Weekend Wrap: Head of the Trent Highlights First Weekend of October
Competition/ Oct 7

Weekend Wrap: Head of the Trent Highlights First Weekend of October


The always popular Head of the Trent headlined this past weekend in rowing as the focus of the Ontario rowing community was on Peterborough, ON.

Hosted by the Peterborough Rowing Club this was the 53rd edition of the HOTT. The annual head race took place over two days on Saturday and Sunday and featured 625 entries from 51 clubs. The 625 entries was an increase of over 50 from 2023, showing the 53-year-old event continues to grow and evolve well into its fifth decade of existence. The two days of competition took place on the Trent-Severn waterway and saw a jam-packed schedule, 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 14 Ontario university programs participated in the HOTT, with the Western Mustangs sending the most entries with 28. The Queen’s Gaels, who are the reigning OUA Women’s Champions, earned the most gold medals at the event with nine. They were followed by Western with six, the Brock Badgers with four, and the Carleton Ravens and McMaster Marauders with three apiece. Other university programs earning first place finishes were the Toronto Varsity Blues (2), Trent Excalibur (1), and RMC Paladins (1). The university races consisted of varsity, junior varsity, novice, and alumni divisions.

In club action, the host Peterborough Rowing Club topped with the gold medal standings, keeping five golds in Peterborough. The club races saw a mixture of youth, masters, junior, and open categories and were primarily contested on Sunday as the university action headlined the Saturday schedule. A total of 17 different clubs and programs earned first-place finishes including Ridley Graduate Boat Club (4), Don Rowing Club (4), St. Catharines Rowing Club (4), Ottawa Rowing Club (3), Hanlan Boat Club (3), Orillia Rowing Club (3), Cambridge Rowing Club (2), and Ridley College (2). Earning a single gold medal were the Burnstown Rowing Club, Durham Rowing Club, Toronto Sculling Club, Upper Canada College, Quinte Rowing Club, Georgian Bay Rowing Club, Leander Boat Club and Elmwood School.

For full results from the Head of the Trent, visit RegattaCentral

For the full regatta schedule in Ontario, visit the Row Ontario website. 

Picture is property of Trent Rowing.