It is Canadian university rowing’s answer to the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race. Just substitute the Gorge for the Thames and the Vikes and Thunderbirds for the Dark Blues and Light Blues.
The University of Victoria and UBC eights crews, which have produced boatloads of Olympic medallists for Canada, will charge 3.5-kilometres down the Gorge on Saturday head-to-head from Tillicum Narrows to the Steamship Restaurant in the Inner Harbour, passing by spectators on the shore or under those who watch from the Selkirk Trestle and Johnson Street Bridge.
“You’re not in the middle of a lake somewhere — it’s right there smack in the middle of the city,” said UVic Vikes women’s head coach Jane Gumley, of the annual spectacle.
The men’s junior varsity race is at 11 a.m., women’s junior varsity at 11:20 a.m., men’s varsity race at noon and women’s varsity at 12:20 p.m.
“There are definitely more tactics involved in head-to-head racing than regatta racing,” said Gumley.
“In regatta racing, you can work off the boats beside you. But in head-to-head, there is only one other boat to work off. It is said that head-to-head is a coxswain’s race.”
The UVic Vikes women’s program produced Tokyo Olympic-medallists Avalon Wasteneys and Caileigh Filmer and could have up to four Vikes alumni in the Canadian boats at Paris 2024.
“That’s really exciting for us,” said Gumley.
The UVic program hasn’t waned with the Vikes winning the Canadian women’s university championship this season. The Vikes hold a 24-5 edge over the Thunderbirds in the female Brown Cup varsity race and are defending champions.
Meanwhile, UBC was first and UVic second in the men’s eight at the university championships this season.
“The two best in the country will be going head-to-head Saturday,” said Vikes men’s head coach Aalbert Van Schothorst.
The UVic Vikes men’s program needs little introduction internationally for Canada with Olympic gold-medallist alumni Dean Crawford, Grant Main, Kevin Neufeld, Derek Porter, John Wallace, Darren Barber, Andy Crosby, Bruce Robertson, Adam Kreek and Kevin Light. UVic leads the men’s varsity Brown Cup 20-9 all-time but it’s the Thunderbirds who won last year and are the holders of the Cup, to provide all the motivation the Vikes will need Saturday.
“This has become a really important event on the Canadian racing calendar. We got 7,000 race-day views last year on our live feed of the race,” said Van Schothorst.
Similar formats are known as match races in sailing and horse racing. There is something about the nature of head-to-head racing, especially between two traditional varsity rivals, that makes it compelling in the world of rowing.
“There are six lanes in regattas with boats always beside yours. But head-to-head racing is all about strategy against one other boat,” said Van Schothorst.
“You have to trust each other in the crew and trust your work.”
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: letters@timescolonist.com
