Matthew Fournier first found his interest in rowing when he was a middle schooler at the Ottawa Rowing Club.
He enjoyed the sport so much after his first taste that he returned to the camp two or three more times that summer.
“That first year I guess he went to the camp two or three times, and he liked it so much the first time we kept signing him up. That next summer he joined the junior development program,” Matthew’s father and coach Ed Fournier said.
Matthew Fournier had natural talent according to his father, but he would not be where he is without hard work.
“He was a quick learner for sure in terms of balance and ability to go quickly in the boat, but he also put in a lot of time. So there was some natural ability, but there was also a lot of effort that went into him excelling,” Ed Fournier said.
Matthew spends two to three times a day training, six times a week, even with school he makes sure to make time for rowing.
“I have coached several good athletes, and there’s a trait where they have to be told to slow down and he’s one of those, sometimes it’s just too much and they need to be told to take a break,” Ed Fournier said.
The training has been paying off as this year. Matthew won gold at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships in the men’s lightweight single in a convincing fashion over strong competition from Brock, Western, and McGill.
Matthew Fournier went undefeated during this fall’s OUA regatta circuit, as well as gold and silver medal performancs at the Commonwealth regatta last summer.
