Kevin Kowalyk smiled from one side of his mouth when he saw Canada PostB次元官网网址檚 commemorative Rowing Canada stamp unveiled by fellow London-bound rowers Dave Calder and Morgan Jarvis. The stampB次元官网网址檚 release, which depicts a menB次元官网网址檚 double scull, followed the formal introduction of Rowing CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Olympic team at Elk Lake on Thursday.

Crews from six of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 seven Olympic boats were there, while the womenB次元官网网址檚 heavyweight eight was officially confirmed at its Ontario training centre.

As the stamp stood prominently on display, rowers from the countryB次元官网网址檚 more established boats took the spotlight, such as the gold-medal-winning menB次元官网网址檚 eight, and the locally produced womenB次元官网网址檚 double of Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee. Meanwhile Kowalyk and his doubles partner Michael Braithwaite stood quitely among the remaining group of the 21 rowers.

Ironcially, theyB次元官网网址檒l be manning the double scull depicted on the Olympic-themed stamp.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 totally our boat, so this is pretty cool,B次元官网网址� Kowalyk said.

Granted itB次元官网网址檚 not actually Kowalyk and Braithwaite depicted in the stamp, which was designed by Kosta Tsetsekas and Mike Savage of Vancouver-based Signals Design, and illustrated by Keith Martin.

Kowalyk, 31, isnB次元官网网址檛 surprised at the lack of attention.

B次元官网网址淏ack where I come from in Winnipeg, I donB次元官网网址檛 even think they know I exist.B次元官网网址�

The story of KowalykB次元官网网址檚 journey to becoming a London Olympian is hard not to love -  an everyman who coached himself onto the national team.

At 25 years old, he was a typical Winnipegger, working sales in the oil industry and playing hockey at night. He was kickboxing, too. But a concussion limited him from both sports, and led to trying rowing for the first time.

B次元官网网址淚 thought I was going kayaking. I had no idea what was ahead.B次元官网网址�

It took a while to get a knack for it but he loved it from the start.

When the economy dimmed and his job became expendable, Kowalyk took the opportunity to enroll at the University of Manitoba and pour the rest of his energy into rowing.

B次元官网网址淚 found myself in pretty good shape, but still didnB次元官网网址檛 make the cut in 2010, and I ran out of money. So I came back in 2011.B次元官网网址�

Up until that point, Kowalyk had literally coached himself.

B次元官网网址淭he rowing (scene) in Winnipeg isnB次元官网网址檛 like here, so my prospects werenB次元官网网址檛 high.B次元官网网址�

Through domestic competitions he made his way into the menB次元官网网址檚 four, and helped qualify that boat for this summerB次元官网网址檚 Olympics, finishing seventh at the Rowing World Cup in Bled, Slovenia, in  2011.

All he had to do was keep up his training, and he was London-bound, but things happen, like pneumonia.

When he caught the debilitating lung infection in December, it knocked him out of the four. When he came back, he was isolated in a single scull, starting from scratch. Such is the life of a rower, and then some.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 funny because (Braithwaite) and I were roommates but were in different boats. Instead of trying to get back in the four, all of a sudden we were competing against each other for a spot in the double.B次元官网网址�

At 25, Braithwaite is the same age at which Kowalyk started. The Duncan native rowed varsity at the University of Toronto, and went on to win the menB次元官网网址檚 under-23 national championship in the single scull, and again in 2010 in the senior menB次元官网网址檚 category.

Both relocated to Victoria early in 2011, and soon rented a place together, typical of the national rowers who come to Elk LakeB次元官网网址檚 training centre.

But things went from brotherly to awkward this spring, cramping their homespace.

During trials in March and April, Kowalyk and Braithwaite were part of a doubles matrix, with Fraser Berkhout and Steve Van Knotsenburg.

Unless Kowalyk and Braithwaite finished first and second in the matrix rankings

B次元官网网址� which they eventually did, respectively B次元官网网址� each was at risk of eliminating the otherB次元官网网址檚 Olympic dream.

B次元官网网址淚t  could have been worse. There was some tension, but really, the only effect was we didnB次元官网网址檛 speak as much during that time,B次元官网网址� Braithwaite said.

And itB次元官网网址檚 all good now, to the point where Braithwaite wonders if theyB次元官网网址檇 be doing as well if they hadnB次元官网网址檛 established the chemistry they have.

B次元官网网址淢y goal was to get set up for the next quadrennial by making a push for this summerB次元官网网址檚 Olympics, with (Rio de Janeiro 2016) being the ultimate goal,B次元官网网址� Braithwaite said. B次元官网网址�(London) is just icing on the cake.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 pretty confident (Braithwaite) will get me where I want to go,B次元官网网址� Kowalyk said.

Four years at a time

Kowalyk will return to the University of Manitoba for Sept. 6, but will be back to defend his boat at the national championships here at Elk Lake in November, and plans to campaign with Rowing Canada for the next quadrennial. To do so, heB次元官网网址檒l have to submit ERG (rowing machine) scores at regular intervals, before rejoining the program full-time in two years.