> good for both personal and environmental
health. We have over 140 Olympic, Paralympic
and national team athletes from across Canada
( 10 of whom are rowers) who get out and speak
to audiences, mostly youth, about these issues.”
upcoming parliamentary elections. Hamill said
yes. “I know from being a rower just how much
pressure our rivers, lakes and oceans are under.”
“Poor air quality is a reality in most of the world’s
large urban centres and athletes who are training
outdoors in these cities are particularly at risk
because they are inhaling approximately 10 times
more than the average sedentary person. They
are also usually not breathing through their
noses and therefore not getting the benefits of
air purification that happens through the nose.
Asthma is on the rise amongst young people
and amongst athletes and respiratory conditions
are exacerbated by air pollution.”
“I’m very aware of issues with our oceans. I saw
a lot of plastics when we did the transatlantic
race. We were very close to the water and every
day that was calm I saw floating plastic. I only
saw a tiny narrow band of ocean. Imagine if you
extrapolate that out. It’s so sad. We’re shitting in
our own nest.”
Hamill says the plastic pollution can’t be seen
on, for example, Google maps, because it sits
just below the surface of the ocean. The growing
acidification of the oceans also concerns Hamill.
Being an Olympic medallist has worked in van
der Kamp’s favour in getting people to pay
more attention. “It is certainly apparent when
I give presentations to young people or when
someone meets me and then later finds out I am
a medallist. Being a medallist has opened a lot
of doors for me to work on important issues that
are close to me.”
Sustainable energy is another key issue for Hamill
and he has a unique solution. “Let’s get rowers
and cyclists to hook up to the national grid
whenever they’re doing a workout. And let’s get
everyone over the age of 18 years to go to the
gym to hook up their workout for energy. We’d
have power and also a healthier nation.”
New Zealand’s RobHamill was at the same
Games, in 1996, as was van der Kamp. Since then
he has become a household name in his home
country after winning the 1997 Trans-Atlantic
rowing race. This status drew the co-leader of the
New Zealand Green Party to ask Hamill to appear
on billboards promoting the Greens in the
Hamill believes a lot more can be done with
solar energy. “As rowers, spending so much
time outside, we know exactly what the sun is
doing. It can do some fantastic stuff in terms
of sustainable energy. Let’s put nuclear power
money into solar research.”
After agreeing to promote the Green Party,
Hamill was then approached to run as a candidate.
At the time Hamill says he was “absolutely flat
out organising the Billy Webb Challenge” (the
race last December between top single scullers,
Olaf Tufte and Mahe Drysdale). “But I found it
difficult to say ‘no’.” Hamill became a Green Party
candidate. ■
Rob Hamill (right) helping to
construct the trans-Atlantic
rowing boat . Seen here with
rowing partner Steve Westlake
(centre) and Steph Brown (left)
who also rowed the Atlantic.
