May Newsletter

Contents:

• Warm Water Rules
• Arrival of Fluidesign Boats
• Volunteer at Regattas in Welland
• Dave Leger Inducted Into Hall of Fame
• Welcome Lloyd Le Blanc
• High School Rowing Early Season Update
• Trillium Grant Celebration Event
• GRC Social Media and Marketing Team
• Congratulations Maddy and Ceilidh
• Ontario Adventure Rowing (OAR) May Newsletter
• Work Parties and Socials
• Try Rowing Recap
• GRC Hoodie for Sale

The water temperature is now measuring 17 degrees – warm water rules are in effect

The latest temperature of Guelph Lake is above 15 degrees Celsius which means we are now in warm water rules! Please note that the temperature of the middle of the lake is likely still quite cold, so be careful and take safety precautions. In addition, for early morning rowers the air temperature is still chilly and below 5 degrees Celsius some mornings so please dress appropriately. Lastly, be sure to bring enough PDFs for all rowers in the crew, a fully stocked safety kit, and sign-in and out of the logbook. Safety is a priority at the GRC and should be at the forefront of each rowing outing.

ARRIVAL OF FLUIDESIGN BOATS

On April 24, Sam Roberts (CEO of Fluidesign), Mark Henry, and photographer Ferdinand Mels of FBM Photography arrived at the Guelph Rowing Club boathouse to deliver seven brand-new boats to support our growing programs. The new additions include a Lightweight 1X, 2X, and 4+, as well as two Midweight 1Xs and two Midweight 2Xs.

Mark Henry, a former Guelph rower and now the Canadian Sales and Service Representative for Fluidesign, flew in from British Columbia to be part of this exciting event. Photos were captured both on the water and by drone, featuring our Senior Competitive rowers in the new boats.

Pictured here is Natalie Miners, who will be featured in an upcoming issue of Rowing News magazine.

The morning was capped off with a champagne toast to celebrate this historic moment for the club.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the Fleet Procurement Team, whose dedication to fundraising and rebuilding the club’s fleet made this achievement possible. Donations to the project are always welcome, and tax receipts are available.

VOLUNTEER AT REGATTAS IN WELLAND

Throughout the summer, the City of Welland proudly hosts several provincial and national flatwater competitions. These events rely heavily on the support of dedicated volunteers to run smoothly. They are currently seeking volunteers for roles such as boat holders, safety boat drivers, and officials’ assistants to help ensure events are conducted safely and in accordance with all regulations.

Volunteering at these events can be a good way to raise money for your organization as they send a $20 donation to a non-profit of your choice for each shift volunteered.

You can view and sign up for this season’s volunteer opportunities through the links below:

Volunteer Sign Up:

WIFC volunteers: 2025 Tony Biernacki Sr. Memorial Regatta

WIFC volunteers: 2025 Row Ontario Provincial Masters Championships

WIFC volunteers: 2025 Row Ontario Championships

WIFC volunteers: 2025 CORA Championships Regatta

We’d love to see you at these events this summer! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to holli.zwierschke@welland.ca we’re always happy to help!

Congratulations to Dave Léger

Congratulations to Dave Léger on his well-deserved induction into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025!  This is an incredible testament to Dave’s years of dedication, leadership and unwavering commitment to our Club, our sport and every athlete that he has mentored.  The Sports Hall of Fame posting highlights some of Dave’s exemplary accomplishments: https://www.guelphsportshalloffame.com/ We all at GRC are all so thrilled for Dave and so proud!!

WELCOME LlOYD LE BLANC

Welcome Lloyd Le Blanc as our boat repair team member.  You will see Lloyd around the boathouse busy doing repairs to our boats.  Lloyd was a former GRC member in the early years of the club and we are delighted to have his expertise and volunteer commitment to keeping boats on the water.

HIGH SCHOOL ROWING EARLY SEASON UPDATE

The high school contingent of GRC, consisting of 10 athletes from both St. James and GCVI, travelled to Henley Island on May 11 for their first regatta of the year.  The Mother’s Day regatta sees competition from the Niagara and GTA area and is a good first look at some of the competition for the CSSRAs in 3 weeks time as well as being a challenge for novices taking part in their first 2k racing experience on the water.This year proved to be particularly challenging for experienced and novice athletes alike as 25kph winds stayed just below cancellation threshold all day. All athletes set out in 2 school based events, with Ross student Aariz Noor Wang competing in the new club 2x category with ironman Luke Glass of St. James.  Luke added this event to his Sr single and Mixed double events. Overall the team competed in 10 sculling events, from singles to doubles and a quad.

All raced gamely in the big waves with water being dumped routinely from shells upon their return after racing.  Novices Luke Glass, Abby Pastorius, Jack Raso, Molly Bain and Aariz Noor Wang sorted out their first trips on Martindale pond in various small boat classes.

Simone Maksym and Siri Borden, unable to utilize their big erg power in the windy conditions, raced their Sr lwt 2x to a 4th place finish, and then joined Rowen Conrad and Sasha Maksym in the Sr 4x for an eventual bronze medal.  Rowen took 5th overall in the strong field of the Sr 1x while Sasha teamed with Abby in the club 2x for 4th place.
Novice Molly Bain and sophomore Erum Kahn had the race of the day in the Women’s Jr 2x to progress from an 11 boat field into the final, that then saw them move smoothly to a second place finish, bearing down on first and only just running out of room to catch up.   Their silver gives the team it’s best Mother’s Day finish since Stephen Harris’ of 2019. and best overall result since Rowen and Siri took silver in the same event at the South Niagara Invitational in 2023.

The team will be travelling to the London invite Saturday May the 24th, and then the CSSRA regatta closing out the high school season on Henley Island May 30-June 1 under the coaching supervision of Jack Wilhelm, Dean Raso and Andrew Borden.

TRILLIUM GRANT CELEBRATION EVENT

Please join us at the Boathouse on Saturday, June 21, 2025 from 9:45am-11:30am for our Trillium Grant Celebration Event.  The planning for this event in collaboration with the Trillium Foundation, our local M.P.P. Joseph Racinsky and Guelph Eramosa Mayor Chris White.

The Trillium Grant is a two-year Resilient Communities grant which the Guelph Rowing Club received in 2024-26 to to help us rebuild our high school program by offering a summer camp and skills development program to introduce rowing to Guelph’s youth.

Come join us to celebrate the accomplishments of all those who have been involved!

CONGRATULATIONS MADDY AND CEILIDH

We’re delighted to share that two GRC rowers, Maddy Vandermeer and Ceilidh Aho, have been named to the W4- for the 2025 FISU World University Summer Games. After a successful nomination and selection process, both U23 rowers will compete for Canada this summer in Duisburg, Germany, from July 25-27. Fresh off their first varsity seasons, Maddy (UBC) and Ceilidh (UoG) joined their respective schools novice rowing programs in fall 2023 before racing together in the U23 2x and Sr W8+ last summer as part of GRC’s summer program. This is the first time that either student athlete will row for Canada internationally, and it’s very exciting that they get to experience this milestone together. We can’t wait to cheer them on! Maddy and Ceilidh will be training in St Catharines before racing in Germany.

ONTARIO ADVENTURE ROWING MAY NEWSLETTER

Please see the OAR May newsletter here for some exciting touring opportunities to take your rowing to the next level! Touring is a great way to get out on the water and meet new people from across the province.

GRC SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING TEAM

We know the GRC is full of talented people, with untapped skills and we are calling all of those with social media, communication or web design skills or interest to join our Social Media and Marketing Team. Helping with the GRC’s social media, or website is a great way to complete your 10 volunteers hours, and connect with others at the club. Whether you have a passion for writing, photography or just want to get better at social media and advertising we’d love for you to join. If you have any questions, or would like to express interest please email Abby Smith (abbegayl@uoguelph.ca) 

WORK PARTIES AND SOCIALS

On the first Saturday of each month, we will be hosting a work party and social at the Boathouse following the morning row. Come on out for your regular morning row and then stay for a while afterwards to socialize and/or help complete some needed tasks around the Boathouse. It’s a great way to get to know other rowers and complete volunteer hours!
Dates for Work Parties:June 7, July 5, August 2, September 6, October 4

TRY ROWING RECAP

The Try Rowing event was a success! Thank you to all those who generously gave their time on Saturday, May 10th and spent the morning out at the lake to help ensure the success and safety of the event.  We had nearly 50 people registered and excited to try rowing for the first time! We are very grateful that the GRC came together to provide a great experience for the participants. A special thank you to Deb Robinson for taking lead on the event, and being a key part of the planning process and its success!

GRC HOODIE FOR SALE

Brand new GRC hoodie for sale – picked the wrong size. Men’s large. $45 contact Nancy Kielar (226)-500-7010.