It has been a wild ride for Island Lake alumni, Gavin Stone characterized by drive, determination, sacrifice and constant unknowns. Gavin started his rowing career by attending an ILRC Learn to Row weekend camp in 2011. He then rowed at Island Lake as a member of the Mayfield Mavericks High School rowing team and as a Gael, rowed with the Queen’s University Rowing Team. Throughout his journey, he set his sights on participating in the Olympic Games.

In 2015, Gavin first rowed for Canada at the CanAmMex regatta in Mexico. In 2016 and 2017 he again wore the red and white racing uni at the Under 23 World Championships in Europe. In his drive for excellence and an ever faster boat, Gavin attended training camps during winter breaks and spent summers training with the National team. During the short periods of time when he was able to be home, he would return to Island Lake, usually in a double where he would delight in pushing his dad to a stroke rate that shouldn’t be humanly possible.

In January 2018, with the 2020 Olympics getting closer and his dream still alive, Gavin took a leave from his engineering degree at Queen’s and moved to Victoria B.C. to join the National Training Centre and make his bid for a seat in a boat headed to Tokyo. That year he won a bronze medal at World Rowing Cup III in the Men’s 8+. With the shutdowns and delays brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic he continued to train on his own and ultimately earned a seat in the Men’s 4-. They raced at the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland in March of 2021 and qualified for a spot at the Olympics.

The Olympic Games was an experience like no other that he has had, with his boat finishing 8th overall. A pretty impressive result.

Reflecting on his start at ILRC, he most appreciates that he was taught to love the sport.

“Everyone at Island Lake rows because they love it. It’s not necessarily a big competition or about who can go the fastest it’s about enjoying the sport and how beautiful it is and all the aspects that make it so much fun. I’ve carried that with me and it’s guided how I approach rowing and training with a love for it, which has helped me just keep going and keep enjoying it.”

From Gavin; “I'm not doing it for an end result. Sure, I want to see how good I can be. But I just have so much fun doing it and hopefully I’ll continue to always have that.”

So Paris? “Oh, I’ll definitely be trying to get in a boat for that.”

As long as you’re having fun, why not?