From August 18-24, an eight-person rowing crew, composed of six Vancouver Island athletes and two from Ontario, will represent Canada at the U19 World Rowing Championships in St. Catharines, Ont.

The 16- to 18-year-old rowers have been training together since they were selected to represent the country at the Junior National Trials in June.

They train at a number of facilities on the Island and row twice per day, six days per week, for two hours at a time. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of volume, a lot of training, a lot of work,鈥� said head coach Terry Paul, who added that the crew rows between 16 to 20 kilometres every two-hour session 鈥� which is about 200 kilometres per week.

Island rower Declan Blue鈥檚 dad, Fred Blue, said the rowers have embraced this hard work and are motivated to win.   

鈥淭he crew has been training tirelessly for months, showing an unwavering commitment to their sport,鈥� Blue said in an email. 鈥淓ach member has sacrificed personal time and energy to ensure they are in peak physical and mental condition.鈥�  

Paul says he thinks the crew is up to competing the World Championships. 

鈥淭hey鈥檙e learning to row better together, and they鈥檝e had good prognostic times relative to gold medal standards,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f everything goes well, they鈥檙e going to be competitive, and the hope is they challenge for a medal.鈥�  

But first, they have to get to St. Catharines. Rowers are expected to cover their own travel expenses and lodging fees. To help offset these costs, the crew created a campaign on GoFundMe that has received almost $4,000 in donations. 

Those interested in helping the crew reach their $36,000 donations goal can do so here: .  

鈥淚t is not lost on any of the boys that representing Canada on the world stage is a significant honour,鈥� said Blue. 鈥淭he crew is determined to make their country proud.鈥�