August Information Bulletin #7

That was Fast
If you blinked you might have missed it. With September now upon us, it is hard to believe that the book is now closed on the summer season. Fortunately, there is still a fair bit of rowing left before we close the book on the 2012 season; September is arguably the nicest month weather-wise and October is undoubtably the most picturesque; So while Henley and Canadian Master Championships may be over there is still plenty of rowing left in 2012. Get out and enjoy the fall rowing season!

A Long Time Coming
It had been since 1998 when an Edmonton athlete last won an event at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. The athlete was Andrew Hoskins who won both the intermediate and championship single (in the process beating Chris Davidson) in a wooden shell (not joking). At the 2012 Royal Canadian Henley, the Edmonton Rowing Club ended its 14 year drought in grand fashion winning not one but two Henley titles. Steven Payne officially broke the camel’s back by winning the Senior Single Dash. A day later, James and Gregor Allan put away any mention of a curse by winning the Junior B Double by a very impressive 7 seconds. Congratulations to all within the Edmonton Rowing Club!

Not to be outdone, the 2012 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta marked the fifth consecutive year the Calgary Rowing Club returned home from St. Catharines with Henley Gold. The ARA congratulates both Nicole Hare for winning the Junior “A” Single and the Calgary Rowing Club for its five year run.

Aside from the aforementioned, there were some very impressive performances from Alberta Athletes at the 2012 Henley Regatta with a total of 16 boats racing in a Henley Final. Results from those who rowed in in a Henley Final are as follows;

Martin Eiermann / Ole Tietz – 3rd Senior Lightweight Men Pair

Sam Garber / Stephen Holloway – 6th Junior Men Pair

Sam Garber / Jack Dundas – 2nd Junior Men Double

Cate White / McKenzie Lukacs / Karen Guran / Jamie Bellows – 7th Junior Women Quad

Jamie Bellows / Nicole Hare – 2nd Junior Women Double

Jessie Loutit / Sarah Laing / Brittney Szwarc / Nicole Barbeau – 4th Senior Women Quad

Patrick McCrady / Jt Walker / Ilya Makhotkin / Andrew Guran – 4th U23 Men Four

Patrick McCrady / Sam Hogman – 2nd U23 Men Pair

Flurry Hogg/ Shawn Eccleston / Coutney Coston / Alethia Hazaras – 6th Senior Light Quad

Jessie Loutit / Brittney Szwarc – 3rd Senior Women Pair

Sarah Laing / Heather Bryden – 6th Senior Women Pair

Flurry Hogg / Courtney Coston / Emily Francis /Nicole Barbeau – 6th U23 Light Women 4-

P. McCrady / JT Walker / I. Makhotkin / A. Guran / S. Holloway / S. Garber / S. Gair / S. Hogman / K. Guran – 6th U23 Men 8+

A.Hazarus/S. Eccleston/N. Barbeau/F.Hogg/C.Coston/E.Francis/K.Guran/J.Bellows/C.White – 3rd Senior Lightweight Women 8+

Work to be Done
The first on-water Canada Summer Games Camp for 2012 was held August 18-19 in Calgary, Alberta. The ARA was impressed with the quality of athletes in attendance, but acknowledge there is much work still to be done if we are to achieve our goals in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Some points that are to be addressed are:

1) Time is now of the essence. As noted at the camp there are now only 100 on-water days (60 days in 2012 and 40 days in May and June of 2013) remaining before the selection camp scheduled for mid-June 2013. Athletes who aspire to be on the 2013 Canada Summer Games Team should look to maximize these 100 days by getting on the water each and every day.

2) Erg-Performance – Athletes who wish to be invited to the 2013 CSG Selection Camp should be looking to the following 2k Time Standards as a minimum guideline. Heavy Men – 6:30 / Heavy Women 7:30 / Light Men 6:45 / Light Women 7:45. Results from the latest round of erg testing show that improvement in this regard is required.

In speaking with those who have been to previous Canada Summer Games they say it is an experience of a lifetime. We at the ARA hope that all age eligible athletes will see it the same way and put forth the effort to join us in Sherbrooke.

CSG Camp #4
The ARA was originally looking to September 23rd as the date for the fourth CSG Camp. Hoping to capitalize on a strong recruiting class at both the University of Alberta and University of Calgary, the ARA is moving this camp to give some of these athletes time to develop. The ARA will be hosting the fourth CSG camp on Sunday October 14th in Calgary, Alberta following the Head of the Weasel Regatta on October 13, 2012.

Canadian Masters Championships
Alberta was well represented at the 2012 Canadian Masters Championships in Montreal, Quebec with athletes from both the Calgary Rowing Club and Edmonton Rowing Club in attendance. Edmonton athletes Brenda Blakely, Ray McCall, Frans Slater, Glen Rollans and Charles Rannals were victorious in Men’s Masters D-I 4+ while Calgary athletes Linda Thompson & Donna Cunnin won the Masters Women E Double. Linda and Donna later teamed up with Craig Riley and John Nesbitt to win the Mixed Masters E-I Quad. Congratulations to all athletes.

NRC DOCUMENT
Athletes interested in participating at the 2012 NRC event are encouraged to visit the ARA’s web page and read the ARA’s 2012 Selection Document. The document outlines everything athletes need to know about entrance to this regatta.

With the understanding that the 2013 CSG is fast approaching, the ARA is highly encouraging all CSG Aged athletes to consider this event in the fall of 2012.

London Recap:
With Olympic gold on the line, the 2012 London regatta was arguably the most competitive regatta ever held with a number of world’s best times being broken, and numerous photo finishes separating jubilation from heartbreak. Canada had seven boats qualify for the regatta with the Men’s and Women’s 8+’s both returning home winning Olympic silver medals. The men’s pair of Dave Calder and Scott Frandson defending Olympic silver medallists finished sixth. While Canada’s remaining four entries failed to race in an “A”

Final the ARA congratulates all athletes who wore the Maple Leaf at the Olympic Games.

Unfortunately, for the first time since 1984, the Alberta Rowing Association did not have an athlete present at the Olympic Games.

RADAR Reminder
A reminder to all ARA athletes that RADAR submissions are due September 3, 2012. The ARA encourages all athletes to complete the battery of tests that are required as part of RADAR and post their scores on the on-line database. It is the opinion of the ARA that completing the tests and posting your results on-line will assist you in your development.

Thank-You
While not directly affiliated with the ARA, we wish to acknowledge the efforts of Blair Rasmussen who stepped down from his managerial duties with the Calgary Rowing Club last week. Blair has been a fixture in Alberta rowing for the past 12 years first having coached Junior, Senior and Rec crews and then moving on to the role of boathouse manager at the Calgary Rowing Club. Blair’s contributions to the sport of rowing are too great to mention so we at the ARA just want to thank-you Blair.

Upcoming Events

  • Head of the North Saskatchewan – September 22 – Edmonton, Alberta
  • Head of the Weasel Regatta – October 13 – Calgary, Alberta
  • CSG Camp #4 – October 14 – Calgary, Alberta
  • Western Canadian University Rowing Championships – October 20-21 Burnaby Lake, B.C