They’d barely had enough time to get their paddles wet this season, but that didn’t stop five junior members of the South Cariboo Rowing Club from performing well at the recent Shawnigan Lake School Regatta.
The local rowers joined more than 800 top-notch athletes from all over the Lower Mainland to participate in the popular annual event, May 12-13.
Club coaches Jack Jenkins and Will Van Osch accompanied the girls, and according to Jenkins, they were the most northern team.
“We were only on the water for two weeks prior to this, while others have been going since February. We attended because we’re targeting a couple of other events, one being in Delta and the other, the [2012] BC Summer Games. Some of our rowers are novices and they had to get some race experience.”
The results from Shawnigan Lake and Delta will play a part in the selection process for the BC Summer Games team, he adds.
Competing in the Junior A Girls’ Quad event, Jill Matlock, Alex Lubbe, Jemma Van Osch, and Kelowna Rowing Club member, Catherine Slamka, placed fourth in their heat of 24 boats, just missing qualification for the B final.
Josie Duncan and Tyra Van Osch placed 10th in the Novice Junior B Girls’ Double, which earned them a berth for the B final, but they missed that race due to a mix-up.
Matlock and J. Van Osch recorded a 15th-place result in the Junior Girls’ Double, and Slamka and T. Van Osch placed 17th in that same event.
Lubbe and Duncan crossed the finish line in 20th position in the Junior B Girls’ Double.
“All of the top rowing clubs and schools were there, racing for the national team selection, but exposure for our kids is what I was looking for,” says Jenkins.
“To walk into surroundings where you have 200 boats and 800 kids wandering around – when the race comes around, they’ll have that experience.”
The South Cariboo Rowing Club practises on Watson Lake and plans are in the works to host a Learn to Row program in early June for newcomers.
For membership information, contact Jenkins at 250-791-6463.
