The Winnipeg Rowing Club sent 48 athletes to Kenora this weekend for two days of racing at the 109th NWIRA Championship Regatta – and came out on top!
A long and proud tradition that began in 1886, the NorthWest International Rowing Association (NWIRA) Championship Regatta takes place each summer as a competition between Canadian and American mid-western rowing clubs. Early this season, the Winnipeg Rowing Club set the group goal of winning the coveted Lipton Cup, presented annually to the club that wins the most aggregate points at NorthWest. Winnipeg rowers of all ages trained towards racing for the Lipton Cup – and it paid off! For the first time since 2004, the Winnipeg Rowing Club won the beautiful sterling silver Lipton Cup and named Grand Aggregate Champion.
The following WRC crews receiving gold medals:
Open Women’s Single – Marianne Bergmann
Open Women’s Dash Single – Kaitlin Rempel
Lightweight Women’s Single – Brandi Smith
Lightweight Women’s Dash Single – Brandi Smith
Open Women’s Double – Marianne Bergmann, Kaitlin Rempel
Open Women’s Pair – Kaitlin Rempel, Marianne Bergmann
Open Women’s Four – Brandi Smith, Marianne Bergmann, Kaitlin Rempel, Tracy Taylor
Open Women’s Quad – Brandi Smith, Marianne Bergmann, Kaitlin Rempel, Tracy Taylor
Open Women’s Eight – Friederike von Aweyden, Crystal Evans, Kaitlin Rempel, Marianne Bergmann, Vanessa Brown, Andrea Lefort, Brandi Smith, Tracy Taylor, Megan Lydon
Master Women’s Quad – Sheila Wilson, Vanessa Brown, Friederike von Aweyden, Andrea Lefort
Open Men’s Dash Single – Mark Zwaagstra
Master Men’s Single – Andrew Lamont
Men’s Masters Double – Jeff Reitberger, Andrew Lamont
Master Men’s Four – Tracy Kowal, Mitch Kasprick, Satoru Nakagawa, Vic Bartel
Women’s Junior B Double – Fiona Rettie, Hanika Nakagawa
Men’s Junior B Single – Josh Ilse
Winnipeg also won the Henning Peterson Trophy (known as “The Rock”) for Women’s Division Championship (highest women’s aggregate points). And for the first time ever, the Winnipeg Rowing Club was recognized for winning the most overall aggregate points by master rowers.
A victorious WRC team effort was put forth by all, led by WRC coaches Brent Figg andRalph Penner. WRC member Allan Horne was also in Kenora, working as Head Official at the regatta.
Full regatta results can be found here.
Winnipeg Rowing Club 