Rockland’s young paddlers

For the second year in a row, Ben Davies (13 years old) and Nicholas Mazzarotti (12 years old) participated in the Flatwater Canoeing and Kayaking Provincial Championships – this year’s tournament was held on August 12 and 13 at Mooney’s Bay in Ottawa.

Davies finished with a silver medal for the C4-1000 meter race, while Mazzarotti and his team came in fourth in the C4-500-meter race.

In order to qualify for the 2017 Provincial Championships, both Davies and Mazzarotti had to participate in the qualifying races held on July 29 and 30 in Ottawa.

Although they often compete against others with higher levels of experience, the boys managed to succeed through their perseverance and a lot of practice.

They spend their summer in the youth racing program at the Petrie Island Canoe Club (PICC), a club near Clarence-Rockland that trains boys and girls from 6 to 16 years of age in flatwater canoeing and kayaking, and also spend most of their weekends paddling around Petrie Island and across the Ottawa River.

Both boys have been members of PICC for a few years now. The training they receive from the club has allowed them to be prepared enough to race in several Regatta Ben Davies (13 ans) et Nicholas Mazzarotti (12 ans) sont photographiés ensemble dans leur canoë. Pour la deuxième année consécutive, Davies et Mazzarotti ont participé aux Championnats provinciaux de canoë-kayak. Cette année, le tournoi s’est déroulé les 12 et 13 août, à Mooney’s Bay à Ottawa. Davies a gagné une médaille d’argent pour la course C4 1000 mètres et Mazzarotti et son équipe ont terminé en quatrième place dans la course C4-500 mètres.— races throughout Eastern Ontario. Although young, the boys have already participated