News within the rowing community over the past month includes
- Shae de Paiva and the crew of Marilou Duvernay Tardif, Kristen Siermachesky, and Katie Clark narrowly missed out on a medal at the first World Cup of 2026 in Seville Spain finishing in 4thplace. The 4th place finish was Canada’s best result at this regatta.
- A Number of Alberta athletes participated in the CSSRA Regatta in St. Catharines, Ontario this past weekend. Some impressive results with top three finishes from Tryne Mamen (Gold) in the Senior Women 1x and Cohen Kidd (third) in the Junior Men 1x. Congratulations to all.
- Rowing has officially been confirmed for the 2029 Canada Summer Games in New Brunswick. Athletes born after January 1, 2009 will be eligible to compete at these games.
- Kasia Gruchella Wesierski was officially inducted into the Alberta Sport Hall of Fame. A well deserved achievement Kasia. Congratulations to all of us from Alberta rowing.
Prairie Champ 8+ Tryouts:
In 2026 the Alberta Rowing Association (ARA) is teaming up with the Saskatchewan Rowing Association (SRA) and Manitoba Rowing Association (MRA) to select crews to compete in theChampionship 8+ at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines Ontario. Competition for seats is expected to be fierce as all three Provincial Rowing Associations PRA’s have indicatedthat they intend to select a boat that has a realistic chance of competing for Henley
gold.
While selection is open to all within Alberta Rowing only a limited number of athletes will be invited to an an on-water selection camp on June 28, 2026 (immediately following the conclusion of the Alberta Open in Calgary, Alberta). Invites to the selection camp will be determined on erg scores pulled between April 1 and June 20, 2026 and on-water performance through the later half of 2025 and the first part of 2026. All athletes who wish to be considered are highly encouraged to pull a 2K erg test on June 19, 2026.
Save the Date
Registration for the 2026 Lakeland Rowing Camp is now open. The camp is open to athletes of all ages and skill levels. We hope that everyone will mark the dates of July 17 through to 19, 2026 in their calendars and come out to Vermilion to participate in this year’s event.
Rowing Stories- Story Courtesy of Rowing Canada
Rarely is a book written about the sport of rowing these days, let alone a book about Canadian rowing, but author Ed Wille has done just that. In The Eight, Mr Willes peels back the curtain that covered a chapter in Canadian rowing history so transformative that even twenty years later continues to haunt the men’s program today.
The book is essentially the story of Mike Spracklen,who successfully guided the a Canadian men’s eights to Olympic gold in 1992 and 2008. While his success led to podium finishes his no holds barred philosophy eventually resulted in his departure from Canadian rowing in 2012. The book is a must read for all Canadian rowing fans.
For a in-depth conversation between Spracklen the coach and Willes the writer please go to the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCeUBexIewQ
Upcoming Events
Alberta Open June 27-28, 2026 Calgary, Alberta
Prairie Champ 8+ Tryouts – June 28, 2026 Calgary, Alberta