The Canadian rowing championships are returning to Victoria.
Rowing Canada Aviron announced Wednesday that the 2014 National Rowing Championships will be hosted by Victoria City Rowing Club at Elk Lake from Nov. 7 to 9. It will be the third time that VCRC has hosted RCA’s premier regatta.
“We are excited to be bringing the National Rowing Championships back to Victoria,” said Mike Walker, RCA president.
“Support for rowing is so strong in British Columbia, particularly in Victoria, we feel assured that everyone in attendance, rowers, umpires and supporters alike, will have a great experience at Elk Lake.”
The National Rowing Championships pits the country’s top rowers against each other as they race to be crowned the national champion and vie for coveted positions in RCA’s national programs for the year ahead. The regatta brings together the champions of today with the champions of tomorrow, meaning the likes of Will Crothers and Natalie Mastracci, both London 2012 silver medallists, will race against up-and-coming rowers from across the country.
Racer will put pedal to metal
Victoria race car driver Bill Okell has a big weekend ahead of him as he tries to qualify for the Sports Car club of America national championships in the fall.
Okell heads to Pacific Raceway in Kent, Wash., this weekend for the SSCA Western Conference championships. Okell, who will be behind the wheel of his Huffaker MG Midget, is currently in fourth place heading into stops nine and 10 of the 12-race circuit. The top 10 in the overall standings will advance to the national finals, slated for October in Monterey, Calif.
Local climbers reach for the top
It was a medal haul for Boulders Climbing Gym athletes at the recent Canadian Lead and Speed Climbing Championships in Montreal.
The Central Saanich gym brought home 12 medals and eight climbers earned spots on Team Canada for the upcoming World Youth Championships in New Caledonia.
Boulders members owned the top of the podium in Open Men (Libor Hroza, gold; Kevin Schaftlein, silver), Open Women (Alison Stewart-Patterson, gold; Claire Wagstaff, silver), Junior Girls (Skye Irwin, gold; Evelyna Trottier, silver), Junior Boys (Tristen Gosselin, gold), A Boys (Aaron DiLallo, gold), B Girls (Elena Moss, gold) and C Boys (Aidan Doyle, gold).
In the Lead category, five of eight Boulders athletes advanced into the finals on Monday (note some climbers participated in both Lead and Speed), and two emerged with bronze medals for their efforts, Stewart-Patterson (Open Women) and Elan Jonas-McRae.
Making the national team were the entire Boulders Youth Speed Team of Elena Moss, Catherine Kavelaars, Aaron DiLallo, Jacob Dorion, Tristen Gosselin, Skye Irwin and Evelyna Trottier. Jonas-McRae was also selected for Lead.
