About me
Dr. Volker Nolte received a Physical Education Diploma (1976) from the University of Saarbrücken, a Civil Engineering Diploma (1979) from the Technical College Saarbrücken (Germany), and a PhD (1984) from the German Sport University in Cologne (Germany) in Biomechanics. He joined Western University from 1993 until 2019 where he was employed as Assistant Professor teaching biomechanics and coaching, and as the Head Coach of the Western Mustang Rowing Program from 1993 to 2017. He received the certificate of Professor Emeritus in June 2019 from Western University.
Dr. Nolte has supervised numerous MSc graduates. His research has produced many papers in refereed journals, and articles in various publications. He is an internationally acknowledged expert in biomechanics of rowing and was in 1984 decorated by the German Sport Federation as the best natural science researcher in the “Carl Diem Wettbewerb” for his doctoral thesis ‘Die Effektivität des Ruderschlages” (The Efficiency of the Rowing stroke). He published in 2005 with the second edition 2010 a world renowned rowing book “Faster Rowing” that is currently the standard for coaches and athletes in this sport. His latest book publication is “Masters Rowing” that he wrote together with Wolfgang Fritsch.
His research includes coaching and biomechanics of high performance sport, especially rowing. He is also a distinguished researcher in the field of rowing equipment, especially concerned with rigging. Based on his expertise, he presents frequently worldwide at scientific and coaching conferences. Additionally, Nolte is a regular guest-coach nationally and internationally in clubs, universities and national team programs. Furthermore, he influenced rowing by developing isokinetic training machines, special measurement tools, and new boat designs.
Nolte started his coaching career in Germany, helping his teams to win numerous German Championships and three World Championship medals. In Canada, he started as the Ontario Provincial coach leading Ontario’s Women and Men Teams to banner victories in the 1993 Canada Games.
From 1993 until his retirement from coaching in 2017, Nolte’s leadership has led the Western University Mustangs men’s rowing team to 14 Ontario University Athletics Championships and six Canadian University Rowing Championships. Since he took over the women’s team in 2010 they won five Ontario University Athletics Championships and four Canadian University Rowing Championships. 2008, 2013, 2015 and 2016 were particularly successful years for the Western rowers. In 2008, the men’s eight won the German University Championships, the Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta against 74 other crews from around the world, as well as the Canadian University Championships. In 2013 and again in 2015, Nolte’s Mustang teams swept all university events in Canada, winning the Ontario and Canadian Rowing Championships in the women’s and men’s divisions. In 2016, the Western Team did not only won both OUA Championships for women and men, the CU Championships for women, they also won two gold medals in Championships events at the Head of the Charles Regatta (LW 4+ and LM 8+). The victory in the 8+ was the first time a Canadian University team won a Championship 8+ event!
Parallel to coaching university, Nolte was the Rowing Canada Aviron lightweight men’s national team coach from 1992 to 2000, and assistant coach to the women’s team from 2012 - 2016. His national team crews won an Olympic silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games, two World Championship titles in 1993 and 2000, and several more medals at World Championships. His latest successes with Canadian National team were a bronze and silver medal at the 2012 and 2013 U23 World Championships in the women’s single. In 2015/16 he coached again the Canadian women’s single, this time to two PAN AM Games gold medals, a 1st place at the FISA World Cup in Varese/Italy, a 6th place at the World Championships 2015 and a 10th place at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
For his work in coach education, he received the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in January 2013. For his outstanding success as a coach, he was named Ontario Coach of the Year in 1993 and again in 2014. Finally, RowOntario presented Nolte with the President's Award in 2017 and Rowing Canada honored him with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 to recognize his achievements in many areas of rowing.
Rowing has been a lifelong passion for Nolte. He has represented his home country of Germany in several world championships and still pursues the sport as a recreational sport as well as an avid competitor in Masters competitions.
