THE BOAT RACE
Rowing is one of the world’s oldest sports and the races that have come to define it are some of the most storied traditions the world over. In England there is the “Boat Race”, a 160 year-old competition between Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club
In the United States the Harvard Yale regatta has over 150 years of tradition and is America’s oldest collegiate athletic competition. Here in Canada there is the McGill – Queen’s Challenge Boat Race, and on the west coast there is the Brown Cup – a boat race between the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia.
Up until 2013, Alberta did not have a boat race of its own, but that changed when the Edmonton Rowing Club challenged the Calgary Rowing Club to an 8+’s race on the North Saskatchewan River. Video
The first boat race was held on Saturday May 11, 2013 amongst near perfect conditions. In the first race of the day, Calgary’s women’s 8+ took an early lead and never looked back over the 6Km course winning by open water. A few hours later the Calgary and Edmonton Rowing clubs were back at it, this time in the men’s 8+. From the start line at Fort Edmonton Park through to the halfway point of the race the two boats were side by side. Rowing past the Edmonton Rowing club the hometown crew picked up their cadence and took a lead they would never relinquish.
Round 2 of the Edmonton-Calgary Boat Race will include Masters and junior events. In addition the 2014 Alberta Boat Race will be held on a new course that will see crews from Edmonton, Calgary, Central Alberta and Lakeland racing down the North Saskatchewan River through the City’s downtown core. Despite the changes, the rivalry between these two storied clubs is sure to increase as Edmonton’s women and Calgary’s men look to avenge their losses from 2013.
An internet search showed that Edmonton is ready for its southern rival. Video. Calgary, are you ready?
DEVELOPMENT REGATTA
Olivia McMurray was the lone Alberta representative at the 2014 National Development Trials in Burnaby B.C and Welland Ontario. Teaming up with Chloe DesRoche from Queen’s University, Olivia ended up winning a silver medal in the U23 women’s 2-. Based upon her results in Welland, Olivia has now been invited to attend the Rowing Canada U23 Selection Camp. Congratulations Olivia.
UNIVERSITY ROWING AND THE ARA
In October of 2014, the Alberta Rowing Association will play host to the biggest regatta this province has seen since the 2007 Western Canada Summer Games. For the first time in 7 years, representatives from each of Canada’s four western provinces will descend on Alberta for the Western Canada University Rowing Championships (WCURC’s). The 2014 WCURC regatta will mark the first time in the regatta’s six-year history that the event has been hosted outside the province of British-Columbia. We at the ARA see this as an exciting opportunity for our three university/college rowing programs and hope that each of them can use this event to assist them in their preparations for the 2014 Canadian University Rowing Championships and beyond.
TID BITS OF ROWING NEWS AROUND THE ROWING WORLD
- Olympic Gold Medallist Adam Kreek and his harrowing trip across the Pacific Ocean was featured on Dateline NBC documentary in early April.
- A complete break-down of Results from the 2014 National Development Trials in Welland and Burnaby can be found on www.rowingcanada.org
- Change of date. The 2014 Prairie Rowing Championships held in Regina, Saskatchewan will be held on June 14, 2014, not June 7, 2014.
- Two Alberta Athletes will be representing their schools at the 2014 NCAA Regional Rowing Championships on May 18/19, 2014. The top 22 schools from each of the various regions will advance to the 2014 NCAA National Championships.
HENLEY FUNDING
Do you have aspirations of competing at the 2014 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 month. Stay tuned.
Upcoming Events
- Edmonton Boat Race – May 10, 2014
- Regina Sprints – June 14, 2014 – Regina, Saskatchewan