What a Start
May 1 is commonly referred to as the start of the rowing season here in Alberta and if the first 38 days provides any indication for the season ahead it promises to be quite a year. A quick recap of the month is as follows:
- Olivia McMurray of the CRC attended RCA’s U23 Selection Trials in Burnaby finishing in 5th place in the U23 Single.
- Aline Belzil of the ERC competed in the CSSRA Regatta this past weekend finishing 4th in the Open Women’s Single. 24 hours later Aline was seen at RCA’s Junior Selection Trials and at time of writing was racing for gold in the “A” Final. Aline concluded the regatta finishing in 6th place.
- Jessie Loutit of the CRC has been seen competing for a seat at the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju City, South Korea.
- Karen Lefsrud and Nicole Hare are racing for spots on Canada’s U23 Team.
- Results from the 2015 Boat Race between the Calgary and Edmonton Rowing Clubs had Calgary winning the Women’s 8+, Masters and Junior aged events while Edmonton won the Novice and Men’s 8+ events.
- Programs across the province have begun with great optimism.
- May marked the first month full month of operation for our newest rowing club, the Cold Lake Rowing Club.
One busy month indeed.
WCSG Updates
On May 30th and 31st – 21 athletes meeting certain erg deliverables gathered in Calgary, Alberta with the hopes of representing their province at the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games (WCSG) in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Rowing a series of 1,000m pieces, athletes were evaluated on their abilities to move singles and pairs on the water. After reviewing data over the two days, the ARA went forward and formally announced 6 women and 6 men to the team and asked seven athletes (four men and three women) to return on June 28th in Leduc, Alberta for a second round of selections. Upon the conclusion of the June 28th camp the 2015 WCSG Team will be formally announced.
The ARA wants to recognize every athlete who attended the 2015 WCSG Selection camp. Just to participate in the camp athletes had to hit an aggressive erg standard that required many athletes to meet or exceed their personal best. To those athletes who attended the camp but did not qualify for further selection and/or the games themselves, we encourage you to continue your training with the hope of representing Alberta at the 2017 Canada Summer Games. And if one requires any encouragement to see that this is possible they only have to look back to 2011. In that year the ARA released a couple of athletes from the WCSG Team only to see them on the podium two years later at the 2013 Canada Summer Games.
Calling all WCSG Coxwains
Are you an athlete born in 1997 or later with previous coxing experience? We want to hear from you. The ARA is eligible to send two coxwains to the 2015 WCSG in Fort McMurray, Alberta and to date we have not had a single individual express firm interest in the position. If you are interested please email the writer at albertarowing at gmail.com. Individuals interested in competing for a spot as a coxswain on the 2015 WCSG would be asked to attend the June 28th selection camp in Leduc, Alberta.
Henley Funding
Do you have aspirations of competing at the 2015 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta? Does your erg score better the ARA’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Erg Standard? If so, you may be eligible for a grant to assist you in attending this event. Details will be forthcoming in the coming weeks.
Regatta Sanctioning
Is your club looking to host a Regatta in the coming year? If so, you will need to obtain regatta sanctioning. Regatta Sanctioning forms can be obtained by contacting the ARA office. If you’re hosting a regatta this summer please contact the office by email: office@albertarowing.ca or phone 780 -427-8154
Will it make the boat go faster?
Will it make the boat go faster?, is based on a book Hunt-Davis published after his team’s Olympic achievement in 2000. While the writer has not read the book himself this video does provide some inspiration to all of us in our day-to-day lives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNOQAuMGxBQ
Upcoming Events
- Regina Sprints – June 14, 2015
- Prairie Championships – June 27th – Leduc
- WCSG Selection / Training Camp June 28th