Weekend Wrap: Busy Weekend for Ontario Rowers
A busy weekend in the Ontario rowing community saw three regattas hosted within provincial borders with the running of the Head of the Welland – Five Bridges Fall Classic, Head of the Rideau and Guelph Invite. On the international rowing calendar, the World Rowing Masters Regatta also took place in Tshwane, South Africa.
Hosted by the South Niagara Rowing Club, the Head of the Welland ran from its home on the North Course of the Welland International Flatwater Centre on Saturday. The head race had over 350 entries from 32 clubs from Ontario and the United States and featured a full day of racing across U15, U17, U19, Open and Masters categories in a variety of boat classes.
The Notre Dame Rowing Club, who’s rowers were competing on their home waters, led the regatta both in entries and gold medals won, as 13 of their 43 entries crossed the finished line in first place. Next on the gold medal tally were the Argonaut Rowing Club and Don Rowing Club, who each earned seven gold medals, followed by the Niagara Falls Rowing Club with six and the St. Catharines Rowing Club with five. Other Ontario clubs claiming gold were the London Western Rowing Club (3), Leander Boat Club (2), Orillia Rowing Club (2), Tillsonburg Rowing Club (1), Georgian Bay Rowing Club (1), Ridley College (1), Hanlan Boat Club (1), and South Niagara Rowing Club (1).
In Ottawa, the Ottawa Rowing Club hosted the 49th annual Head of the Rideau on Sunday on the Mooney’s Bay section of the Rideau Canal. The event ran both 3km and 5km races in a multitude of race categories including recreational, varsity, junior varsity, novice, U17, U19, open and masters. The regatta was well-attended with 276 entries from 26 clubs, with 14 clubs coming from Ontario, 11 from Quebec and one from the United States.
The host Ottawa Rowing Club led the way with 13 gold medals, followed by Carleton University with nine, the Peterborough Rowing Club with six, and the University of Ottawa with five. Other Ontario clubs earning gold medals were the Kingston Rowing Club (3), Trent Rowing (3), and Burnstown Rowing Club (1). The Montreal Rowing Club led the way for out-of-province clubs with four gold medals.
With the university rowing season now in full swing, the Guelph Invite took place on Saturday from the Guelph Lake Conservation Area. Six university programs participated in the regatta including McMaster University, University of Toronto, Brock University, University of Waterloo, Western University, and the host University of Guelph. The competitors raced in men’s and women’s singles, doubles, pairs, quads and eights in open and lightweight categories. The race was an important event on the university rowing calendar with the OUA Rowing Championships just over a month away.
Meanwhile across the Atlantic Ocean, the World Rowing Masters Regatta, which was the first World Rowing regatta to ever be held in Africa, ran for four days on the Roodeplat Dam in Tshwane, South Africa. A total of 42 countries were represented at the event, which featured over 1300 entries from 199 clubs from all over the world. Canada was represented at the event by the Calgary Rowing Club (AB), Fort Langley Community RC (BC), Gorge Narrows Rowing Club (BC), Kelowna Rowing Club (BC), Rowing PEI, and Ontario’s Leander Boat Club. Mary Ann Repa of the LBC competed in a total of five events as part of composite crews, as well as in the single where she placed second in Final 2 of the Women’s F 1x on Friday in a time of 4:35.51. Antonio de Miranda of the Hanlan Boat Club also took part in the event as a member of Clube de Regatas Guaiba – Porto Alegre from Brazil and earned three gold medals.
For full results from the Head of the Welland, visit RegattaCentral
For full results from the Head of the Rideau, visit RegattaCentral
For information on the Guelph Invite, visit RegattaCentral
For full results from the World Rowing Masters Regatta, visit RegattaCentral
For the full regatta schedule in Ontario, visit the Row Ontario website.
