ast year, Dr Volker Nolte, acclaimed rower, coach, scientist, inventor, writer and editor of the hugely successful book ‘Rowing Faster’, celebrated his 50th year as a member of ‘Ruder-Club Saar’ in Germany. Now based in Ontario, Canada he works as assistant professor of Bio-mechanics, Head Coach of the Western Mustangs University rowing program, and Canadian National Team coach of the heavyweight women’s single scull in the build up to the Rio Olympics. In a rare spare moment, after a snowy early morning practice in March, we met up with Volker over post-practice coffee in the bowels of Western University to look back on five decades of devotion to the sport. With his warm smile and modest demeanour, this is clearly a man with a heart as big as his intellect.
My English teacher used to tell me ‘if you don’t stop rowing, you will never graduate.’ VOLKER NOLTE