Winning on the water
Team P.E.I. rowers win ribbons and medals at Nova Scotia competition
With just two weeks to go before the Canada Games in Winnipeg, Man., Team P.E.I. turned in a winning performance at the recent Nova Scotia sprints in Dartmouth, N.S.
The six rowers brought home ribbons and medals from the two day competition which featured the Canada Games squads from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, as well as other top rowers in the region.
Ailish Bergin won the B final in the junior women’s single sculls, finishing sixth out of 12 competitors. Bergin switched to rowing from triathlon this season and will be the first woman from P.E.I. to compete in the singles event at the Games.
Molly Rainnie and Caroline Tweel were also winners, finishing first in the novice women’s double sculls. The duo also had competitive times in the junior women’s and master women’s events.
Donald DeWolfe and Tristan Russell MacLean landed a spot in the A final for the master’s men’s double sculls, finishing fifth. They were the winners of the B final of the junior men’s double sculls and were just 20 seconds behind the winners in the time trials in a very competitive field.
Josh Tweel rowed a solid race in his first time in the single sculls event. He also teamed up with DeWolfe, Rainnie and Tweel for an exhibition race in the master’s mixed quad. Bergin and Russell MacLean also raced together in a mixed doubles exhibition event.
DeWolfe and Russell MacLean were also the top rowers in the skills competition, beating out two other teams.
The team was supported by head coach Mike Gibson as well as Heather MacKinnon, who is part of the Women in Coaching Canada Games apprenticeship program. The coaches will be travelling to the Games with the team, along with manager Nancy Russell.
The six rowers now set their sights on Kenora, Ont., where they will compete in the single and double sculls.
While the main competitions are in Winnipeg, the rowing venue is at Rabbit Lake in Kenora, just over two hours from Winnipeg.
The competition runs July 31Aug. 4 and will be watchable via webcast
Team P.E.I. trains out of the Charlottetown Yacht Club.