Three gold medals and a bronze made for an impressive trip to the BC Summer Games for rower and Grade 11 student Addy Newman-Ting ’28. But of the four times she reached the podium, it was the bronze that meant the most.
Representing Zone 6, which encompasses Vancouver Island, Addy competed in four events at the 2026 multi-sport games, held July 22 to 26 in Kelowna. She won gold in the mixed quad, women’s quad and women’s double, then added bronze in the women’s single.
“I’m probably proudest of crossing the line in my single,” Addy said. “It was the only event I didn’t place first in but also felt the most accomplishing.”
The race was exceptionally close with less than one second separating Addy in third from the fourth- and fifth-place finishers, leaving the rowers unsure of the final order as they crossed the line. For Addy, the result reflected the progress she had made in a part of rowing that presents a different kind of challenge.
“Single rowing is very different, a lot mentally, from crew boat rowing,” she said.
Earning a Place on the Water
Addy was the only St. Michaels University School rower competing at the Games. She earned her place on the regional team through a selection process that narrowed the field to four female and four male rowers from across Vancouver Island.
Much of Addy’s July was dedicated to preparing for the Games, training alongside other rowers selected to represent Zone 6. She also took advantage of optional summer morning sessions at the SMUS Rowing Centre on the Gorge Waterway, where she was able to spend additional time developing her skills in the single.
That summer training became even more valuable when SMUS rowing coach Susanne Walker Curry provided the SMUS shell Addy would use in competition, giving her time to become comfortable in the exact shell she would race.
“Mrs. Walker Curry generously lent me the boat I used to race my single, allowing me to not only race the event but also in a boat I had the opportunity to get comfortable in at the SMUS summer training sessions,” she said.
Racing in a SMUS boat also gave Addy a sense of pride, allowing her to represent the school where she first learned to row while competing for the broader Vancouver Island team.
“SMUS rowing is my team and where I began,” she said. “It was great to be able to represent it.”
Discovering a Passion for the Sport
Addy first learned to row through the SMUS program and credits its coaching and technical focus with helping her develop as an athlete.
“The SMUS rowing program is fantastic. It’s where I began rowing and Mrs. Walker Curry’s program is part of what made me fall in love with it,” she said. Addy credits the SMUS program’s coaching and technical focus with helping her progress, particularly the individual attention made possible by its strong coach-to-athlete ratio.
Addy is looking forward to returning to the SMUS crew and continuing to build on what she learned this summer.
“I’ll be focusing on development with the SMUS crew under Mrs. Walker Curry and the coaching staff to further my skills to hopefully pursue more opportunities like this in the future,” she said. “Right now, I’m just looking forward to the next year racing with SMUS.”
