Written by Kylie-Anne Grube
Twelve athletes from the North Bay Canoe Club represented North Bay at the OCUP 3 Provincial Championships at the Rideau Canoe Club on August 12th and 13th.
Paddlers from the Eastern Ontario and Western Ontario divisions earned their spots in this provincial competition during a qualifying regatta earlier in August. Athletes Alexander Jessup, Avery Durocher, Charlie Brotherston, Erik Bonnell, Grace Hong, Greg Hill, Gwyneth Durocher, Isabella Brotherston, Lukas Bonnell, Max Hong, and Sydney Doidge qualified and competed at the Provincial Championships as part of the NBCC U15 team. U15 athlete, Adam Lavigne, also qualified for this event but was unfortunately unable to attend due to an injury. Daniel McColm represented North Bay in the U16 division during Sunday’s races.
The paddlers showed a strong performance at the regatta despite the poor weather conditions, including thunderstorms and hail, which delayed some of the races. The regatta was off to a fantastic start as Max Hong earned a silver medal in the A Final of U14 Men’s C1- 1000m within the first hour of the day and continued on to race in six A Finals at the Championships.
North Bay athletes continued to represent the club on the podium as the weekend progressed. Avery Durocher also earned a silver medal in U13 Girl’s K1 -1000m, B Final. Sydney Doidge and Isabella Brotherston won 2nd place in U15 Girl’s C2-500m, B Final. Grace Hong, in her U13 Girl’s C1-1000m race, placed 2nd in the C Final. Gwyneth Durocher, Isabella Brotherston, Grace Hong, and Sydney Doidge finished 5th in U15 Girl’s C4- 1000m, A Final. Another silver medal was brought home by Avery Durocher and Grace Hong in U13 Girl’s K-2 500m, B Final. NBCC athlete Alexander Jessup achieved a personal best in his U15 Men’s K1- 1000m final, while some of the club’s newest competitors, Lukas Bonnell and Charlie Brotherston, showed great promise in their first appearance at the Provincial Championships, finishing strong in the B-Final of U13 Men's C2-500m.
Zach Pecore, Head Coach at the North Bay Canoe Club, was impressed with the paddler's performance at Provincials: “I am very proud of everyone who competed at these Championships. I have watched our athletes progress throughout the summer, not only in their paddling abilities, but also in their confidence, motivation, and self-discipline as they prepared for this important event. Many of our athletes achieved personal bests in their races and should be extremely proud of their accomplishments this season”.
NBCC U15 athletes will travel once more this summer to attend the Eastern Ontario Divisional Championships at the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club on August 19th, where another strong performance by the paddlers is anticipated.
U17 kayakers, Max Kerrigan and Daniel McColm, will be traveling to the Welland International Flatwater Centre next week to compete in CKC National Championships, along with NBCC coaches Zach Pecore and Sean Patterson, who have also successfully qualified for this regatta. Master paddler Scott Kerrigan, former National Team member, and current NBCC athlete, will be representing the club at the CANMAS regatta on August 27th.
Full results of all regattas are posted at www.northbaycanoeclub.ca.
