International Racing Circuit
In June of 2018 it was announced that eight Alberta based athletes will be representing their respective country at an international rowing event this coming year. They are:
Nicole Hare – Gold Medallist at the 2011 WCSG and 2013 CSG, a two time Canadian Henley Medallist (for Calgary), 2016 Olympian, U23 World Champion and most recently a silver medallist at the 2017 World Championships, Nicole will be competing in the women’s 8+ at the 2018 World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Jessie Loutit – A 6 time Canadian Henley medallist, Jessie will be representing Canada for the second time (She raced in the 2015 FISU 4-) and first on the senior circuit as she competes in the women’s 4- at the 2018 World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Kasia Gruchella Wesierski – Kasia first stepped into a boat in 2014. In four short years she has won Canadian Henley four times and will now represent Canada for the first time in the women’s 4- at the 2018 World Cup in Lucerne Switzerland.
Colleen Nesbitt: A swimmer with UBC, Colleen moved to Alberta in 2015 and took up rowing full time while pursuing her Masters Degree. A four time Canadian Henley Medallist, Colleen will join Jessie and Kasia in Lucerne in the women’s 4-.
Karen Lefsrud: Karen first started rowing in 2012. Since then she has represented Alberta at the 2013 CSG, narrowly missed out on Henley Gold on two separate occasions, won a gold medal at the 2017 U23 World Championships and will now be making her first appearance on the senior circuit representing Canada in the women’s 8+ in Lucerne Switzerland.
Karl Hare – Despite being cut from the 2015 WCSG Team, Karl has gone on to win Canadian Henley in 2016 and in 2017 took home two medals from the CSG. Karl will now represent Canada for the first time at the 2018 World Junior Championships in the coxed four.
Helena Hlas – Since first stepping into a boat in 2012, Helena has gone on to win two Canadian Henley medals and will now represent her native Czechoslovakia in the Women’s 4x in Lucerne.
Courtney Kruschel – Courtey has represented her school on three separate occasions at the Canadian University Rowing Championships. In 2017 she won Henley gold for the first time and will now represent Canada in the women’s 8+ at the 2018 FISU World Championships.
The eight aforementioned athletes are in addition to Jeremy Hall from Edmonton, Alberta who as reported by the ARA last month took home a silver medal at the Para Rowing International Regatta in Gavirate, Italy last month.
Each of these Alberta based athletes demonstrate that regardless of when you were introduced to the sport (Junior, U23 or Senior) Alberta has the resources to develop international talent in our own backyard. All of these athletes have competed at the National Rowing Championships/ Canada Cup; each of them has represented an Alberta based club at Henley (five of them doing so in 2017) and like most of us here in Alberta have competed at the various regattas on the Prairie Rowing Circuit. Congratulations to each of you and best of luck!
Prairie Regatta Recap
All of Alberta’s clubs have been represented on the Prairie Rowing Circuit thus far in 2018, which is encouraging to see.
Congratulations to the Calgary Rowing Club for winning the points aggregate and taking home the Championship Trophy at the Regina Sprints Regatta. The recent Alberta Open Regatta held in Calgary, Alberta saw Calgary and Edmonton battle it out in a number of events. In the marquis events, Edmonton won the men’s 8+ and Calgary took home gold in the women’s event. Congratulations to all.
2019 WESTERN CANADA SUMMER GAMES
The Western Canada Summer Games (WCSG) is a multi-sport inter-provincial competition held every 4 years that provides development opportunities for amateur athletes. The 2019 Games are to be held in Swift Current, Saskatchewan and will represent the first opportunity our athletes have to showcase their talents in the lead-up to the 2021 Canada Summer Games. The ARA recognises the development opportunities that arise from the WCSG and with the opening ceremonies now only 16 months away we are beginning to take steps to prepare our U18 athletes (As at December 31, 2018).
With this in mind the ARA is looking to host introductory camps in late August – early September 2018 which will assist athletes with their preparations in the year to come. Stay tuned.
Henley Funding
As of 2018, the ARA will no longer provide direct financial assistance to assist athletes in attending the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. However, the ARA continues to believe that Henley represents a significant development opportunity for our athletes. In 2018 the ARA will once again assist Alberta based athletes in attending this world-class event by paying for nearly 80% of the costs in trailering boats to Ontario.
At the conclusion of the 2018 Henley regatta, the ARA will look to expand its list of provincially carded athletes. In addition, results from Henley will be utilized to access on-water performance for attendance at the 2018 National Rowing Championships. Athletes who wish to compete for Alberta in the coming year are encouraged to attend Henley this year!
Rowing Tidbits
- North America’s oldest annual sporting event celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. The Royal St.John’s Rowing Regatta held annually in St.John’s Newfoundland is a unique regatta where crews race in fixed seat boats consisting of six oarsmen and a coxie. Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfa78J0VBjw
- The Royal Henley Regatta concluded this past weekend. For a complete listing of results please go to https://www.hrr.co.uk/henley-results/live
- Royal Canadian Henley Regatta is now less than 30 days away.
- The ARA welcomes Walter Martindale back to Alberta as head coach of the Edmonton Rowing Club. Walter was a long time coach here in Alberta before departing for New Zealand.
Upcoming Events
- B.C. Championships – Victoria British Columbia July 12-15, 2018
- Cascadia Regatta – Delta, British Columbia – July 21, 222, 2018
- Royal Canadian Henley Regatta – St. Catharines August 5-12, 2018