Announcement
Hi Folks,
There has been lots of activity happening at GRPC over the past month and much more to come in the next few weeks. Here is a brief overview.
Recent Regattas and Upcoming Events
BC Championships
On the weekend of July 14 and 15 GRPC rowers were entered en mass at this year’s BC Championships and Challenge West Regatta hosted by the Victoria City Rowing Club. GRPC had participants at all age levels including juniors, seniors and masters. On all accounts racing was intense and the weekend was a huge success.
Many of our Junior and Senior athletes used the regatta as a stepping stone for the up coming Canadian Henley Regatta. Their results show that the team is well on track for top performances at Henley…and with any luck the best in the west will be fast enough to bring home Henley Gold! Our Master program coaches were also pleased with the results of the Masters group. For many of the masters it was their first time to race in small boats and the group also managed to be BC champions in a few events. For all the final result please follow this link http://www.vcrc.bc.ca/formsDocuments/2007%20BC%20Champs%20results.pdf
Canadian Henley
On August 4th a strong group of GRPC athletes will be on their way to this year’s Canadian Henley. Kevin Mitchell (BC Champ in the SR. B ltw. Men’s 1x and 2x) will be putting his all into the Sr. B ltw. 1×. Teresa Taylor and Lisa Lynam will represent GRPC in the Sr. A Ltw. 2x and hope to avenge there close fought 2nd place finish from the BC Champs. Kisha Pellerin and Kristen Morch round out our group of senior GRPC rowers who we expect will lead the way for our junior team.
Amongst the junior team, Sarah Powell has had a strong season and is fresh off her BC Championship win in the Jr. Girls single and her Western Canada Summer Games competition (the week before Henley). We can all look to some exciting races from her in the single as well as her new partnership in the Jr. Girls 2- with strong up and comer Katie Dick. Katie has seen her share of the race course in a 2- this year as she competed earlier in the season with partner Kelsey Skaggs at both the CSSRA regatta in St. Catharines and the Jr. Speed Orders Regatta in Welland Ont. Katie and Sarah also partner up to take on the Jr. Girls 2x event.
Although they are junior age, Alex Haggis and Leanne Fells will race the Sr. B Ltw. Women’s 2-. The duo has also had a great season competing in the Jr. Girls 2- at many local regatta including Shawnigan Lake, BC Champs, and earlier in the year wining their event the Elk Spring Regatta.
On the Junior Boys side, the group is energized for the 4x event. They are BC Champs in the event and are all excited to take on the new challenges of rowing in the Jr A age category at Canadian Henley for their first time. Many of the group has already earned valuable experience on the local circuit this year as at last summer’s Canadian Henley as Jr. B rowers. Dave VanInsberghe and Isaac Neufeld rowed to Gold in the Jr. B event last summer and look to do the same this year in the Jr. A 2×. Isaac and Dave form the bow pair in the 4×. The stern pair of the 4x is Jason Schnuur and Torin Rivers who also form a 2x together. Recently Torin and Jason finished 2nd at the BC champs in the 2×. It will be exciting to see which combination will rise to the occasion at Henley. Jason Schnuur is the youngest member of the 4x and will also compete in a third event. Jason rowed some very aggressive races to finish 2nd in the Jr. B boy’s 1x at the BC Champs. With some extra time in the 1x over the past couple of weeks we hope to see him leapfrog his rival from Calgary and with any luck strike gold this summer.
The group will return on August 13th. We look forward to hearing great stories from all of you! Good Luck to all GRPC members traveling to the Canadian Henley! GO GORGE GO!!!
Canadian Masters
The Canadian Masters Regatta will take place on August 17th, 18th, and 19th. Again we hope to have lots of participation from our Masters group. Please check in with Dylan, Claire, and Catherine to ensure you are entered. The 3 coaches will be working together to create our entry lists. I will be out of the office from July 28th to August 12th and will coordinate total cost for the regatta upon my return, please wait for a final billing before seeing Karen in the office to make your payment.
World Junior Championships
Alex Crawshaw (GRPC) and Claudia Blandford (Winnipeg Rowing) are rowing for Canada as this years JW2x. The group leaves Saturday July 28th and will return home on August 12th. Their competition takes place August 7th to 11th in Beijing China. It will be the first major international competition for each of the girls. On behalf of GRPC let’s all wish them success on their adventure! GO CANADA!
New Equipment
As many of you are well aware we have been very aggressive this year in seeking out new equipment for the club. Already we have a new 2x/- and a new 4x/- from Hudson. When our group returns from Henley we will also be adding a new 1x to our fleet. A little less obvious but equally important additions to our equipment has been the purchase of two new motors and an additional dragon boat to our fleet. We will continue to press forward in this regard, and make responsible, affordable and beneficial choices for our equipment upgrades. In total GRPC has added over $50 000.00 of new equipment this spring. Thank you all for your extreme care in using all GRPC equipment and with any luck we will be able to continue to improve our fleet.
Coaching Developments
Dylan Moran has been working as coach for our Masters Program. As a young coach Dylan has been doing an incredible job for our program. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Dylan for all his great work as he moves forward with his university career and will not be able to continue with our team beyond August 20th. Of course we are working hard to find a suitable replacement for Dylan and we hope to have all of our coaching team firmly in place before Dylan departs. I will be returning from China on August 13th and will be providing additional support to the Masters program for the up coming Canadian Masters Championship.
Program Adjustments
Senior and Master participants please be aware that we hope to adjust our programs for you beginning this fall. The intent will be to offer a program that has more flexibility and consistency in coaching for all levels. We will also develop equality and more opportunity for every adult rower. Please stay tuned for these adjustments and we look forward to building a very strong and unified adult program. Thank you for your cooperation during what will be a brief transition period.
Once again GOOD LUCK to everyone on your summer adventure!
Sincerely,
Gavin McKay
Head of Rowing
GRPC Centre Manager
