"I started rowing when I was 14 and in high school in St. Catharines, Ont. I did it for basically the same reasons I do it today - to hang out with my friends. In school everybody rowed; it was the "in" thing to do. I think all young people should pick a sport. If I didn't have rowing, I think I would have made a lot of different choices when I was young. The coaches, the other athletes steered me in the right direction. Thanks to them I have a very good life. I was in a very rough high school in St. Catharines and who knows where I might have ended up if not for rowing.

A lot of the people who influenced me were members of the rowing team back in the early '80s when I started. I really admire Angie Schneider who won an Olympic medal in 1984 and then went on to get a PhD in philosophy. There was Cathy Boyes, also on the '84 team, who has set up a successful rowing business and is the mother of three. It's incredible and inspiring how these people managed so much in their lives.

A big reason I've continued is that some lightweight events have been added to the '96 Olympics. Apart from that, I really enjoy the lifestyle of a rower. You get to hang out with a great group of people who continually strive for excellence and work very hard. It's a big sacrifice for me because I train in Victoria and my husband is in Ontario. But chances like this don't come very often and I think you have to make the most of them."