On Friday, Aug. 21 and Saturday, Aug.22, the Winnipeg Rowing Club (WRC) sent 43 athletes to Regina to compete in the North West International Rowing Association (NWIRA) Championship Regatta. The regatta is an annual competition between Canadian and American midwestern rowers. This was the 112th instalment of the competition, which began in 1886.
In 2015, there were 486 entries from nine different clubs, and the Winnipeg Rowing Club came out on top, winning the prized Lipton Cup. The cup is awarded to the club that wins the most overall points, and for the second time since 2012, it was the Winnipeg squad who accomplished that feat, after coming in second overall in both 2013, and 2014.
The two-day competition was quite taxing for every club due to the nasty weather system that moved in on Saturday. Some of the second day’s races were moved to Friday as a precaution, which made for a long, and strenuous opening to the weekend.
Saturday featured winds of up to 80 kilometres per hour, with sideways rain and huge waves. The nine clubs battled the conditions, with the exception of the larger boat races, which ended up being cancelled.
Despite the setback, the WRC still managed to gain enough points to win the cup, including gold medals in master women’s, men’s, and mixed quad, as well as master women’s and men’s single.
Emily Erickson, a current U of M student, was one of the members of the Lipton Cup-winning WRC squad, and was very pleased with how the team pulled through the tough conditions.
“It was an awesome win for us, as it has been a major goal for the entire club all summer,” Erickson said. “Despite the weather and cancelled races, we pulled through and it was well worth it!”
The regatta is a culmination of the entire club’s hard work all season, but teamwork is also imperative. Due to the nasty weather, that was emphasized even more.
“Our club always looks forward to this regatta, because it’s not so much about individual success, but all teams at the Winnipeg Rowing Club working together for a common goal,” Erickson said.
