Weekend Wrap: RowOn Beach Sprint Champions Crowned
The always exciting RowOn Beach Sprint Championships took place on Saturday from Lakeside Beach in St. Catharines, ON.
The RowOn Beach Sprint Championships, which made its debut on the summer regatta calendar last year, featured solo and doubles action in Open and U19 men’s, women’s and mixed categories. The event drew rowers from nine different clubs and had 46 entries across a total of seven race categories.
The morning started with time trials in the solo events as the competitors, many of whom were competing in their first ever beach sprint event, got the hang of controlling the solo throughout the 250m buoyed course. Following the time trials and repechage rounds the competitors were slotted into matchups in the quarterfinals (or semifinals depending on the number of competitors in their category) where they went head-to-head until the winner in each category was crowned. Experience won out in the both the open men’s and women’s categories, as beach sprint veterans Aubrey Oldham (Don Rowing Club) and Sarah Pidgen (Don Rowing Club) won the gold medal in their respective categories.
Oldham posted the fastest time in the time trials (2:24.25) and received a bye to the semi-finals, where he topped the Hanlan Boat Club’s John Liu to advance to the final. In the final he faced off with fellow Don Rowing Club member Dennis Ovidyenko, winning by 11 seconds in a time of 2:21.97. Liu picked up the bronze medal in a time of 2:33.28. Like Oldham, Pidgen earned the fastest time in the time trials (2:50.98) and won her quarter and semi-finals matchups to advance to the final where she faced off with Jillian Van Dyk (South Niagara Rowing Club / Ontario NextGen Performance Centre). Van Dyk was competing in her first ever Beach Sprint event and impressed throughout the day. In her quarterfinal match up, Van Dyk took on veteran Caitlin Pauls (Ridley Graduate Boat Club) in what was the most exciting race of the day. Both competitors exited their boats at the same time and an all-out sprint on the beach saw Van Dyk touch the finishing pylon just .11 seconds ahead of Pauls in a time of 2:46.33. The finals saw Pidgen race out to an early lead and hold it for the duration of the race, crossing the finish line in a winning time of 2:39.52. Ella Kubas (SNRC / ONGPC) placed third by winning the B Final in a time of 2:52.46 over Shelby Sturrock (Hanlan Boat Club).
The U19 men’s final came down to two members of Ridley College as Ashton Kidd topped his teammate Luke Winterbottom in a time of 2:40.69. Elias Fiddick (Orillia Rowing Club) placed third in a time of 2:44.98. On the U19 women’s side, Autumn Prior (Orillia Rowing Club) earned the victory with a win over Rheagan Hamm (St. Catharines Rowing Club / ONGPC) in the final in a time of 2:47.07. Prior’s teammate Maelle Bouchard won the bronze medal (3:12.21).
While the conditions in the morning were calm and featured little waves on the water for the solo action, they gave way to a strong wind and rougher waters in the afternoon for the doubles. Competitors were forced to deal with a current that was constantly trying to push them off course as they navigated through the course and back to the beach. The challenging conditions made for an exciting afternoon of racing and added a new wrinkle for the competitors to deal with.
Oldham and Pidgen teamed up and continued their winning ways in the open mixed doubles category. The duo posted the fastest time in the time trials (2:33.97) and cruised through the quarter and semi-finals with victories of 17 and 23 seconds respectively. In the finals they faced off against Lorne Thomas (Don Rowing Club) and Pauls (Ridley Graduate Boat Club) and won the gold in a time of 2:24.10. The bronze medal went to the Don Rowing Club’s Ovidyenko and Sophie Robbinson (2:43.77).
The Orillia Rowing Club swept the medals in the U19 mixed doubles category, as Prior and Sam Pecorella teamed up to win the gold in the finals in a time of 2:46.42. They narrowly beat second-place finishers Fiddick and Molly Hazel who came across the line in 2:48.71. Bouchard and Matthew Pecorella placed third (3:06.97). In the U19 women’s doubles final, Hazel and Prior teamed up to defeat Hamm and Danika Rogers (SCRC / ONGPC) in a time of 2:52.91. Prior was the biggest winner of the day, going home with three first place finishes.
The next beach sprint event on Row Ontario’s calendar is a high performance camp that will take place on July 13 in the Niagara region. For more information on the camp, visit the Row Ontario website.
RowOn Beach Sprints Category Winners
Open Men’s Solo – Aubrey Oldham – Don Rowing Club
Open Women’s Solo – Sarah Pidgen – Don Rowing Club
U19 Men’s Solo – Ashton Kidd – Ridley College
U19 Women’s Solo – Autumn Prior – Orillia Rowing Club
Open Mixed Double – Aubrey Oldham & Sarah Pidgen – Don Rowing Club
U19 Mixed Double – Sam Pecorella & Autumn Prior – Orillia Rowing Club
U19 Women’s Double – Molly Hazel & Autumn Prior – Orillia Rowing Club
For full results from the RowOn Beach Sprint Championships, visit RegattaCentral
For the full regatta schedule in Ontario, visit the Row Ontario website.
