Happy New Year!
A Happy New Year to all of our coaches, officials and athletes. We at the ARA hope that we can build upon our successes that our clubs and university programs witnessed in 2022 and make 2023 an even memorable year than last.
Exciting Opportunities await in 2024!!!
2024 is an exciting year for rowing in the province. We enter the year with the sport in full focus with the release of the film “Boys in the Boat”. We will look to continue the momentum generated by the movie through to the Olympic Games in Paris France with three or more Alberta athletes looking to bring home Olympic gold. While the Olympics are not for all athletes we do see a number of exciting opportunities for individuals of all ages within our sport. In 2024 St. Catharines is playing host to the U19, U23 and Senior World Championships and know that Alberta athletes will play a role in Canada’s success at this event. Calgary and Edmonton will both be looking to better their performances at the 2024 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines, Ontario. Closer to home, the ARA is looking to organize a series of events that cater to athletes of all ages. There is also the Prairie Rowing Circuit, Alberta Erg Championships and a Calgary – Edmonton Boat race. What ever your goals are this summer, some of the regattas /events that Alberta athletes should look forward to this year are:
Alberta Erg Championships – March 9, 2024 Blackfalds, Alberta
Invermere Rowing Camp – April 19-21 – Invermere B.C
Edmonton Boat Race – May 2024?
Prairie Regatta Circuit – May, June and July
Vermilion Training Camp – For athletes of all ages in July of 2023
Olympic Games (Rowing) – July 27 – August 3, 2024 – Paris, France
2024 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines, Ontario – July 30 – Aug 4
2024 U19 / U23 & Senior World Championships – St.Catharines, Ontario – Aug 18-25
World Rowing Masters Regatta – September 11-15 Brandenburg, Germany
U19 Development Camp (s) – Location and Dates TBD
2024 National Rowing Championships – Location and Date TBD
The 2024 Canadian University Rowing Championships – November 2024
We at the ARA are hopeful that our athletes can achieve considerable success in 2024 but know that it won’t be easy. It takes plenty of hard work, which begins in January. As the saying goes,
“Medals are won in the summer but earned in the winter.”
Rowing Canada Coaches Conference
The Rowing Canada Coaches Conference is an annual gathering of coaches, officials, volunteers and athletes from across the country to learn about all things rowing. The 2024 conference will be the held in Quebec City Quebec. We at the ARA believe this is a tremendous opportunity for all interested to hear from a worldwide panel of experts within our sport. Anyone interested in attending is encouraged to follow the link https://rowingcanada.org/rca-national-conference/
Rowing Stories
Rowing is one of the oldest sports in the world with its origins going all the way back to the mid-17th century. The events that define sport have some of the most intriguing and interesting human-interest stories that have ever been written about but for reasons beyond this writer few if any are known. Boys in the Boat helped document a story of nine farmers, labourers who went on to win Olympic gold but we as a sport need to do a better job in bringing these stories of light. One such story that captured this writer’s imagination was the 2003 Oxford Cambridge Boat Race. The race to start was the closest finish in the race’s 167-year history with mere inches separating the two boats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqN_OF8ZER0
Add in a sibling rivalry where two brothers for the first time in the sports history compete for different schools. One brother looking to escape the shadow of the other, forces the two brothers not to talk to one another for three months. Add in school requirements and the demands of training for family glory makes one compelling read. https://www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/books-and-reviews/boat-race-account-stirs-the-blood-over-water/
Upcoming Events
RCA Coaches Conference January 26-28, 2024 Quebec City – Quebec