Mark Your Calendar:
- September 6th – GRC Moonlight Row
- September 6th – September Work Party!
- September 20th – Guelph Invitational Regatta
Call for Volunteers – Guelph Invite Regatta
The Gryphon Rowing team is hosting their Guelph Invite Regatta on September 20. The regatta is organized and run by coaches and the support of volunteers. The team is looking for volunteers to help throughout the day. The volunteer positions will be divided into 4 shifts throughout the day, 8-10am, 10am-12pm, 12-2pm and 2-4pm. Volunteer positions may include site setup, boat drivers, registration desk support, and dock marshall support.
If you are interested in volunteering on September 20, please email guelph.invitational@gmail.com and include your name, phone number, email, the times you would be available and if you have a valid boating license.
Volunteers are also needed for race course installation two weeks before the event. Please contact Mike Atkinson at vicepresident@guelphrowing.ca or Pat Weir at siteandboat@guelphrowing.ca. Installation times are weather dependent so please include you telephone number.
Welcome to our New Trillium Touring Boat Trolly
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Rosmar Welding. in Guelph for constructing and donating the galvanized dolly, which facilitates the transfer and storage of the heavily utilized Trillium Touring Shell. This boat plays a crucial role in training LTR, novice, and recreational rowers, from youth to adults at the club. The accompanying photo has the Skills Development youth alongside the Trillium boat and dolly. A special thanks goes to Tara Maksym for efforts in coordinating this project. Community support remains invaluable.
Additionally, we are delighted to have Jeff Rossi, a structural engineer from Rosmar, providing assistance with additional structural reinforcements for our new boat trailer, ensuring the safe transportation of our boats to regattas.
GRC Moonlight Row
It’s that time again. Come join us for an evening row under this year’s Corn moon.
We’ll launch at 7pm and row to Hwy 24 to catch the moon rise. Come back to a campfire and feast on GRC’s famous vegetarian chili, corn bread and other delicious treats. Not keen on rowing at night? You can still come and join in the festivities.
Please sign up by August 30. All members are welcome!
Summer Competitive Recap
This summer has been busy for GRC’s competitive youth rowers, what with wrapping up the Ontario circuit at RowOn Championships and Royal Canadian Henley Regatta – and also with Guelph athletes on the race course at Canada Cup and the FISU World University Games.
After the CORA regattas earlier this summer, GRC brought 28 entries to the RowOn Championships in Welland (July 19-20) and under the new format, 30 athletes time trialled according to boat type for ranked spots in finals. GRC’s athletes included many of whom were racing at a provincial championship for the first time, and it was a great weekend of learning and hard fought racing!
Sisters Meghan and Kristina Harris finished 2nd and 4th overall in the women’s single time trials and both advanced to the A-finals. Kristina secured a bronze medal in the u23 category, and after time trialling as the fastest women’s double overall, they teamed up again to win the u23 women’s double later the same day. Connor Wideman and Ahmet Gulsaran raced to a decisive podium finish in the senior men’s lightweight double and Annette DeGroot, Steffanie Atanssov, Aishling Kerin, and Fareshtha Khan (all University of Guelph and Carleton University novices from fall 2024) rounded out GRC’s medals with an impressive sprint finish in the B-final of the women’s fours to claim bronze in the u23 women’s four. Kai Elrick, a GRC athlete, raced the u23 men’s pair for his university club Western, and despite just hopping in to race after sculling for most of the summer, finished with a second place!
Further afield in Germany at the FISU World University Games, Maddy Vandermeer and Ceilidh Aho helped Canada race to an A-final and 5th place finish in the women’s four. Having two GRC rowers in one international crew was incredible to watch, and the whole club could not be more proud!
At Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, Guelph’s junior, u23 and senior rowers raced in 14 events. The times this year at Henley were blisteringly fast, with many Team Canada and international athletes out on the course. This definitely raised everyone’s game! GRC was well represented in the finals of a couple events, the u23 lightweight men’s single (James Rourke) and the u23 women’s pair (Ceilidh Aho, Madelyn Vandemeer). GRC’s Kai Elrick also raced into the finals of the u23 men’s pair under UWO Boat Club.
Through her impressive RowOn Championships results, Meghan Harris was selected to race for Team Ontario at the Canada Cup in London Ontario. Meghan competed in the women’s single, women’s four, and mixed eight at this regatta and earned a gold and two bronze medals, helping Team Ontario to come out on top of the overall points awarded.
Coaches Abby, Siobhan and Pearl are very proud of all the youth athletes who raced for GRC this summer! We can’t wait to see all these incredible rowers and coxies continue to find speed this fall at their respective schools and home clubs.
A big thank you to Caelan, Brian, Tania and Alan for providing additional coaching support for this group throughout the summer.
Pleasure Craft Operator Card
If anyone is interested in assisting at the club by driving a coach boat, you will need a Pleasure Craft operator card. There are several sites that offer this exam and card. Here is a Canadian website that will offer you the course online, exam and permanent card for $29.95.
Affordable 100% Canadian Boating License Provider | freecourse.ca
Congratulations Maddy and Ceilidh
This July, two GRC athletes, Maddy Vandermeer and Ceilidh Aho and team manager Garrah Parkes, proudly represented Canada in the Women’s Four (W4-) at the 2025 FISU World University Summer Games in Duisburg, Germany.
After beginning their rowing journeys as novices in fall 2023, Maddy at UBC and Ceilidh at the University of Guelph, the pair raced together with GRC last summer in the U23 2x and Sr W8+. To see them make their international debut in the maple leaf together was a milestone moment for both rowers and for our club.
Maddy and Ceilidh trained in St. Catharines ahead of the Games, under the leadership of team manager Garrah Parkes (Guelph) and coaches Stephanie Marchand (McGill) and Mary Rao (Brock).
We’re incredibly proud of all they accomplished on the international stage and can’t wait to see what’s next in their rowing journeys.
Ontario Adventure Rowing July Newsletter
Please see the OAR July 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.
Hazard Reminder
As water levels drop during the summer and fall, please make sure you’re familiar with the shallows and marked hazards. A map showing these areas is posted outside the boathouse, have a look before heading out.
A warning buoy has been placed off Hillside Island, do not row between the buoy and Hillside Island, as this area is very shallow. There is also a green warning buoy in front of the 124 Highway Island.
Stay safe and enjoy your rows!
September Work Party
The next Volunteer Work Party will be Saturday, September 6th. Come on out for your regular morning row then stay for a while afterwards to socialize and help with some much need tasks around the boathouse. We will be focusing on grounds & boathouse maintenance.
Hope to see you all on September 6th – its a great way to get to know other rowers and complete volunteer hours.
Upcoming work parties are: October 4th and closing in November. With upcoming regattas and events, there will also be many other opportunities to volunteer in addition to work parties.
A big thank you to all the many enthusiastic volunteers who helped with the work party on August 2nd!
Dates for Work Parties: September 6, October 4
Fundraising Update
Help Us Rebuild – We’re Halfway There!
Thanks to the generosity of 25+ members, we’ve already raised $124,500 toward our $250,000 goal. An incredible halfway milestone.
Now we need everyone’s help to cross the finish line. Replacing our boats is a shared effort, and every gift, large or small, brings us closer to being fully equipped for 2026.
If you haven’t donated yet, please consider giving what you can. Every contribution makes a difference.
Let’s pull together and finish strong!
Guelph Rowing Club 