Henley looms on rowing horizon
Clubs use the first 2,000-metre race of the season to begin scouting the competition
A gold medal, while cause for celebration from fans in the stands, took a back seat in the boat to a well-executed race plan at the Central Ontario Rowing Association (CORA) Regatta on Saturday in Welland.
Coaches from 15 clubs, including five from Niagara Region, were much more interested in what their crews did than in where they finished on the Welland International Flatwater Centre’s South Course.
St. Catharines Rowing Club coaches Ron (Swede) Burak, Michelle Fisher and Rick Crooker, the club’s president, all agreed that ongoing development and following race plans is more important than top-three finishes at this point early in the summer season.
Results at the end of the day, they added, are a byproduct of a crew’s success in focusing on the race plan and living up to its potential
Crooker recalled that when he rowed competitively — “about a hundred years ago” — he was part of a crew that was told by a coach to start and finish a race with an output of 36 strokes per minute.
After the boat finished first, the crew expected to be congratulated for a job well done. Instead, it was penalized.
“The coach said, ‘You came in doing 37 strokes per minute. Go out and do it again,’” Crooker said.
Clubs use competitions leading up to the 137th Royal Canadian Henley Aug. 6-11 on Martindale Pond in St. Catharines to finalize seat assignments with the ultimate goal of putting together the most-competitive they can enter at the Canadian championships.
“They are really important because performing during a race is different than in practice. This gives us a chance to see where the competition is and where we can prioritize our crews,” said Fisher, lead coach for the club’s under-19 women’s program. Should we focus on an eight or should we focus on a four or a quad?
“We try to find out where we are most competitive. Most of these crews will be at the Ontario championships and Henley.”
Fisher, who rowed at the University of Pennsylvania after graduating from the former West Park Secondary School in St. Catharines, said rowers from the host club can theoretically compete in several events at Henley “but you want to be strategic because there are heats, semis and finals.
“You want to make sure you’re not going to, for the stake of trying to go for too many races, that you’re going to give up the one you want or you think you’re going to be the most competitive.”
Henley is a “neat puzzle” for coaches to solve since qualifying is spread over five days.
This gives us a chance to see where the competition is and where we can prioritize our crews. MICHELLE FISHER St. Catharines Rowing Club under-19 women’s head coach
“There are some races that finish Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and then the next set starts Friday, Saturday,” she added.
“The coaches are all looking at the various days and how many races one athlete could have,” she said.
St. Catharines entered the most boats at Saturday’s regatta at the South Niagara Rowing Club’s Great Dain course, sending 75 to the starting line.
Second, with 32 entries, was the Niagara Falls Rowing Club, followed by the host club, 29; the Notre Dame Rowing Club, 20; and Ridley Graduate, 19.
For Fisher’s crews, the first 2,000-metre race was a good opportunity to test the water under competitive conditions.
“For me, the CORA Regatta is about exposure. They can row multiple races — there are no heats and semifinals — so they can row multiple events without getting exhausted,” she said.
“They get exposure to sculling (two oars), sweeping (one oar). We have them doing everything,” she added.
Also on tap leading to the Henley next month are the Central Ontario Rowing Association championships Saturday, also on Martindale Pond; the St. Catharines Invitational Saturday, July 20, and the 2019 RowOntario Championships July 27-28 on Fanshawe Lake in London, Ont.
This Sunday action at the flatwater centre shifts to the North Course for the RowOntario Masters Championships.
Two weeks later, on Sunday, Aug. 4, Royal Canadian Henley Masters Regatta takes place in St. Catharines.