Weekend Wrap: Row Ontario Hosts Tony B in Welland
The first Row Ontario-hosted regatta of 2025 took place on Saturday as the Tony Biernacki Sr. Memorial Regatta ran from the North Course of the Welland International Flatwater Centre.
The masters-focused ‘Tony B’ featured 164 entries from 20 clubs from Ontario and the USA. Traditionally hosted by Brock University, the Tony B has been run by Row Ontario since 2022. The competitors dealt with cooler temperatures and a strong cross wind in the morning, which gave way to more favourable conditions in the afternoon.
The London Western Rowing Club had a stellar day on the water, earning an event-high eight gold medals out of only 11 entries. The club added another bronze to bring their medal total to nine. The St. Catharines Rowing Club was next in terms of gold medals with six, out of only nine entries, and added two bronze. Toronto’s Argonaut Rowing Club had the most entries in the event with 27, and earned the most medals, bringing home a total of 15 (2 gold, 9 silver, 4 bronze). They were followed in the medal standings by the Ridley Graduate Boat Club with 13 (5 gold, 3 silver, 5 bronze), Hanlan Boat Club with 11 (3 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze).
Other Ontario-based clubs earning medals were the Peterborough Rowing Club with six (2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze), the Don Rowing Club with five (2 gold, 3 silver), the Leander Boat Club (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) and the South Niagara Rowing Club (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze) with four the Georgian Bay Rowing club with three (1 gold, 2 silver), and the Guelph Rowing Club (silver), Barrie Rowing Club (silver), LaSalle Rowing Club (bronze), and Notre Dame Rowing Club (bronze) with one apiece.
Masters rowers from across the province will be back on the North Course in just under a month for the RowOn Masters Championships on Sunday, July 13.
Meanwhile, in Varese, Italy, the first World Rowing Cup international schedule in 2025 took place on Lake Varese from June 13-15. The event saw two Canadian boats hit the start line, the women’s coxless four and the women’s single. Katie Clark of Cranbrook, BC got her 2025 season off to a solid start with a fourth-place finish in the single, missing the podium by just under two seconds. The women’s four placed second in the B Final, for an overall eighth place finish.
For full results from the Tony Biernacki Sr. Memorial Regatta, visit RegattaCentral
For full results from the World Rowing Cup – Varese, visit World Rowing
Picture is property of the London Western Rowing Club
