Weekend Wrap: St. Catharines Welcomes High School Rowers for CSSRA Championships
High School rowers from across the country flocked to the Henley Course in St. Catharines over the weekend for the 79th edition of the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association Championships.
Hosted over three days (June 5-7) the CSSRA Championships saw the rowers compete in a total of 40 race categories across junior, senior, and novice divisions in men’s, women’s, mixed and lightweight categories. The high school championship regatta featured 651 entries from 130 high school programs, 63 of which came from Ontario. A total of 13 high schools from BC made the trek east for the regatta, while Quebec (9), Nova Scotia (6), Alberta (6), New Brunswick (3) and Saskatchewan (1) were all represented. US high schools were also well represented at the event with 29 total, coming from states including New York, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Maryland.
A total of 40 schools brought home CSSRA medals with them including 21 from Ontario. Atop the medal standings was perennial rowing powerhouse EL Crossley (Fonthill), whose rowers earned 18 medals (10 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze). Next on the medal tally was BC’s Brentwood College with 11, followed by Toronto’s Branksome Hall, which earned seven medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) in the eight events they competed in, and St. Catharine’s Ridley College, who also earned seven medals (4 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze) while competing on their home course. Ontario schools earning multiple medals on the weekend included Blessed Trinity (Grimsby), Denis Morris (St. Catharines) and Saint Paul CSS (Niagara Falls) with four, Sir Winston Churchill SS (St. Catharines) and Upper Canada College (Toronto) with three, and Clarkson SS (Mississauga), Eden HS (St. Catharines), and Welland Centennial SS with two.
Ontario schools earning a single medal over the weekend included AN Myer SS (Niagara Falls), Central Toronto Academy, Crescent School (Toronto), Parkdalian (Toronto), Elmwood School (Ottawa), Havergal College (Toronto), Holy Cross SS (St. Catharines), St. Francis CSS (St. Catharines) and West Niagara SS (Grimsby).
The CSSRA Championships wrap up the 2026 high school rowing season in Canada, with many of the rowers now moving to club competition for the upcoming summer regattas. The 80th CSSRA Championships will take place next year on June 4-6.
For full results from the CSSRA Championships visit the RegattaCentral.
For the full regatta schedule in Ontario, visit the Row Ontario website.
Photo is property of CSSRA.
