HIGH ACHIEVERS: Ottawa Rowing Club’s Aidan Hembruff pulls hard to experience dream season

By Martin Cleary

Elite athletes set many goals each season, including trying to be selected to the national team for a specific high-performance competition such as a world championship or Olympics.

At 23, the Ottawa Rowing Club’s Aidan Hembruff has already experienced two world men’s U23 rowing championships, achieving three top-10 results in his crew boats.

But at this year’s national-team selection trials for various international competitions, the ultimate goal was the world men’s senior championships in Amsterdam.

Hembruff felt he performed to the best of his ability against older and more established senior rowers and made the team … well, sort of.

When Rowing Canada announced the four members of the men’s four crew – Steven Rosts (bow), Axel Eiger Ewashko, Ryan Clegg and Samuel Stewart (stroke) – for the world championships, Hembruff was listed in the fifth line as the spare or reserve.

“I’m not saying I was disappointed, per se. But I think anyone would say if you’re not selected to compete, you would be disappointed,” Hembruff explained in a phone interview this week from the national training centre on Vancouver Island.

“You want to be in a race boat. But in the moment, there’s not a lot of time for disappointment. Being in the moment, I still had to train and keep my fitness up in case something goes wrong.”

Being the spare for the men’s four was a serious role. He trained as hard as his peers to be ready for a heat, a semifinal or a final, if one of the four designated rowers couldn’t row because of injury or illness.

The Canadian team stayed healthy and injury-free to finish 13th at the worlds. Hembruff benefited from his assignment and was grateful to serve as a non-racing spare.

“To even be at the event, you take away a lot,” he added. “What have I learned? Where to start? I learned the world is very fast (when it comes to top-level racing). The level is well beyond what you see anywhere else. It opens your eyes.

“It’s one thing to watch it on TV, but to actually see it in person is a whole different experience. As an athlete, it’s inspiring to see. It’s surreal.”

As a spare, Hembruff trained alongside his teammates because he had to be ready at the drop of a hat to slide into a seat, if called upon.

“I was very excited,” Hembruff said about his role as a reserve rower. “It came as a bit of a surprise. But I was grateful and I learned a lot. My role was to train like the other guys. You want your fitness at the same level.”

Even though Hembruff never got the call to compete on the legendary Boshaan rowing course, he felt ready to go at a moment’s notice.

“I’d say so. My fitness was at that level and I was race ready. I’m definitely a newer athlete at the senior level and there are still levels within that. I’m still working my way towards being as competitive as I want to.”

The Canadian men’s four crew finished fourth in its heat and qualified for the C final, where it placed first by holding off Ireland, Denmark, Spain and Indonesia to finish 13th overall.

Hembruff was familiar with men’s four members Clegg and Stewart as they both rowed with him at Western University, while Ewashko represented the University of British Columbia and Rosts was from the Ridley Graduate Boat Club.

“They were disappointed not to be in the A or B final,” Hembruff explained. “Overall, they weren’t where they wanted to place, but they had a good C final race.”

Another highlight for Hembruff came in mid August during his first FISU world university rowing championships in London, ON, on his second home course at Western. It was a totally different experience for him as he was the senior rower among younger athletes rather than a spare on a more experienced senior world team.

After teaming with Western’s Oliver Baker and Simon Whittaker and Gabriel Dyer, both of the University of Victoria, to finish second in their men’s four heat, they placed third in the A final to secure the bronze medal.

“It was really cool. It was my first international medal,” explained Hembruff, who practises full-time at Rowing Canada’s national training centre on Vancouver Island, after spending the past four summers on the west coast. “I was in a boat with guys who were younger than me. It was a unique opportunity to be in that position.

“I was bringing experience to the group and I also was learning from them. Racing internationally on one of my home courses also was special and unique.”

Winning a medal made the experience even more memorable.

“I felt confident we would be in a medal position,” he added. “I knew the boats, but wasn’t sure what to expect. You can have good training, but the pressure you feel at the start line is different from training. To walk away with a medal was exciting.”

Hembruff, whose sister Maia is on a rowing scholarship in her senior year at the University of Rhode Island, graduated from his sciences program at Western this year.

Athletically, he was a standout rower for the Mustangs, winning six gold and three silver medals at the OUA championships in various boats and three silver and three bronze medals at the Canadian university rowing championships.

When he graduated, Hembruff received the coveted Purple Blanket, which is awarded to student-athletes achieving superior distinction at the provincial or national level in varsity sports. It was introduced in the 1939-40 academic year and is one of the highest awards in Western’s athletic program.

“It did mean a lot to me. In my first year, it was a goal of mine. Every year, I’d see graduating athletes receiving the award (blanket). I wasn’t sure I’d get it. I was proud and happy to get it,” he offered. “It was a dream come true.”