Hoping to share the water with dolphins

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This article was published 28/05/2018 (2927 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s fair to say that Justine Gillert feels at home on the water.  

And as she looks ahead to the next chapter in her life, the avid rower is preparing to call the U.S. home for the next several years.     

The 18-year-old south St. Vital resident has accepted a full scholarship to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., where she will represent the university’s Monarchs team in rowing.

“It’s pretty surreal,” said Gillert, who will soon graduate from Collège Jeanne-Sauvé and will major in linguistics at university. “I don’t think it’s actually hit me yet that it’s happened, especially as I didn’t see it in my future.”

And while leaving the comfort and security of home may bring understandable challenges at first, Gillert is also looking forward to the new experiences on the horizon.

“I’m a homebody, so I think it’s going to be difficult in some ways, but I also like change and being pushed, so I think it’s going to be a great experience. When I visited Virginia earlier this year, I loved everything about it and I think it’s a good fit for me.”

The sport of rowing is also clearly a good fit for the teen, whose growing list of accolades include the 2017 Winnipeg Rowing Club junior athlete of the year, and the 2017 Manitoba Rowing Association Chuck McDiarmid Award for the junior competitive athlete of the year.

One of the differences for Gillert, in terms of climate and environment, is that come the fall she will “be able to row on the water all year round” instead of being restricted to using machines for the duration of a long, unforgiving winter.

“There’s a chance I’ll have dolphins in the water with me, so I might come back a little,” Gillert said, with a laugh.

“The work you put in during Winnipeg winters is so vital, as you have to stay mentally tough and strong, even on the days when it’s harder to get moving.”

Gillert said she has had various influences throughout her career that have helped with her development, including her parents and Olympian Janine Stephens, the head coach of the Manitoba Rowing Association and a past-president of Winnipeg Rowing Club.

“Janine has been so incredible, and she has showed me what rowing is truly about and what it takes to succeed. She’s truly incredible,” Gillert said.

“I love being in the water, and I love that you get a different perspective of Winnipeg on the water at 6 a.m. when no one else is up. And I love the fact that you push yourself, both in terms of your mind and body.”