rowing, and we delivered.
Now, almost 30 years later, there are high school programs hosted out of Elk Lake for a dozen middle and high schools, a large junior program, learn-to-row programs for the public run in association with municipal recreation centres, the Community Corporate Challenge, programs and memberships for novice, senior, masters, and adaptive rowers; and of course the hugely successful UVic and national team programs.
Hopefully we do care, both about promoting success in elite sport and about ensuring all that success trickles down to community sport. In rowing, in Victoria, it certainly does.
L. John Alexander
Victoria City Rowing Club
