Thanks so much.
My name is Andrea Proske. I'm a rower, a two-time World Cup medallist, Olympic champion and AthletesCAN vice-president. I also stand before you as a survivor of a toxic training environment. Sadly, it is not a new story. However, if you'll bear with me, I also bring concrete proof that Olympic medals can be won through culture.
Unlike other athletes you may have heard from, I began sport at the mature age of 27, as a hotel manager with years of leadership experience. En route to the national team, I would brave numerous setbacks and serious injuries, including being struck by an SUV. Through it all, I persevered, because I wanted nothing more than the privilege of wearing the Canadian maple leaf on the world stage.
Neither my decade of real-world experience nor my resilience would spare me from the abuse that followed. While Rowing Canada shone on the world stage, for four years, our national training centre environment allowed for 46 women to experience manipulation, isolation and abuse by an autocratic coach who ruled our lives, Dave Thompson. Physical punishments were meted out for perceived indiscretions, teammates were seen as rivals to be beaten, selection race results were kept secret and booking time with a physiotherapist considered a sign of weakness. He controlled the minutia of my life, restricting me from seeing health care professionals, mental health professionals and talking to my support network.
The ripples of his culture of fear went well beyond the athletes. I'll never forget a support staff worker telling me, I wanted to quit so many times. but I couldn't because I knew for you women it would be worse for you if I left: You'd have no one to protect you. Every time I was told I was too fat, too slow, too difficult, I believed him a little more. The environment became normalized, steeped in favouritism. He was a master manipulator who openly told me he preferred working with younger athletes. They followed directions. They didn't ask questions.
I worried when athletes commented that he would end phone calls with “I love you” and not hang up until they said it back. I worried about his buying gifts for them. I worried about the one-on-one coach's meetings in his hotel rooms. My deepest fears were realized later when I learned about the private dinners, sexual harassment and sexual abuse that my teammates endured.
I'm trying to forgive myself for silently witnessing this abuse. In many ways, the Olympic medal came at the cost of my own self-worth. Too many times I had to choose between my moral compass and my Olympic dreams.
In 2020, Rowing Canada quietly let Dave Thompson go before a safe sport investigation would confirm the bullying, harassment and abuse. He went on to work for other countries, and even an all-girls school. There are no words for how angry this makes me.
However, I promised you a happy ending. Our wonderful new coach, Michelle Darvill, inherited a group of burned-out, broken women and immediately prioritized rebuilding culture, trust and teamwork. She would say strange things like, “Good job. I'm proud of you.” At the time, it felt nothing short of revolutionary.
We were encouraged to show our unpolished selves, be vulnerable and hold each other to account. Gone was the secrecy of the previous regime, replaced by complete transparency and open communication. For the first time as a national team member, I felt I owned my journey. I was creating culture from the bottom up. I was driving a training environment that I could thrive in. We were reimagining high performance. I welcome any questions to speak more deeply on this case study.
I have since seen my story reflected in countless others across Canada. We are witnessing some of the strongest women in Canada reach their collective breaking point. If 2020 was a time to listen, then 2023 must be a time for action. Here are three steps:
One, OSIC services need to be accessible to all levels of sport and adequately funded, with culture tied to NSO funding.
Two, we need a comprehensive and compulsory education for sports stakeholders on all types of abuse. We need bystander training.
Three, we need a restorative justice approach that does not cause victim retraumatization. I am so grateful for being here today, but, as you can see, it is tough to sit through this emotional scar tissue and relive it.
In closing, when I started working with Michelle, I knew it was up to us to prove that her method of coaching could win medals. Here I stand, Olympic champion, showing you another pathway to gold. It's not an easy one. You will need to show the perseverance and confidence and courage that women across the nation have shown.
Every athlete knows the podium doesn't come overnight, but I know this: Canada can stand on the world stage as a champion.
Thank you.
