July Newsletter

Rowing for Canada

We are excited to share that 3 of our incredible Guelph athletes will be racing for Canada this summer!

Maddy Vandermeer (UBC) has been selected to Team Canada’s W8+ and will race later this month at the U23 World Championships in Duisburg, Germany (July 23-26). This is Maddy’s second summer racing for Canada, following her A-final FISU performance in Duisburg last year in the W4-, and she is currently training with her crew at RCA’s centre in Duncan, BC.

Closer to home in St Catharines, ON, Kristina Harris (Brock University) and Ceilidh Aho (University of Guelph) have been named to Team Canada’s FISU W8+. They are preparing to race in August at the World University Championships (August 13-15) in London, ON. Kristina has previously raced at the 2024 U23 World Championships in the W4+ and Ceilidh competed alongside Maddy in the 2025 FISU W4-.

Kristina is a longtime Guelph rower who started with the high school program (Ross CVI), and raced with GRC during summers throughout her undergrad (University of Tulsa).

Ceilidh and Maddy joined the summer U23 program after their respective university novice seasons and have raced multiple years together now in a variety of boat classes. All 3 athletes are medallists at the Canadian Unviersity Championships.

We are enormously proud of these athletes, who have all put in many years of hard work to earn the honour of representing Canada on the national stage. Catch updates about their race schedules on the World Rowing and FISU websites and social media.

Good luck Maddy, Kristina and Ceilidh!

CORA Welland Regatta Results

On Saturday, July 4th, our Junior, U23 and Senior competitive athletes travelled to Welland for the first full-team regatta of the summer. Against the odds the weather held out for a full day of racing, and GRC fielded boats in 23 events, resulting in 17 top 3 finishes (5 gold, 9 silver, 3 bronze)!

Congratulations to GRC’s gold medalists:

Meghan Harris (U23 W1x)

Kira Moor, Simone Maksym (U23 LW2-)

Khashayar Abassabadi (Sr M1x)

Madison Thomas, Cecilia Overton, Emily Weiland, Rosie Schwarz (Sr W4x)

Madison Thomas, Madison Tindall (Sr W2x)

The summer competitive group is composed of racing athletes of a variety of experiences and skill levels including varsity athletes from Canadian and American programs, athletes returning to the sport after time away, and athletes in their very first summer of racing!

Athletes Kira Moor, Lucas Thompson, Jacob Hallman and Franklin Goodfellow also travelled to Hamilton on June 27th to take part in RowOn’s first ever “Hammer the Harbour,” participating in a fun new event for small boats with a promotion-relegation format. Racing multiple times over sprint distances, Kira (U23W1x), Jacob & Lucas (SRM2-) earned first place in their respective categories and Franklin (U23M1x) finished in second.

Stay tuned for more updates as our athletes head to St Catharines three times over the summer to race at CORA Champs, RowOn Champs, and Royal Canadian Henley!

CORA St. Catherine’s Regatta Results

On Saturday, July 11, GRC’s U23s and Seniors travelled to Henley Island to compete at the 2026 CORA Championships. Our athletes prevailed in challenging, windy conditions – with a few brave scullers even competing in singles for the first time (Emily Weiland, Alex Bisasor, Ethan Girvin). After an exceptionally windy period where the regatta was put on hold, GRC athletes ultimately earned podium finishes in 11 events on the day.

GRC’s gold medallists are:

Meghan Harris (U23 W1x) – undefeated at the CORAs!

Connor Wideman, Franklin Goodfellow (Sr LM2x) – lightweights racing openweight doubles in a headwind!

Madison Thomas, Madison Tindall (Sr W2x) – undefeated at the CORAs!

Kira Moor, Simone Maksym (U23 LW2-) – undefeated at the CORAs!

It was great to see Guelph Gryphons out racing for other clubs, from last year’s novices to returning varsity athletes. A special shoutout to Gryphon rower Aishling Kerin, racing for Peterborough this summer, who subbed into GRC’s U23 W4- at the end of the day to help our crew get on the water, and across the finish line in 3rd place. Gryphons were also spotted racing for Don RC, Argos, Peterborough, Niagara Falls, and Brock.

Learn to Row Regatta

On Saturday, July 4, the Guelph Rowing Club celebrated another successful Learn to Row season with our annual Learn to Row Fun Regatta.

Twenty-six rowers from the program took to the water for a morning of friendly racing, teamwork, and plenty of laughs. The weather couldn’t have been better, with calm water and beautiful conditions making for an excellent day of racing. Family members, friends, and club members came out to cheer on the crews, creating a fun and supportive atmosphere along the shoreline.

This year’s crews brought both enthusiasm and creativity to the event, competing under the team names The Worm Catchers, Stroke of Luck, Castaways, and Death Row. Throughout the morning, participants showcased the skills, confidence, and teamwork they developed over the course of the Learn to Row program.

Following the races, everyone gathered to enjoy a BBQ lunch and celebrate the completion of the program with cake. It was a wonderful opportunity for rowers, coaches, volunteers, and supporters to reflect on a successful season and recognize the accomplishments of all those who participated.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all of the volunteers who helped make the day such a success. We would also like to recognize our incredible coaches and coach boat drivers for their dedication and support throughout the Learn to Row program: Mike Atkinson, Pat Weir, Joel Wilson, Joanne Ryks, Nancy Kielar, Jack Raso, Henry Kielar, Kira Moor, Sasha Maksym, Molly Bain, and Cedric Pecora. Their time, encouragement, and expertise helped make this a memorable experience for every participant.

Congratulations to all of our Learn to Row graduates! We hope to see many of you back on the water as you continue your rowing journey with the Guelph Rowing Club.

And a huge thank you to Jessica Wilson-Sterling for a successful Learn-to-row program — from the first strokes to the final barbecue!

Flip Your Boat Day

Flip Your Boat Day: A Success

Twelve members took the plunge — literally — at our first-ever club-wide Flip Your Boat Day on Saturday, July 11.

With Coach Cedric, demonstrating dedication and a willingness to throw himself overboard for a good cause, and with Nancy Kielar and Mike Atkinson driving safety boats, participants practiced exactly what to do if a boat goes over: getting clear, staying with the boat, and climbing back in (or on).

A good number of members also came out to watch, and between the sunshine and the splashing, it made for a great morning at the club.

Rowers of varying ability and experience turned out, and everyone came away with a little more confidence and a lot less mystery about what happens if you end up in the water.

Thanks to Cedric, Nancy, Odette, and Mike for running such a well-organized (and well-attended) session — and to everyone who came out, wet or dry.

Rec and Masters Regatta – July 25

🚣 Sign Up for Our Rec & Masters Regatta on July 25th! 🚣

The countdown is on! If you haven’t signed up yet, now’s the time. Join us for a morning of friendly competition, great rowing, and plenty of laughs, followed by a potluck with your fellow rowers.

📅 Sign Up by Saturday, July 19

Please sign up on the GRC Rec Sign-In Sheet by Saturday, July 19 so we can organize the schedule.

⏰ 7:30 a.m. Arrival

🏁 Race Schedule in order of events

Singles
Doubles
Quads

All races will be 1000 metres.

🎲 Quads with a Twist!

To keep things fun and fair, quad crews and seat assignments will be drawn the morning of the regatta. You never know who you’ll be rowing with—or where you’ll be sitting!

🏆 Bragging Rights Included

There will be prizes awarded, so bring your competitive spirit (and maybe a little luck)!

🍴 Potluck Celebration

After the racing wraps up, we’ll celebrate with a potluck.

Whether you’re aiming for the podium or just coming for the fun, we’d love to see everyone out on the water. The more rowers we have, the more exciting the day will be!

Don’t wait—this is your last chance to sign up!

Safety Officer Needed

Thank You, Joel!

After a number of years as GRC’s volunteer Safety Officer, Joel Wilson is stepping away from the role. Thank you, Joel, for your steady work over the years. A safety officer can’t prevent accidents, but Joel made sure the club met its safety standards and operated safely, with members’ health and safety as a priority.

Which means we’re now looking for a new volunteer Safety Officer.
Responsibilities include:

Testing water temperature
Making sure all first aid kits are stocked
Making sure all club marine safety kits and life jacket bags are complete
Receiving incident reports and passing them on for follow-up

If this sounds like something you (or someone you know) could take on, please contact Mike Atkinson VP and acting Safety Officer.

Safety First

Please familiarize yourself with the location of the First Aid Kit and AED on the shelves between bay A and the door. All of our summer coaches are trained in their use as are several members. There is also emergency information kept in a red binder in the sign-in/out area.

There is a set of adult pads attached to the AED and a set of paediatric pads for children under 8 years or 55 lbs inside the carrying case.

The Ontario Summer Games come to Guelph Lake

Ontario Summer Games

The 2026 Ontario Summer Games are coming to Waterloo Region from July 30 to August 2, bringing together up to 4,000 young athletes aged 12 to 18 across 24 sports and the Guelph Rowing Club is right in the middle of it!

We’re hosting the Canoe/Kayak events on our own rowing course, which is exciting news for the club and the community.

The events start at 7:30 am both Friday and Saturday. The club will not be accessible to members to row until after 6 pm on both days.

Any questions, please contact your program lead.

Improve our Social Status

We’re building our social media presence and we need your help!

Follow us, like our pages, and share them with anyone you think would enjoy being part of the GRC community on Instagram and Facebook. Every follow and share helps us grow — and we have some great content coming your way.

Do you have a favourite photo from the boathouse? Whether it’s a stunning sunrise, your crew out on the water, or a memorable moment with teammates, we want to see the photos that capture what the GRC means to you.

Share your favourite GRC photo to your story or feed on Instagram and tag @GuelphRowingClub — multiple posts are welcome!

Get creative, dig through your camera roll, and help us showcase the best moments from our rowing community.

We can’t wait to see our club from every perspective!

Ontario Adventure Rowing

OAR Toronto Island Tour

Carol Carson, Christina Woolner, Henry Kielar, Karen Eakins, Leslie Barker, and Mia Dawes took in the Toronto skyline from a different perspective in coastal quads on Lake Ontario. This was the first OAR tour for the ladies and they all had a great time. This tour is perfect for trying touring, a short distance with a fabulous lunch break. Four quads and one double left the Hanlan Boat Club for Toronto Island, a bbq lunch was underway when the crews pulled up. They pulled 16km, made new friends, had a delicious meal, had a sweet nature moment, and are looking forward to more.

OAR has a number of tours still available in 2026, check out their website www.adventurerow.ca and go on a tour!