Eric Woelfl

Biography

Just six years after he started rowing, Eric Woelfl found himself at the 2011 Pan Am Games as a member of the lightweight four that finished fifth. He made his senior world championship debut a year later in the lightweight pair. He just missed the world championship podium a year later with his fourth place finish in the lightweight pair with Brendan Hodge. Recently racing with the lightweight four, Woelfl and crew cracked the top-10 in two World Cup events in 2014. In 2015, he and the lightweight four, dubbed the “northern lights”, won gold at the Pan Am Games in Toronto, where the rowing events took place in his hometown of St. Catharines, giving him an amazing experience. They also secured an Olympic berth for Rio 2016 with their 11^th place finish at the world championships.

Getting to know…

Family: Parents Walter and Linda Woelfl… Brother Glen Woelfl… Getting into the Sport: Started rowing at age 16… His mother was the librarian at his high school so while waiting for her to go home he often watched the rowing team working out, taunting them to work harder… Finally one girl on the team had enough of his banter and said “Let’s see you do this”… The next day he went to the rowing coordinator and said he wanted to join, despite having never taken a stroke in his life… Stuck with it because he loves embracing a challenge… Outside Interests: Graduated from Brock University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in History… Enjoys public speaking, reading, running, playing Super Nintendo, volunteering with the YMCA… RBC Olympian… Often plays badminton, football and bowling with teammate/roommate Maxwell Lattimer… Odds and Ends: Favourite mottos: “Challenge your limits” and “Impossible is Nothing”… Nicknames: Waffy, Waffle, Big Daddy Wolf… Has taken more ownership of his nutrition and health since a severe stress fracture in his seventh right rib in the fall of 2010…