Name: Ashley Brzozowicz
CAN Fund Recipient Since: 2010
Sport: Rowing
Best Result:
2012 Olympic Silver Medalist – Women’s Eight
Hometown: Peterborough, ON
How does being a CAN Fund Recipient make a difference for you?
CAN Fund has impacted my journey by helping make the things I need for training more accessible. In a sport like rowing, it is the little things that can mean the difference between being on the podium or not. CAN Fund helps close the gap between what we need to train and what we need to be the best. Before receiving CAN Fund, I was driving a 15 year old car. The money from CAN Fund helped me purchase a car which I use to get back and forth to practice and to visit my husband who lives 3.5 hours away from where I train.
Share 3 words to describe what CAN Fund is to you:
Empowering, Supportive, Canadian
Think of someone who has impacted your life. Share 3 words on who this person is to you.
My Husband – Genuine, Loving, Unconditional
My husband is a person who has significantly impacted my life. He has made a difference in so many ways. He is incredibly supportive but also challenges me to be a better person. He helps me stay focused on my goals but also reminds me that there is life outside sport.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
When it comes to the Olympics, no matter how many stories you’ve been told or how well you prepare, you will still be surprised and perhaps overwhelmed by some aspect of the Games when you get there.
Expect the unexpected.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned to get to where you are today?
You have to be on this journey for yourself, not for your family or your coaches or even for your teammates. In order to be your best, you need to trust your instincts and be honest with yourself.
What is next? What are your current goals?
My current goals include winning the 2015 World Championships in the Women’s 8+ and by doing so qualifying for the Rio Olympics. As a team, we are going to go to Rio better prepared than we have ever been and be on top of the podium. I will be retiring from rowing after the 2016 Rio Games and I hope to start a family and perhaps a career as a massage therapist.
Instagram: @abrzoz