Weekend Wrap: Head of the Trent Has Over 800 Entries
One of the biggest events on the Canadian rowing calendar took place over the weekend as the 54th edition of the Head of the Trent ran from Peterborough, ON.
Hosted by the Peterborough Rowing Club, the always popular head race saw a huge jump in participants from last year’s event as the regatta had 805 entries from 66 rowing clubs and programs. The 2024 edition of the HOTT had 600 entries from 49 clubs. The two days of competition took place on the Trent-Severn waterway and saw a jam-packed schedule on Saturday and Sunday, which featured a mix of university, club and alumni races in a wide variety of boat categories in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
A total of 16 Ontario university programs competed at the HOTT, with Brock University having the most entries with 31. The university competition was run on Saturday, with the Badgers earning the most medals of any university program, winning 22 (7 gold, 6 silver, 9 bronze). Next on the medal tally for university programs was the Queen Gaels with 18 (9 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze), followed by the Western Mustangs (4 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze) and Ottawa Gee-Gees (2 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze) with nine. Other universities securing trips to the podium included the McMaster Marauders (8), Trent Excalibur (7), Carleton Ravens (6), Toronto Varsity Blue (4), McGill Red Birds/Martlets (3), Ontario Tech Ridgebacks (1), Waterloo Warriors (1), and Nipissing Lakers (1).
In club action, which took place on Sunday, the participants raced in a mixture of youth, masters, junior, and open categories. A total of 21 clubs and programs for Ontario reached the podium with the St. Catharines Rowing Club coming out on top with 16 (6 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze). Next was the Ottawa Rowing Club with 12, followed by Niagara Rowing School with nine, Peterborough Rowing Club with six, and Ridley Graduate Boat Club and Argonaut Rowing Club with five to round out the top-5.
In addition to all the clubs and programs from Ontario, the 2025 HOTT saw athletes from the United States, Australia, Netherlands, Nova Scotia and Quebec compete.
For full results from the Head of the Trent, visit RegattaCentral.
For the full regatta schedule in Ontario, visit the Row Ontario website.
Photo is property of U of T Rowing.
