Sheila Leach has never rowed competitively, nor has she spent much time in a racing shell. Yet, in the heart of Saskatchewan's flat farmland, she has become a certified rowing coach and official, establishing the new Weyburn Rowing Club at Nickle Lake Regional Park, about 125 kilometres southeast of Regina.
With only six registered members so far, Leach is building a program to prepare a host team for the 2028 Saskatchewan Summer Games in Weyburn. Her determination is well-known, having previously helped set up a minor football league in nearby Estevan.
From Umpire to Chief Official
Leach's journey into rowing began when her son, Wyatt Dougherty, took up the sport. 'I was following him around to regattas and they needed an official,' she says. 'The absolute best place to watch a rowing regatta is in an umpire boat.' She took officials' courses to understand the rules, eventually becoming the chief umpire of Saskatchewan and later the head umpire, despite never having rowed herself.
Dougherty represented Saskatchewan at the 2013 Canada Games in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and later rowed at McGill University and the University College of Dublin. He is now a surgical resident at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, with little time for rowing.
Reviving Estevan Minor Football
When Dougherty was 12 and the family lived in Estevan, Leach tried to enrol him in Weyburn's minor football program, but his registration was refused. Motivated by this, she re-established Estevan Minor Football, capitalizing on interest after the Saskatchewan Roughriders' 2007 Grey Cup victory. With help from the Riders, CFL officials, local sponsors, and Regina Minor Football executives, Estevan had amateur football in 2008 for the first time in 30 years.
'We got 300 kids in an eight-month period,' says Leach, who became the first inductee into the Estevan Minor Football Hall of Fame. 'They're still going in Estevan. They've got a girls' team now.'
Building the Weyburn Rowing Club
Seeing a similar opportunity in Weyburn, Leach borrowed boats from clubs across Saskatchewan and set up learn-to-row days at Nickle Lake. She sought sponsors and recruited young athletes by teaching rowing at a local school. With experienced rower Sarah Sweet as coach, training programs began indoors on rowing ergometers during winter at Olympia In Depth Performance Gym.
Leach's motto is simple: 'She wants to provide opportunities for people to succeed, whatever that looks like.' Her work continues to inspire athletes in Saskatchewan.
