Name: Will Crothers
CAN Fund Recipient Since: 2011
Sport: Rowing
Best Result:
2012 Olympics Silver Medalist, Men’s Eight
Hometown: Kingston, ON
How does being a CAN Fund Recipient make a difference for you?
I believe that being a 2011 CAN Fund Recipient and being a 2012 Olympic medalist are no coincidence. Training is stressful enough without financial strain, and CAN Fund has been huge in helping to relieve that stress. Trying to be the best in the world on $1,500.00 a month deserves some kind of reward in itself! However I can remember one time in particular, which was really quite amazing. It was June and I had just paid ICBC (car insurance) well over $1000 dollars for my car for the year and I can remember sweating the dent that it had just put in my bank account as all my expenses began to pile up. Insurance, Gas, Food, Boat Rental, Club Fee’s, are all very real things when you are living off $1,500.00 a month. The very next day I was walking away from the boathouse after a hard practice leading up to the Games when I got the call. I got to hear Meagan give me the good news. The news was that I would be able to push all those worries to the back of my mind and get down to business. I remember this one because my insurance is always due around my birthday so it’s as though ICBC gives me the worst present ever, and then CAN Fund goes and makes it all ok!
Share 3 words to describe what CAN Fund is to you:
Has My Back
Think of someone who has impacted your life. Share 3 words on who they are to you:
John Armitage – Ambitious, Encouraging, Competitive
John was my rowing coach way back in high school. He always made sure we were going fast and having fun at the same time. He helped create bonds that I will have for the rest of my life, and always encouraged me to chase my rowing dreams
What advice would you give to young kids or adolescents about following their dreams?
If you really want to be successful in what you are doing, put the hours in, and have as much fun as you can.
What is the biggest hurdle you have overcome to get to where you are today?
The biggest hurdle that I had to overcome in this sport was probably the feelings I had after my heat at the 2012 Olympics. We had just come dead last in the heat and were headed to the rep to try to get into the A final. I was sitting alone in my hotel room sulking trying to figure out what had just happened for what seemed like hours. It was a serious case of the shanks. The ensuing practices were awful and it felt like I couldn’t do my job in the boat. With the help of my teammates and my coach we were able to put the past behind us and fall back on all the work we had done for the past four years and put down a great race to get into the A Final, where we ultimately won the silver medal.
What is or was the best part of representing Canada?
There really is no way to describe the pride you feel when you pull on the red and white for Canada but I think the best way to describe it is the same feeling when superman puts on his suit. You feel like nothing can stop you!
What is next? What are your current goals?
My current goals are to get back up on the podium for Canada and qualify my boat for the Olympics. I know what it means and how it feels to go into the Olympic Games as a medal favourite and I want that feeling again. I’m fitter than I have ever been and rowing better than I ever have. Now it’s time to put it all together with my teammates for this summer and get that boat to Rio!
What are your top 3 favourite songs to work out to?
BTSTU by Jai Paul
Do I Wanna Know by Artic Monkeys
The Ride by Drake
All Gold Everything by Trinidad James
What is your favourite book?
Kite Runner
What is your favourite quote or words to live by?
Citius Altius Fortius – Olympic Motto
What is your favourite recipe?
Italian Quinoa Salad – aka My Go-To lunch!
1 cup diced cucumber
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup diced red onion
1 apple diced
2 cups uncooked quinoa
6 italian sausages
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper for taste
Feta cheese as desired
Cook the quinoa: 2 cups quinoa, 4 cups water, bring to a boil in a saucepan, turn heat to low, put the lid on and let simmer for 20 minutes
Cook the Italian sausage in a frying pan. Once cooked, chop into small pieces. Mix together cooked quinoa, Italian sausage, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, apple. Add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, feta cheese
Twitter: @willcrothers
Website: www.willcrothers.com
Instagram: willcrothers2016
