to have had a hand in bringing the documentary AMost Beautiful Thing to the Canadian Sport Film Festival. Based on the memoir of Arshay Cooper, the film chronicles the development of the first African American high school rowing team, many of whom came from rival gangs on the West Side of Chicago. “It’s such a powerful film,” she says. “It explores what team members overcame to take part in rowing and how the sport helped them reimagine their future.” Kubet first became aware of Cooper’s story through her husband Craig McAllister, co- owner of Hudson Boat Works in London, Ontario. “Hudson donates boats to rowing clubs in non-traditional rowing communities to help make the sport more accessible to marginalized youth,” Kubet explains. “The boat you see in
the documentary is actually a Hudson boat.” Kubet and her colleagues on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee hope to see more outreach efforts take shape in Canada in the future. “I want everyone to have the opportunity to access the sport of rowing,” she says. Just opening the door to the sport as an athlete of colour isn’t enough. I need invite others in as well, and use my experiences to make the sport more welcoming and inclusive. As Arshay Cooper has said, ‘Talent is everywhere but access and opportunity are not.’” Looking back on her life, Kubet is proud of what she’s achieved, and thankful for the people who helped her get there. “I had a lot of great teachers and coaches, and other people who believed in me when I was in Tillsonburg,” she says. “But it all started with my mom. She
refused to accept the idea that brown skin was ‘less than’ and taught everyone around her to do the same.” After Kubet retired from competitive rowing, she worked with Rowing Canada, travelling as a physiotherapist internationally and working with elite athletes. Today, she’s the owner of Skye Health, an innovative health collective providing physiotherapy, massage therapy, and pilates classes to residents of London, Ontario. Her mother, Louise Weston, passed away in 2011.
(Below) Kubet Weston visits with some of the members of the Tillsonburg Rowing Club on the dock at Lake Lisgar. Learn more about community rowing programs for adults and youth at www.tillsonburgrowingclub.com
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