Over 1,600 students taking part in high school rowing championships in St. Catharines

The Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Championships (CSSRC) are taking place in St. Catharines this weekend, with over 1,600 students from across North America taking part.

Some would describe the event as the Stanley Cup for high school rowing, and while it may be a competition and taking the top spot is the goal, the students attending say rowing is much more than just a sport.

“I love the team sport, because obviously together in a boat you have to work – it’s not a single sport,” said Choloe O’Brien, who is rowing with the Leander Boat Club. “It’s a team sport so I love the community one boat can bring together.”

“For me, rowing is the tranquility of being on the water in the morning, but most important is the community and inclusivity of the sport,” said Sarah Cushnie, who is also rowing with the Leander Boat Club.

“[For] a lot of these kids, this is their first major championship, so they are like a novice we call them,” said Ken Campbell, the chairman of the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association regatta. “So they started rowing in grade 9, so they have been training all winter long – seven days a week.”

Schools from all across Canada and some U.S. States are taking part in the 78th annual regatta in St. Catharines over the next three days.

This includes four high schools from the Hamilton area with the Leander Boat Club.

“It’s a really time-intensive sport,” said Greg Hanta, who is rowing with the Leader Boat Club. “Normally during the season, we are out six days a week – we are down at the club at 5 a.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. on Sundays, so they really have to learn their time management skills: how to get those good grades, they are still students first.”

For some people rowing is a family sport.

“My brother has been doing it for a while, so I started to give it a try too,” said August Luciani, who was at the regatta.

“I was down by Bayfront Park, and I saw them rowing, and my mom and sister said ‘why don’t we do that’ and we stuck with it,” said Zen Chan, who was also at the regatta.

The regatta is happening all weekend long in St. Catharines, so anyone that wants to come down and cheer on a team can make their way down to 295 Henley Island Dr.

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