Weekend Wrap: Record Breaking Beach Sprint Regatta Hosted in St. Catharines

The first of four coastal beach sprint regattas in Ontario this summer took place over the weekend in St. Catharines and saw a record number of rowers take on the waves at Lakeside Park Beach.

RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #1 set the record for entries at a Canadian beach sprint regatta with 67 entries, surpassing the previous high of 56 set last year at the Western Canadian Beach Sprint Championships. The beach sprint rowers represented 20 different clubs at the event and competed in solo and doubles events in Open, U19 and mixed categories. The day started with the solo events in the morning, which had the rowers’ navigating waves and a strong cross wind through the time trial and knockout rounds. The waters calmed in the afternoon as the doubles took on the course, which led to several close finishes as the competitors sprinted across the beach to hit the finish buzzer.

In solo action, Sarah Pidgen (Don Rowing Club) claimed first place in the Open women’s division, topping Caitlin Pauls (Ridley Graduate Boat Club) in the final by just 1.5 seconds in a time of 3:14.10. Pauls was the number one seed in the knockout round after placing first in the time trials, finishing ahead of Pidgen by three seconds and earning a bye to the semi-final round. Pidgen defeated Jaide Cummings (Niagara Community Rowing) and Alexa McAuliffe (Brockville Rowing Club) in the quarterfinal and semifinal respectively, while Pauls topped RGBC teammate Pippa Soyka Rozendaal in the other semifinal setting the stage for the close final. On the men’s side, Aviron Knowlton’s Raphael Kaiser beat beach sprints newcomer Stephen Harris (Brock Rowing) in the final in a time of 2:54.18. Kaiser finished second in the time trials, but was bumped up to the first seed after Leander Boat Club’s Aubrey Oldham withdrew from the event after the time trials. Kaiser rowed consistently through the quarters, semis and final, touching the buzzer in under three minutes in every round.

Merik Sommer (St. Catharines Rowing Club) claimed first in the U19 men’s division, crossing the finish line ahead of SCRC teammate Mason Dearborn in a time of 2:54.93. The U19 women’s division was won by Autumn Prior (Orillia Rowing Club) who edged out the Don Rowing Club’s Natalie Bellerby by two seconds in the final, touching the buzzer in a time of 3:04.42.

The doubles events featured combined U19 and Open categories in the men’s, women’s and mixed event, making for a deep racing field in each category. The U19/Open mixed double was won by Dennis Ovidyenko and Kaija Erikson (Kingston Rowing Club), who defeated Reagan Hamm and Josh VanderVaart (St. Catharines Rowing Club) in the final in a time of 2:37.12. The U19/Open men’s double was won by Boris Osei-Kissi and Oliver Bosak of St. Catharines Rowing Club, while the U19/Open women’s double victory was earned by Alexa McAuliffe (Brockville Rowing Club) and Susanna Temming (Texas Rowing Centre). McAuliffe and Temming won the final in the closest race of the day, as they took on Prior and Willow Shepherd of the Orillia Rowing Club in a hard-fought race. After matching each other stroke for stroke on the water, the race came down to a sprint across the beach with Temming and Prior both diving to touch the buzzer. Temming narrowly outstretched Prior, finishing just .02 seconds ahead in first place in a time of 2:44.93.

The largest beach sprint event in Canadian history was supported by a host of umpires and volunteers, who kept the events running smoothly for the duration of the regatta. An enthusiastic crowd of supporters also lined the course making for a high-energy race environment, particularly in the knockout rounds as the always exciting beach sprint discipline delivered compelling racing throughout the day.

The RowOn Beach Sprint Series now takes a break until August, where it will pick back up for three more events in a busy finish to the summer rowing season.

RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #2 – Kingston – Aug. 22
RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #3 – Ottawa – Aug. 29
RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #4 – Hamilton – Sept. 19

RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #1 Category Winners
Open Men’s Solo – Raphael Kaiser – Aviron Knowlton
Open Women’s Solo – Sarah Pidgen – Don Rowing Club
U19 Men’s Solo – Merik Sommer – St. Catharines Rowing Club
U19 Women’s Solo – Autumn Prior – Orillia Rowing Club
Open / U19 Mixed Double – Dennis Ovidyenko & Kaija Erikson – Kingston Rowing Club
Open / U19 Men’s Double – Boris Osei-Kissi & Oliver Bosak – St. Catharines Rowing Club
Open / U19 Women’s Double – Alexa McAuliffe (Brockville Rowing Club) & Susanna Temming (Texas Rowing Centre)

For full results from the RowOn Beach Sprint Cup Series #1, visit RegattaCentral
For the full regatta schedule in Ontario, visit the Row Ontario website.

About Coastal Beach Sprint Rowing
Coastal Beach Sprint rowing will make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, after the International Olympic Committee added it to the rowing programme in October 2023. Races combine a beach sprint start, a row out around slalom and turn buoys, and a finish back on the sand. This compact, knockout-style format is easy for spectators to follow from the shoreline. Working with partners, the Cup Series provides race equipment at every Cup, so athletes can participate without owning or transporting coastal boats, lowering both the cost and the barriers to reaching the start line.

About Row Ontario
Row Ontario is the provincial sport organization responsible for the development and promotion of rowing across Ontario, supporting athletes, coaches, umpires, clubs, and communities at all levels of the sport.

Row Ontario Media Contact
Frank Christie | Communications & Events Manager | 289-778-0750 ext. 0 | frank@rowontario.ca