Weekend Wrap: High School Rowers Take on Mother’s Day Regatta

The annual Mother’s Day High School Regatta took place on Sunday from the Henley Course in St. Catharines.

Hosted by the St. Catharines Rowing Club, a total of 35 clubs with 290 entries competed at the event, which featured junior, senior, and novice divisions across a wide range of boat categories. While many of the competing high school programs were from the Niagara region, several made the trip to St. Catharines from Toronto, London, Guelph, and Hamilton among others. Fonthill, ON’s EL Crossley showed their early season form on the water, winning a regatta-high 14 gold medals out of 40 possible categories.

Next on the gold medal tally was Ridley College (St. Catharines) who earned five, followed by Branksome Hall (Toronto) with four, Havergal College (Toronto) and Sir. Winston Churchill SS (St. Catharines) with three, and Upper Canada College (Toronto), West Niagara SS (Grimsby) and Saint Paul CSS (Niagara Falls) with two apiece. Other schools topping the podium with one gold included Westlane SS (Niagara Falls), Blessed Trinity CSS (Grimsby), Eden HS (St. Catharines), and St. Francis CSS (St. Catharines).

Two club races also took place during the event with the Niagara Falls Rowing Club winning the women’s double, and the Leander Boat Club winning the men’s double.

The high school rowing season continues next weekend (May 17-18) with the South Niagara Invitational in Welland, followed by the London Western High School Invitational in London on May 24. All roads lead back to St. Catharines on May 30-June 1, as high school rowers from across the country will compete on the Henley Course at the 2025 CSSRA Championships.

For more information on the Mother’s Day High School Regatta, visit Regatta Central

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