Defending world champ ready to row
What a difference a year can make.
When Trevor Jones entered the men’s single sculls at the 2017 World Under-23 Rowing Championships in Bulgaria he was a relative unknown internationally. In 2016, he finished fifth in a double but 2017 was his international singles debut.
When he heads to the 2018 championships July 25-29 in Poznan, Poland, he’ll enter as the defending world champion.
“I knew I was fast last year and I knew I had the ability to medal,” said Jones, 20, of Burleigh Falls, “but heading to Europe I didn’t really have any idea what to expect.
“This year it’s a little bit different knowing I’m going in faster and knowing what to expect.”
Jones said he’s trying not to put any extra pressure on himself this year.
“I try not to think about it. I have a job to do and I just go about my business as I usually would,” he said. “It’s one of those things where I know a lot can change in a year so you never know what to expect. I try not to think about it and just go about my business of trying to get faster.”
Jones spent the winter at the national men’s training centre on Elk Lake in Victoria, B.C. He’s shaved six seconds off last year’s training times.
“I’m definitely much faster,” he said. “All the testing I’ve done this year shows I’m faster. Now I’m just waiting to see what the rest of the world has done the past year, too.”
Jones competed on the Poznan course in a double with Omemee’s Graham Peeters at the World University Games in 2015 so he’s familiar with the location.
“We’re going to be there for a pre-competition camp so we’re going to be at the course for a week-and-a-half leading into competition so we’ll be adapted. It’s a good course.”
Since being identified for funding assistance as a potential Olympian through the RBC Training Ground identification camp in 2016, a partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee, Jones has been through an intensive training regimen.
Carol Love, who runs Rowing Canada’s NextGen Hub at Trent University and Peterborough Rowing Club, first recruited Jones for the former Row to Podium program. He left her supervision to train in Victoria under the eye of men’s lead coach and Peterborough native Terry Paul.
“He’s been great to work with,” Jones said. “I’ve worked more directly with him the past couple of months and had some pretty big improvement.”
Training in Victoria allows for water training through the winter. He spent four months there the previous year so he’s used to the grind.
“It’s a lot of miles in the rain and the cold,” he said. “There are days in the winter where you don’t feel like rowing but you go out there and do it any ways. It’s tough but it’s what needs to be done.”
In August, he’ll return to Victoria for selection trials for the senior men’s team for the World Rowing Championships in September. Jones got his first taste at the senior level last year placing 14th in single sculls at a World Cup event in Switzerland.