Return to Water
The past 14 months has been trying on the rowing community, as ongoing government restrictions begin to impact another season. However, with May 2021 now upon us we should all remind ourselves how far we have come. This time last year; boathouses were closed and no one in Alberta was rowing in an organized program. May 1, 2021 is a special time here in Alberta as it the unofficial start to the season and this year athletes of all ages are now permitted to dust off their singles and head down to the water. Take advantage of the opportunities this season will provide, and use them to your advantage. There is much to be excited for this season; and we at the ARA are excited to see what we can accomplish in 2021.
RECOGNITION:
Alberta athletes and officials were recognized for a number of achievements this past month.
Richard Galway – Richard has served as a board member with both the Calgary Rowing Club and the Alberta Rowing Association. He is a licensed official with Rowing Canada Aviron, and has been instrumental in the development of the para rowing program in Calgary. An athlete himself for 50+ years, Richard was recognized as an Honoured Athletic Leader at the 2021 Calgary Booster Club virtual gala a few weeks ago.
Andrew Hubbard & Gabrielle Yarema were the 2021 recipients of the Art Smith Endowment Grant which is presented annually by the Calgary Booster Club. The Art Smith Endowment Grant provides financial assistance to provincial athletes who have shown an ability to compete at the next level.
Kianna Woroby– was the recipient of the Bob Freeze Sport Grant which is provided annually by the Calgary Booster Club. The Bob Freeze grant provides financial assistance to athletes up to the ages of 16 years old who have demonstrated success at a provincial or national level competition.
Congratulations to all!
Every Coach Certified
The ARA reminds all of our coaches on the importance of meeting the requirements set out under RCA’s Every Coach Certified Initiative. Coaches had until March 31, 2021 to meet the requirements set forth by RCA. Anyone interested in coaching this summer; and who has not met the requirements as of yet is encouraged to do so ASAP. Details on this initiative are described in this link https://rowingcanada.org/uploads/2020/11/Coach-Education-Update-Fall-2020.pdf
Quick Tidbits:
In 2020, the ARA hosted a weekly training session for qualifying CSG Athletes. The ARA is hopeful that it will continue to offer these training opportunities for CSG athletes commencing in June 2021. Please stay tuned.
The ARA has updated its erg standards for 2021. The standards for the most part remain unchanged from 2020. However, we have added a platinum standard to the mix; which is an erg standard representative of an athlete competing at a World Championship (U23, Junior or Senior. The updated standards can be found by following the link http://albertarowing.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ARA-Erg-2021-Standards.pdf
In March of 2021, Rowing Canada announced the Row to Tokyo indoor erg challenge; an event that saw teams of individuals from across the country collectively rowing on ergometers, the approximate distance from Victoria to Tokyo (7575km). From April 19 to May 2, teams submitted their metres rowed online; the team with the highest recorded metres at the end of the two weeks won a grand prize. While Vic City ended up winning the event two Alberta crews finished in the top ten. Congratulations to the U of Calgary team (Dressler) and the Calgary Team (El-Beheiry) who finished 2nd and 6th respectively. A full list of results can be found here https://rowingcanada.org/victoria-city-rowing-club-named-winner-of-row-to-tokyo-team-challenge/
Upcoming Events
On Water Season has commenced at a club near you.