Weekend Wrap: Ottawa Beach Sprints Sets New Canadian Record for Entries

The RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series’ first trip to Ottawa was a smashing success, with a new record set for entries in a Canadian beach sprint regatta.

The sold out regatta, RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #3, took place on Saturday, Aug. 29 at Petrie Island Beach and set a new Canadian record with 82 entries. Among the 82 entries were 17 in three dedicated masters categories, a first in an Ontario-based beach sprint regatta. The masters women’s solo category had eight entries, which meant a full quarterfinal knockout bracket, with local masters rowers from the Ottawa New Edinburgh (ONEC) and Ottawa Rowing Club competing in the event. Lucy Askham (ONEC) claimed the gold medal by defeating club teammate Christina Albers in the final, crossing the finish line in a time of 3:05.80.

“The racing is great – short and sweet, but I think what made the day so much fun was the team camaraderie,” said Askham on her first experience competing in beach sprints. “Not everyone likes racing, but we had lots of ONEC rowers join us as boat handlers – an integral job in beach sprints, and they all enjoyed the day as well. ONEC had rowers aged 27-78 trying beach sprints for the first time and they all said they would come back next year! Attending the beach sprints clinic the evening before helped our crew to get comfortable with the boats and the course.”

Other masters category winners included Julia Fournier and Stewart Taylor (Ottawa Rowing Club) in the mixed double (3:00.99), and Fiona McDougall and Rachel Weber, also of the Ottawa Rowing Club, in the women’s double (2:53.16).

“I didn’t appreciate how much beach sprints rely on teamwork until my first run to the boat,” added Albers. “Without question, the highlight of the day for me was the incredible support I felt from the ONEC boat handlers that got me into the boat and onto the course and the rest of the supporters who came out to cheer on me and my teammates. I think that beach sprints are the ideal format for masters athletes new to racing or returning to racing. Having a support team in your corner takes the edge off and the short race format is less daunting than a 5km head race, but the races are still quick and competitive. The variability of the conditions through the day and head-to-head format means no two runs are the same, so you need to stay on your toes.”

The day at the beach began with the solo categories in the morning followed by doubles in the afternoon. Some athletes were competing for the second weekend in a row after racing at RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #2 in Kingston on Aug. 22. Those competing for the second-straight week had a longer run on the beach to navigate, with the much larger Petrie Island Beach providing a different course, which included a slight incline on the run across the beach and back to the buzzer, than Kingston’s Grass Creek Park. The regatta was contested under sunny skies and calm conditions in the morning, which turned into an overcast sky with some dark clouds and periods of strong wind in afternoon. Though the skies were threatening, no rain broke through and a jam-packed day of racing went off successfully.

In the open women’s division, the Don Rowing Club’s Natalie Bellerby won the first open women’s solo event of her career, claiming first place after besting Autumn Prior (Orillia Rowing Club) in the final in one of the most exciting races of the day. Bellerby (2:42.90) touched the buzzer just one second ahead of Prior, after which the two evenly matched competitors spent several seconds laid out at the finish line recuperating from a full-effort sprint. Bellerby pulled double duty in the solo events, competing in the U19 women’s solo as well, and claimed the gold medal with a victory over Sloane Fournier (Brockville Rowing Club) in the final in a time of 2:42.57.

Other solo category winners included the St. Catharine’s Rowing Club’s Merik Sommer (2:30.94) in the U19 men’s division and the Leander Boat Club’s Aubrey Oldham in the open men’s division (2:21.98).

In doubles action, Oldham and partner Raphael Kaiser (Aviron Knowlton) claimed gold in the open men’s double, defeating the St. Catharines Rowing Club duo of Sommer and Elliott Smith in the final in the last race of the day. Their scorching winning time of 2:11.28 was one of the fastest times ever at a Canadian beach sprint regatta. Sommer and Smith also competed in the U19 men’s double, winning the final over the Ottawa Rowing Club’s Oskar Roy and Felix Roy in a time of 2:23.87. Sommer and Smith each had productive days on the water, earning three top-three finishes apiece.

Oldham however was the regatta’s biggest winner, with the three first-place finishes. In addition to the open men’s solo and doubles crowns, the beach sprint veteran also teamed up with Prior to claim open mixed doubles title, defeating the Ottawa Rowing Club’s William Darby and Bryn Wilson in the final in a time of 2:23.75. The Brockville Rowing Club claimed all three medals in both the U19 mixed doubles and U19 women’s doubles categories, continuing their successful beach sprint season. Frances Berry was a member of both gold-medal winning boats, teaming with Isabella St. John (2:57.57) to win the women’s double and Owen Napier (2:43.51) to win the mixed double. The BRC now has a commanding lead the Club Point Standings for the beach series, with 1870 points. St. Catharines Rowing Club is in second place with 995.

See full point standings for athletes and clubs on our website at RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series.

The RowOn Beach Sprint Series continues with its fourth and final regatta on Saturday, September 19 at Lakeside Park in St. Catharines. Register for RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #4 at the below link:

RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #4

RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #3 Category Winners
Open Women’s Solo  – Natalie Bellerby – Don Rowing Club
Open Men’s Solo – Aubrey Oldham – Leander Boat Club
Masters Women’s Solo – Lucy Askham – Ottawa New Edinburgh Club
U19 Men’s Solo – Merik Sommer – St. Catharines Rowing Club
U19 Women’s Solo – Natalie Bellerby – Don Rowing Club
Open Men’s Double – Aubrey Oldham (Leander Boat Club) / Raphael Kaiser (Aviron Knowlton)
Open Mixed Double – Aubrey Oldham (Leander Boat Club) / Autumn Prior (Orillia Rowing Club)
Masters Mixed Double – Julia Fournier / Stewart Taylor – Ottawa Rowing Club
Masters Women’s Double – Fiona McDougall / Rachel Weber – Ottawa Rowing Club
U19 Men’s Double – Merik Sommer / Elliott Smith – St. Catharines Rowing Club
U19 Women’s Double – Isabella St. John / Frances Berry – Brockville Rowing Club
U19 Mixed Double – Owen Napier / Frances Berry – Brockville Rowing Club

For full results from the RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #3, visit RegattaCentral.

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