Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships 2009 have good SLRC showing

                              Elementary School Indoor Rowing Ergatta

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HERSHEY CENTRE, MISSISSAUGA, Feb. 1, 2009 – On Sunday, February 1^st, local students from Burford District and Elgin Ave. elementary schools, from local high schools and some who are university rowers competed in the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships.  Across Canada on the same day, 1000's of rowers of all abilities race in five Canadian cities on Concept 2 Ergometers, or indoor rowing machines. Toronto is the host city of the Ontario site and is the only site with Youth categories. Nearly 50 local students participated in the event, which was open to all students from 7 to 90. This year nearly 800 athletes competed for honours in their age category, including the Canadian National Team. For more information visit the web site at http://www.cdnindoorrowing.org.

The local medalists from each event are:

Congratulations to all the rowers. Of the 45 rowers, 36 rowed Personal Best Times at this event.

The next event for local rowers is the Silver Lake Elementary Ergatta on Saturday, April 25, 2009. That event is open to all students in grades 3 to 8 and has a limited registration. Hopefully we will see a lot of these medalists at the Silver Lake EE. The following weekend, Saturday, May 2, 2009, the high school rowers get together for the Silver Lake Sprints. Both of these event are hosted by the Silver Lake Rowing Club. The Elementary Ergatta is at the clubhouse, upstairs at the Silver Lake Market in Port Dover. The High School Sprints are on waters of Silver Lake. The Market is open each Saturday morning, and will be open during the races.

Physical activity plays an important role in the optimum growth and health of our children. In the latest Student Health Survey, conducted jointly by the Haldimand Norfolk Health Unit and the Brant County Health Unit, 95% of our students did not meet the daily requirements for 90 minutes of physical activity.  

Local elementary schools and businesses are partnering with the Silver Lake Rowing Club to make indoor rowing machines available in local elementary schools to promote fitness and the sport of rowing amongst our students. The creation of an In-school Erg Program will help to encourage local children to build physical activity into their daily routine, creating a pattern that may stay with them for the rest of their lives. The program will also introduce local students to the sport of rowing for recreation and competition.  Over the past 10 years, a number of local youth have excelled in rowing; both nationally and internationally.

The Silver Lake Rowing Club was established in 1999 to promote the sport of rowing across Norfolk and Haldimand.

To find out more about the Elementary Erg program, contact Rick McCleary, 519-449-2457. 

To find out more about the Silver Lake Rowing Club and high school rowing programs, contact Mike Anderson at mikeanderson@silverlakerowingclub.com (Director) or visit their web site at: www.silverlakerowingclub.com.

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EVENT BACKGROUNDER

No water, no oars.... but lots of sweat, grunting and cheering.  The Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships, now in its 25th year held in Toronto is annual winter event with an enthusiastic following. 

The event attracts rowers and paddlers from elementary school athletes to Olympic medalists from Ontario, Quebec, New York and Michigan. 

This competition is a prime stop to test winter training progress for rowers getting ready for the next season of on-the-water racing. 

"One of the unique aspects of this event is the opportunity for younger club-level athletes to row side by side, shoulder to shoulder, testing their stamina against Canada's best Olympians", says Susan Kitchen, Regatta Chair.  "It brings out the best in all and is a fun off-season gathering."

From November to February, temperatures are dropping, but inside arenas, clubhouses, boathouses and gyms across the U.S. and Canada, things are heating up. At races everywhere from Dartmouth to Victoria, Baltimore to Long Beach; thousands of athletes will test their endurance in hopes of winning a medal, achieving a world record or just beating their personal best on Concept2 Indoor Rowers.

The Concept2 Indoor Rowing machine, or ergometer or "erg" is an accepted standard equipment for testing and comparing rowers performances all over the world.  A little company with a big reputation for quality has its factory in Vermont, U.S.A. The company supports and sponsors the racing circuit shipping new ergs everywhere.  CIRC sets up a total of 70 ergs and uses the Concept 2 Race system to host its race.

The indoor rowing regatta season peaks in Boston in mid-February with the mother of all races: the World Indoor Rowing Championships—a.k.a. the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints.

The racing is real as spectators get to see the rowers pull and outpull their competitors in this unique setting. The ergometers are manufactured all the same and allow for side by side racing emulating the on-the-water lane format.  Enhanced computer monitors indicate the rowers progress graphically with little boats moving across a sea of blue as rowers pull their way down the course. 

Caleb McCleary

Hershey Centre

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