SILVER LAKE SPRINTS REGATTA CANCELLED
The Silver Lake Rowing Club announced recently to the Ontario rowing community that it will not be hosting the Silver Lake Sprints Regatta in Port Dover this May.
Held every first Saturday in May since 1999, this high school regatta has become popular amongst novice rowers and coaches from the Niagara Region and across south western Ontario. Last year, the regatta attracted to Norfolk County over 120 high school rowers plus family members and friends from approximately 25 high schools. “Each year, we’ve become bigger. Our volunteers have developed a reputation for a well run and exciting regatta” said Jim Dover President of Silver Lake Rowing Club. “There was a lot of disappointment in the rowing community when we made our announcement.”
The regatta had to be cancelled as the water remains drained from Silver Lake while the County conducts an inspection of the Misner Dam. Other rowing clubs offered the Silver Lake Rowing Club the opportunity to host the regatta on their rowing courses. But the club turned down the offer based on feedback from coaches who feared the Silver Lake Sprints format could not be duplicated elsewhere. According to Jim Dover, President of the Silver Lake Rowing Club, “We were being told by coaches in St. Catharines and London that our location was central and our sheltered course guaranteed good racing conditions regarding of weather conditions. Coaches didn’t want to risk going to other locations at this point in the rowing season.”
According Dover, “All of our rowing programs are at risk this year. We’re being told water may be returned to Silver Lake as early as June. But the water level will likely be significantly lower and not enough for us to row. We’re hoping that we’ll have enough water back in Silver Lake for next year.”
In the meantime, rowers from Holy Trinity and Simcoe Composite are training on the water in Tillsonburg and Oakland Pond in preparation for the high school rowing season. For some, the first regatta will be in St. Catharines on May 8th. “We had some good results at the Canadian Indoor Rowing Association and Ontario Indoor Rowing Championships with first place, second place and top ten finishes. Now, we have to apply that physical conditioning on the water” said head coach Sue Fairley.
-------------------------
The Silver Lake Rowing Club was established in 1999 to promote the sport of rowing across Norfolk and Haldimand. To find our more about high school rowing, contact Sue Fairley - Head Coach (519-583-0461) or Carla Aitken Coach – Holy Trinity (519-428-7592). To find out more about the Silver Lake Rowing Club, please call Jim Dover 519-426-5677 (President) or visit our web site at: www.silverlakerowingclub.com.