In Memoriam
The ARA acknowledges the passing of Justin Fryer who left us on April 18, 2015.
Justin was widely known for his volunteer efforts within Rowing Canada where he served as President of Rowing Canada Aviron from 1999 to 2002 and Past President from 2003 to 2006. When he retired from the board, Justin stayed involved as a committee chair, advisor, consultant and friend of the sport. In recognition of his volunteer efforts, RCA bestowed its highest honor upon Justin making him an Honorary Officer of the Association in 2013 – a title held by only one other.
What is not widely publicized was that Justin lived in Calgary for over a decade where he was a contributing member of the Calgary Rowing Club and served as president of the Alberta Rowing Association from 1991 through to 1992.
Thank-you Justin for your efforts in bettering the sport of rowing here in Alberta and in Canada; you will be missed.
WCSG Updates
On April 25 & 26 – 18 prospective WCSG athletes meeting certain erg deliverables gathered in Invermere, British Columbia for a pre-season training camp. Rowing in water that donned a mirror like image of the snow-capped mountains overhead and the infrequently cast – cotton ball shaped clouds that sparsely dotted the B.C sky, Alberta athletes rowed upwards of 20km a session making but one single 180 degree turn. It is the hope of the ARA that the five rows provided some technical guidance to camp attendees and helped prepare them for the 2015 Selection Camp to be held on May 30 and 31 in Calgary, Alberta.
As has been communicated to all athletes, the 2015 WCSG Selection Camp is by invite only and is based on an erg deliverable of:
- Men 7:05
- Women 8:05
Please note that athletes have until May 24, 2015 to better the standard to be deemed eligible for the Games themselves. While the erg provides athletes with an invite to the selection camp, it is performance in singles and pairs that will provide the final determination of the team itself. At the May 30-31 camp athletes can expect to row a series of timed pieces in singles and pairs. To prepare for the camp itself athletes should be trying to get experience in small boats in the coming weeks.
To assist athletes in planning for the summer we have prepared a WCSG calendar and have published it on the ARA webpage.
Development Regatta(s)
Alberta athletes were well represented at both the West and East Spring Trials in Burnaby, British Columbia and London, Ontario respectively. At the West Trials, ERC athletes Mallory Turner and Andrea Labreque competed in the open women’s pair while Aline Belzil competed in the Junior Women’s Single. Olivia McMurray represented the CRC in the U23 Women’s 1x.
Two weeks later at the East Trials, Karen Lefsrud competed in the U23 Single and Jessie Loutit competed in the Women’s Pair; both of whom are from Calgary.
The West and East Spring regattas are stepping stones towards crew selections for Junior, U23 and Senior World Championships. Based upon results from the two regatta’s Aline, Karen and Olivia have been invited to attend RCA’s own Junior and U23 Selection Camps. Congratulations.
Umpiring
Only a few short years ago, Alberta struggled to find RCA certified umpires for local events. Today, Alberta’s umpires are being asked to officiate at some of this country’s finest events. The ARA congratulates the following who were recent appointments to RCA’s domestic calendar.
- Pan-American Games –Henry Jarowicz,
- Canadian Masters Championships –Jeff Simpson and Hap Stelling
- Royal Canadian Henley – Errol Bosman
- Canadian University Rowing Championships – Kris Davis
In addition to the aforementioned national regatta’s Alberta officials will play a prominent role at the 2015 WCSG. Samantha Woodward will serve as Chief Umpire at the games.
Welcome
The ARA is pleased to announce that Rowing Canada has formally recognized Cold Lake as Alberta’s newest rowing club. The ARA congratulates Cold Lake and the group of hard working volunteers who saw this process through.
In the News
Former CRC athlete Ashton Brown made history this past month when for the first time in the history of the event her Cambridge crew raced the same 6.8km course as the men in the annual Oxford –Cambridge boat race. For an article surrounding Ashton’s feat please click here.
In case you missed it Alberta’s own Karen Lefsrud was documented in a number of pieces this past month promoting the Own the Podium program. One of the articles can be found here.
Sanctioning
Looking to get sanctioning for an upcoming regatta? Sanctioning Documents are now available on the ARA Club Resources webpage
Upcoming Events
- Edmonton Boat Race – May 23, 2015
- WCSG Selection Camp – May 30-31, 2015
- Regina Sprints – June 14, 2015