The 64th annual Shawnigan Lake School Regatta was held May 9-11 on Shawingan Lake.
Head of rowing Jennifer Parfitt said the weather was typical for spring: some light rain and wind that caused organizers to pivot for a while due to challenging conditions, but there were no other significant hiccups for the regatta, which was based out of West Shawnigan Lake Provincial Park.
"I think it was really good," Parfitt said of the event's reception. "It was super exciting for me to see that it was kind of a festival atmosphere. Kids were enjoying themselves outside when they weren't racing."
She noted that the teams had set up their tents at the park and were staying on site barbecuing and spending time at the races not just as athletes but as spectators as well.
"They continued to hang out and enjoy it for what it is, it's an event, and they enjoyed each other's company," she said.
Those who were in attendance got to see the strides the Shawnigan Lake School rowing program has made recently.
"We made a lot of finals so that's great," Parfitt said. "We're growing. We definitely have some more work to do but it's exciting to see that more people are becoming engaged in the sport."
She credits the positive influence of Rowing Canada, which shares the school's boat warehouse, and the school itself for putting more resources into the program to foster its growing popularity and success.
Shawnigan crews secured two first-place finishes, two second-place finishes, and eight third-place finishes
They placed first in the U17 novice women coxed quad and the U19 Lightweight women double; second in the U19 novice women coxed quad, and the U19 mixed coxed quad; and third in the U19 JV women’s coxed quad, U19 women’s eight, U15 women’s coxed quad, U19 women’s pair, U15 men’s coxed quad,
U19 men’s double, U17 women’s coxed four, U17 women’s coxed quad.
There were opportunities for even more success.
"Two of our top crews had a couple of sick people racing," Parfitt noted. "One crew I'm sure would have been in the top two or three [if everyone was healthy], and one of our boats had a steering issue. We have progressed, even from last year we're getting more into that medal range," she added.
Ava Roe led Maple Bay Rowing Club with firsts in the U19 JV women quad, and the U19 women single. Maple Bay also placed third in the U17 JV men coxed four, the U19 JV women double and the U19 JV women JV women quad.
Brentwood College School continued their rowing dominance with 16 gold, five silver, and three bronze, including a sweep of the eight events and, six of the nine coxed four events, both senior pairs and the U15 women 4X+
Up next are the Nanaimo Sprint Regatta May 24 and the 78th annual Canadian Scholastic Schools Rowing Association Championships in St. Catherine's, Ont.
