London, ON – Some of the earliest sporting events of the Tokyo Summer Olympic games this year include Rowing. We spoke with Jill Moffatt, Tokyo 2020 Olympic athlete, about her experience with the Western Mustangs and her journey to the Olympics.

Moffatt graduated from Western in 2016 with a Bachelor of Health Science and then continued her studies, earning her Master of Health Information Science in 2019. In 2011, when Moffatt was a 1st year student, she began Rowing with Western's novice team. She then became a full member of Western's Varsity Rowing Team from 2012-2017 and has grown to be an exceptional rower, competing in the Tokyo Olympics, and representing Team Canada today in the women's lightweight double boat.

When speaking to Moffatt about her experience at Western, she told us "my experience at Western really helped me prepare for the Olympics. The Western Rowing team has a great history and a fantastic culture, where contributing to the team is valued highly. I row in a crew boat, and have another crew boat (women's pair) as a close training partner, so we take advantage of a team oriented competitive environment to become the best in the world. I learned how to work with others really well in university and this has allowed me to succeed on the national team."
 

Moffatt's ability to work with others is what Western head Rowing coach, Dr. Matthew Waddell credits as making her a great athlete. "Jill has an infectiously positive personality. She lifts up those around her so that the entire team is able to perform at their best. She sets ambitious goals and a high standard for herself, which she pursues with incredible determination, and is not afraid to demand the same from everyone else she works with" Said coach Waddell.

Coaches play a large role in an individual's athletic career and Moffatt is no exception. "I was so lucky to have Volker Nolte as a head coach at Western. He knew how to cultivate a great culture on the team, and I think that this is one of the most elusive things to master in high performance sports, especially as a head coach. He was so thoughtful and caring, and any advice I got from him I knew to take seriously." Moffatt said.

Volker Nolte led Western's Rowing program for 24 years, and although he has since retired and Moffatt's time at Western ended 2 years ago, it is Nolte's advice that stands out to her most. "Volker Nolte had a lot of great advice. He always encouraged us to "turn it up to 11." There is a bit of backstory to it, but the premise is that you can always raise the bar and go for more. I think the second you begin to limit what you are capable of; you're headed in a different direction then you want to be. Always finding a way to improve, or 'turn it up to 11' is really important." Moffatt said.

The success of Mustang Rowing alumni speaks volumes about Western's Rowing program. Coach Waddell shared what he believes sets this program apart from others, saying "what makes Western Rowing special is its history and culture. Our team's history dates back to 1957, and our athletes receive tremendous support from generations of alumni. The Western Rowing team, both current and former athletes, share values of teamwork and commitment, and that creates a culture where hard work is expected and success can be achieved. Consistency over time can be attributed to the great work of our student leaders in bringing in new athletes. This can be seen in Jill's athletic history at Western, where she started as a novice without any Rowing experience. She learned from those ahead of her, and finished as a lightweight team captain and overall team President. While achieving personal success herself, she also did a tremendous job mentoring the next generation of Mustangs, ensuring our team remained successful for years to come."

 

The ability to raise the bar and set a standard is certainly the difference between being one of many good athletes and being the best athlete. NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, who is also Moffatt's favourite sports icon, is a prime example. "I love Michael Jordan! Like everyone else in the world I was obsessed with the Netflix series that came out last year. I loved the intensity he had, and I would've loved being his teammate. I also am a big fan of Tom Brady. I really relate to Brady because he was not the most talented but has an incredible work ethic and has now become the greatest of all time." Moffatt said.

When it comes to being an elite level athlete, your ability or skill alone isn't enough. "My consistency, dedication and willingness to work with others have helped me be a great athlete. I'm not the most naturally talented rower, I'm shorter than some of my competitors and my arm span is shorter than my height (not great for rowing). However, I have always been extremely consistent and dedicated, I always back myself in workouts and try my best. This has allowed me to have longevity in the training centre and become the best athlete I can be. My event at the Olympics is a two-person Rowing boat, so an ability to work with your partner is integral. It doesn't matter how great you are individually, if you can't work with your partner, you won't go fast. I love working as a team, so this strength has really helped me add to the Olympic boat" Moffatt said.

With any competitive sport, the goal for all athletes is to win. However, when it comes to the Olympics, qualifying for the opportunity to compete is a great accomplishment on its own because only a select few will ever reach that level, and Moffatt takes great pride in this. "My favorite aspect of competing is that it is really a celebration of all the hard work you have done. It's a chance to put it all together and really put yourself out there. The best feeling is knowing that you did the best that you could when it matters the most and competing offers that opportunity. I also love shared respect amongst competitors, at the international level we all know how hard we work to compete for our countries so there is a shared bond in that."

While any athlete would be ecstatic about securing a spot in the Olympic Games, how they initially find out may be very unexpected. Moffatt found out about qualifying "in a really weird way. We were meant to race in Europe for a qualification spot in May 2021, but two weeks before leaving a qualified crew renounced their allocation and that moved us into automatic qualification. It was an extremely surreal feeling which brought a mixed bag of emotions but mostly excited to focus solely on the Tokyo Games."

While the Tokyo Games are now officially underway and Moffatt shared what she had been doing to prepare. "Recently we've been training as a team outside of Tokyo to help acclimate to the weather and adjust our bodies to the different time zone. We did a lot of heat training before coming here as that is what is most different about competing in Tokyo compared to other venues. The heat and humidity are going to be challenging but we have some really great plans in place to help with that. Other than that, we have the same approach as most competitions, focusing on ourselves and gaining confidence as the Olympics come near." 

She also discussed her pre- and post-competition routines. "Pre-competition is always the same structure. Usually the day before we will do two sessions on the water. After the sessions we try to wind down and stay off our feet. My doubles partner, Jenny, and I usually have a rule of no talking about Rowing after 5pm, so we usually pick a movie for the evening and just keep our minds free of sport specific chatter. I love getting my nails done before racing! Post-competition we really try to make sure we get really flushed out with a long cool down. Usually, we race 3-4 times over a week, so recovery is super important for us. I always have my pb& jam sandwich, protein shake and water ready after the race. Afterwards we'll have a brief meeting to go over if we met our objectives and then get ready for what's next. If it's the end of the regatta we usually have a couple of drinks as a team and enjoy our time together."

With any team sport, having a strong and solid foundation is q crucial part to being successful. It is also something Moffatt has learned during her time as a professional athlete. "I think the most important lesson I have learned is how to work with others to achieve excellence. Working in a dynamic of two people who both have different personalities, ebbs, flows, etc., means that you really have to be introspective and vulnerable. This means that you are constantly assessing what you are bringing to the environment and being extremely mindful of how you respond in different scenarios. It is so much more than just showing up and doing hard workouts, anyone with some grit can do that. To truly achieve the extraordinary, you need to be open emotionally to change and understand your personal strengths and weaknesses." Moffatt said. 

 

While the entire Olympic Games spans 2 weeks, Rowing fans don't have to wait long as heats begin tonight and continue up until the Olympic medal races occur on July 28 EST. Fans aren't the only ones excited, athletes themselves share the same excitement. "I look forward to racing! We haven't raced internationally since August 2019, so it's been almost two years… that's a really long time. Usually, we only get to race internationally 2-4 times a year so with the pandemic it's just been a long time coming. We have done so much training the last two years that more than anything I am just excited to compete. I also can't wait to see the dining hall and the rest of the Olympic village." Moffatt said.

When asked if he had any final words of encouragement, Coach Waddell said "she should know that there is one Team behind her, and we're all excited to watch her F.G." We can't wait to see her race as well! The Western Mustangs and the entire Western community would once again like to congratulate alumna Jill Moffatt and wish her the best of luck as she represents Team Canada and competes in the Women's Rowing lightweight double boat Tonight, we know she will give an excellent performance. 

For more on Western Mustangs grads Jen Martins & Jill Moffatt part of Team Canada's biggest Olympic rowing team in recent history Western News - The race to row in Tokyo (westernu.ca). Jen Martins, Rowing, is also competing today and we will be talking more to her later this month. 

Jill Moffat competes in the Women's lightweight double sculls at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and Jen Martins competes in the Women's Coxless Four at 10:50 p.m. Eastern Time. Susanne Grainger (did not compete for the Western Mustangs, but is a Western Alumni) completes in the Women's eight at 11:50 p.m. Eastern Time. View the schedule in your local time zone at https://olympic.ca/tokyo-2020-olympic-schedule/. 

Jill Moffatt placed 2nd in her lightweight women's doubles heat to punch her ticket to the #Tokyo2020 semifinals. Fellow @WesternMustangs alumna Jennifer Martins and the women's four crew head to the repechage. @westernuAlumni Susanne Grainger and the @TeamCanada
Women's Eight are also set to compete in the repechage on July 27.

Best of luck to all our Mustangs Olympic athletes, coaches and officials!

Stay Tuned as we continue to feature Mustangs who will be competing at this summer's Tokyo Olympic Games!