This Early Bird is two years late
High school rowers compete for the first time since way back in 2019
Unlike past years, this season’s Early Bird High School Regatta was anything but aptly named, especially for the athletes taking part.
While Sunday’s sprint-distance races were the first event on the 2022 competition schedule on the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course on Martindale Pond in St. Catharines, this “early bird” was two years late for crews from 13 high schools in Niagara.
Instead of beginning to compete as a member of the rowing team at Governor Simcoe Secondary School in St. Catharines as a Grade 10 student in 2020, Harrison Maddox had to wait until the last semester of high school to hit the water for the Redcoats.
High school rowing was cancelled due to COVID-19 for the past two years and training at the club level was limited to virtual sessions online and in singles on the water.
After finishing first in the lightweight senior men’s singles Sunday and second overall in men’s singles, the Grade 12 student summed up his first competition at the high school level as a long-overdue “breath of fresh air.”
“It was a great experience. It was a lot of fun racing against a lot of fast people,” Harrison said. “It was really interesting. This was my first head-to-head race.”
Given how he felt after the “first head-to-head race” of his school career, he couldn’t help but feel “ripped off” at losing two years of competition at the high school level. He was able to compete at the club level after joining St. Catharines Rowing Club last summer.
“I’ve never really experienced this. I didn’t know what I was missing,” Harrison said. “From this experience and the stuff I had over the summer, I definitely do feel a little ripped off.”
Harrison switched to rowing from cross-country running after his first year at Simcoe with hopes of getting on the recruiting radar and receiving scholarship offers.
He still intends to row at the postsecondary level but has ruled out returning for Grade 12B to make up time lost to the pandemic.
“I’m going to go off to university after this year,” Harrison said. “I’ve applied to all of the schools that have rowing teams.”
Emma O’brien of Grimsby and Quinn Yesford of Beamsville, both Grade 12 students at Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School in Grimsby, finished second to Ridley College in a women’s double. It was their first Early Bird rowing for the Thunder since their first year in high school in 2019.
While Yesford was able to get in some competition at the club level, O’brien felt a little more intimidated going against competition after such a long break between races.
“It’s been a while, but the course was really beautiful today so we really lucked out,” O’brien said.
“Early Bird is not usually calm water.”
Added Yesford, “It’s usually really cold, windy and wet and gross.”
Also placing second at her first high school regatta in three years was Zenith Taylor, a Grade 11 student at A.N. Myer Secondary School in Niagara Falls, whose quad crossed the finish line behind Ridley College on Sunday.
Though she was able to race in an eight in the Head of the Trent last fall in Peterborough, her training was limited to rowing in a single for much of the past two years.
COVID-19 didn’t stall her development as a rower entirely.
“The last two years helped me learn a lot. I learned to row,” she said of training in a single. “It helps you find your own rhythm. It helps you learn the basics.
“When you’re in the quad, you can put all your knowledge together and work to grow together,” she added.
Taylor prefers rowing in bigger boats.
“There are lots of people, and it’s fun,” she said.
It goes without saying, she prefers competing against crews on the water over trying to top personal-best times on an erg in her basement.
“You move and you get to see everything happening, as well,” she said with a laugh.
“And you’re also with more people.”
Niagara Falls Rowing Club head coach Wernher Verbraeken had a hand in coaching under-19 rowers from five high schools at Sunday’s regatta. He was nearly always on the dock welcoming back one crew or another following the finish of a race.
“A lot of pre-planning. There is a lot of planning in putting crews together,” he answered when asked how he was able to keep things straight.
Verbraeken pointed out that, unless an athlete was rowing in Grade 9, this year’s Early Bird was the first competition at the high school level for the athletes.
“There are a lot of very stressedout kids coming here today. You can just sort of see it on their faces, the anxiety is there,” he said. “It’s all very new for so many athletes. They all did extremely well.”
A “huge part” of the challenges facing the athletes was adjusting to larger boats, some for the first time in their budding rowing careers.
“During COVID, we were only rowing singles. Now, all of a sudden, we’re in crew boats,” Verbraeken said. “Crew boats are usually a little easier to get into.
“I think the kids are excited about racing and rowing with other people,” he said.
The Early Bird couldn’t have come early enough for the coaches and athletes who spent Sunday morning on Henley Island.
“This has been a long time coming,” Verbraeken said.
“I think everybody is very relieved that this is all coming back together again.”
Verbraeken said there is no substitute for competition in developing young rowers.
“Certainly nothing virtual. We did a lot of virtual over the last two years,” he said. “But nothing replaces getting together on the water.”
Sunday’s Early Bird High School Regatta was hosted by St. Catharines Rowing Club, which also will be putting on the Mother’s Day Regatta on Sunday, May 8.
Also on tap are the South Niagara Invitational at the Great Dain course in Welland on Saturday, May 21, and the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association Championships beginning Friday, June 3, in St. Catharines.
During COVID, we were only rowing singles. Now, all of a sudden, we’re in crew boats. WERNHER VERBRAEKEN NIAGARA FALLS ROWING CLUB HEAD COACH