2011-12 NEWS RELEASES

UOIT Athletics Media Release
Monday, August 15, 2011

Cait Beresford to take a leave of absence for the 2011-12 rowing season

PORT PERRY, Ont. – University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) rowing head coach Cait Beresford will be taking a voluntary leave of absence for the 2011-12 season. Beresford is furthering her education as she is attending law school in the fall of 2011. Assistant coach Jenn Durward will be the interim head coach for the 2011-12 season.

“Cait worked tirelessly last season to continue to build a foundation of strength for our varsity rowing program,” said UOIT athletic director Ken Babcock. “We fully support her leave of absence and I am confident that Jenn and the rest of the coaching staff will continue to strive to take the program to new heights.”

Durward started rowing in 1995 while attending Port Perry High School with the Durham Rowing Club. She rowed with Brock University from 1999-2002, where the Badgers crew won a total of six OUA medals (three of which were gold) and a bronze medal at the Canadian University Championships.

In the fall of 2003 and 2004, she remained with Brock as a coach of the women's novice team. Her coaching career continued from 2004 to 2007 as she coached the senior women's team at the Governor Simcoe Secondary School in the spring and the Under 19 women's rowing team at the St. Catharines Rowing Club in the summer.

After graduating from Brock (M.Sc, Earth Sciences), she returned to Port Perry where she joined UOIT's inaugural rowing coaching staff.

From 2007 to 2009, Durward was one of the two coaches from Ontario to be chosen for the Women in Coaching Canada Summer Games apprenticeship program, where she had the opportunity to mentor with the provincial coach. At the championship, she helped coach team Ontario who came home with 13 medals, eight of which were gold.

The Port Perry native is the current President of the Durham Rowing Club and continues to compete with her doubles partner Jeanette Lunenborg and coach the competitive program.

Training camp for varsity rowing begins on Monday, August 29 while the novice camp will run from Friday, September 9 through Sunday, September 11.

For more information on the UOIT Ridgebacks rowing team visit www.uoitridgebacks.com .

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Scott Dennis
Sports Information and Marketing Coordinator
Durham College and UOIT Athletics
905.721.2000 Ext. 2784 (P)
905.259.2825 (C)
905.721.3117 (F)

scott.dennis@dc-uoit.ca