It seems an unlikely place to produce rowing greatness.
But, as it turns out, the city associated with cows and stampedes has been a perfect fit for Olympic medalist Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski.
“There’s a massive rowing community here, which is kind of funny because you wouldn’t expect it coming from a land-locked province, but we have an amazing facility at the Calgary Rowing Club,” said Gruchalla-Wesierski of the organization which is located in the North Glenmore Reservoir area.
“The reservoir itself is one of the most beautiful places to row. When there’s the sunrise and it’s coming over the Rocky Mountains, it’s world class.”
The winner of the Henry Viney Trophy as Calgary’s 2024 Female Athlete of the Year is thrilled to share her success with the city and the people who helped push her to the podium over the years.
“It means so much, to be honest,” said Gruchalla-Wesierski of receiving the Calgary Booster Club honour.
“I didn’t even know I was nominated, so it came as quite a surprise when I found out I won. I’m very touched. To come back to my community and be celebrated as an individual and a product of this community, it’s very, very touching.”
The Olympian got her start in competitive sports as an alpine skier, but a broken leg derailed her plans for the slopes.
“A friend of mine who I grew up ski racing with and went to high school with suggested I try rowing here in Calgary. It is not only a team sport in the most raw sense, but really a product of your community and drive,” she said.
“I always felt the support of Calgary as my club, as my city, as my family and friends, and that’s what you need when you’re trying to do something that’s really hard.”
In 2019, Gruchalla-Wesierski joined the crew of the eight for a pair of World Cups and earned her first rowing podium appearance in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In her debut at the World Rowing Championships, she helped the eight to a fourth-place finish, qualifying the boat for the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.
Just over a month before she was set to make her Olympic debut at Tokyo, Gruchalla-Wesierski was involved in a bike crash that resulted in a broken collarbone, a bruised hip, and 56 stitches. With a lot of hard work and support from her teammates, she recovered to take her spot on the eight-person team, where she was part of Canada’s first Olympic gold win in any women’s rowing event since Atlanta in 1996. It was also the first gold in the women’s eight since Barcelona 1992.
“Adversity, injury, all of that was part of my story long before my injury before Tokyo, and I think it truly happened for a reason. It helped me prepare for that injury,” recalled Gruchalla-Wesierski, who was a recipient of the Calgary Booster Club’s Art Smith Endowment Grant in 2018.
“I knew exactly what I was going to have to do to make a comeback, how my body was going to react, so I never freaked out, except for maybe the first ten minutes when I got the news. Then after that I really truly believed I could come back and I knew the miracles of modern science and the amazing support staff I have behind me that could help me get back into the boat and onto the podium, so it’s all part of the process. All of my previous experiences, without them, I don’t know if I would’ve made the comeback from that injury, so it’s kind of funny how life works out.”
Since 2020, Gruchalla-Wesierski has remained a fixture in Canada’s women’s eight, helping to bring home a bronze medal from the 2022 World Rowing Championships, silver from 2023 World Rowing Cup III, and a gold from 2024 World Rowing Cup II. She added to her medal haul at the Paris Olympics in 2024 by claiming silver in the coxed eight women’s rowing event.
The gold and silver Olympic medals have been the realization of a dream that Gruchalla-Wesierski has had since she was a child, and at this point she’s happy to share that dream with others.
“It’s kind of crazy. You dream of this moment. I’ve dreamt of having the moment of having an Olympic medal since I was five years old, so all my life basically, and when it actually happens it’s pretty wild to know that you’re able to fulfill and reach your wildest dream,” she said.
“The biggest lesson from that is hard work does pay off and it’s not always in medals. Lucky for me it happened at the right time and was what I really wanted. Truly, it’s just instilled a hard work ethic and how much the process itself can be rewarding and fulfilling. It’s just really cool that I have these two medals to show for it.”
Added Gruchalla-Wesierski: “I love to see people’s reactions when they hold them and try them on. For me, I think I’m a little desensitized at this point. It’s hit me but it’s still pretty surreal that I get to call myself a two-time medalist, so when I see people’s reactions and excitement around the medals it also, selfishly, it’s special to me because it reminds me that it was in fact real and not a fever dream. It does mean so much to this sport and community here in Calgary.”
Rowing has provided a lot for Gruchalla-Wesierski, who is weighing her next moves in the sport.
“On a personal note, it’s shown me how far I can push myself and that’s what I always loved about rowing is seeing my limits and pushing beyond them,” she said.
“I might still have another race in me but I am towards the end of my career, so I’m trying to figure out the next chapter for myself, and honestly just enjoying being around family and friends and doing the things I haven’t been able to do in the last 11 years. It’s pretty special and hopefully I’ll be staying involved in my community by coaching and inspiring others to push their own limits.”
This year’s award winners will be officially recognized on Sunday, April 27th at the Calgary Booster Club’s 71st annual gala at the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino.
Recent winners of the Calgary Booster Club’s Female Athlete of the Year award include Alexandria Loutitt, Isabelle Weidemann, Stephanie Labbe, Caeli McKay and Alex Gough.
Related Link: https://calgaryboosterclub.com/2021/08/26/rower-overcomes-adversity-to-land-olympic-gold-medal.