Faculty of Social Sciences student recognized as one of Canada's premier rowing athletes

Four years ago, Kate Goodfellow joined the uOttawa rowing team as a novice. The crew is a student-run competitive club that welcomes novice and experienced rowers alike. Since joining the team, Goodfellow has seen her rowing career take off, although it began much like many other student experiences on campus. Kate recounts, "I was walking through campus during frosh week with some friends when we saw the varsity team recruiting for the novice team and decided to give it a try. I made the novice team that fall and enjoyed it enough to stick with it."

And stick with it she did. Goodfellow was named Ottawa's Female Athlete of the Year at the 2011 Ottawa Sport Awards, taking over the title from three-time Olympian Kristina Groves. Now in her fourth-year at uOttawa, Goodfellow is chasing that same athletic dream of competing at the Olympics.

Her recent achievements include breaking a world record with the gold medal-winning Canadian women's eight at the under-23 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, collecting a gold medal in the women's pair event at the RBC National Rowing Championships, and earning a silver medal for the Gee-Gees in the heavyweight women's single at the 2011 Canadian University Rowing Championships. When she won that event in 2010, Kate was the first-ever rower to take home gold for uOttawa at the Canadian University Championships.

Now identified as one of Canada's premier rowing athletes, Goodfellow combines her course schedule in psychology at the Faculty of Social Sciences with training at specialized national development camps and daily work-outs with the Ottawa Rowing Club. She also continues to mentor novice rowers with the Gee-Gees crew. University of Ottawa head rowing coach Sophie Roberge says of Kate, "She is an athlete of unique poise and focus, and she's been an essential element in guiding the novices starting off just where she did."

Kate, who is set to graduate this year, will remember her time with the university team fondly. "Those first few seasons with the Gee-Gee team were integral to introducing me to the sport. As I experienced the progress and achievements we were having as a team from one year to the next, it was extremely motivating.  Over the past couple of years, I've been pursuing higher goals in rowing, but I always enjoyed racing for the University in the fall."

Text: Jennifer Elliott
Photo: Emma Lehmberg
Published: February 2012