Rowing BC at the 2025 Canada Cup Regatta

Rowing BC at the 2025 Canada Cup Regatta

The Canada Cup Regatta returned to take on a new format for the first time this year hosted by Western University Rowing Club on behalf of Rowing Canada Aviron. The event featured Provincial Team racing for the U21 age group over multiple distances in a challenging and engaging progression from Monday, August 11 to Saturday, August 16, 2025.

The Canada Cup Regatta aims to showcase Canadian rowing in a sprint format that creates athlete participation through an exciting race program. Each participating province could bring a maximum team of 17 athletes – 8 male, 8 female, and 1 coxswain of either gender. The regatta featured singles, doubles, pairs, and mixed-gender quads and eights competing over distances of 500m to 2000m. The event was intended to create a camp atmosphere where teams could prepare alongside other provincial U121 athletes. The event featured many educational activities off the water to complement the racing experience.

On Monday, August 11, teams arrived in London, many coming directly from the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines. In the evening, a welcome meeting and dinner took place, with Olympian Liam Parsons delivering an inspiring speech as the guest speaker. Rowing BC’s team gathered to meet and take team photos, fostering camaraderie.

Tuesday and Wednesday were dedicated to team training and educational events. Shuttle buses transported athletes and coaches back and forth between the University residence and Lake Fanshawe. The team spent time rigging the equipment leased from Western University and rowed in multiple crew combinations to prepare for racing at the end of the week. It was also an opportunity for the BC athletes to acclimatize to the hot humid weather in Ontario.

Tuesday evening the group was treated to a presentation from Canadian Rowing Coach Legend Al Morrow on the Habits of High Performance Athletes. Al shared many stories and answered questions from the engaged athletes and coaches. 

On Wednesday the whole group had a guided tour of the Hudson Boatworks Plant to learn all about how the boats, riggers and fittings for their boats are made. The facility was very generous with their time, guiding the athletes through the process from raw material to complete finished high performance racing shells. Western University enhanced team bonding by hosting board game nights and a short movie night on Wednesday, providing opportunities for athletes from different provinces to mingle.

As training continued, it was great to see our high school graduating athletes receiving mentorship and guidance from our university rowers. A memorable moment during practice was when Coach Terry Paul took the coxswain seat, preparing the eight for their eventual gold medal win!

Racing began on Thursday, August 14, with heats and finals for the 1x and 2- events over 2000 meters. The morning featured quick race turnarounds, followed by a training session in the afternoon. Rowing BC’s Alex Lupan finished 5th in the A final and Billy Thornton won the B Final finishing 7th overall. Laura McKenzie placed 8th overall in the Women’s 1x. The first medal for Rowing BC came in the Women’s 2- with Grace Sisett and Sierra Monroe delivering a gutsy Bronze Medal. The boys crew of Kieran Fitzpatrick and Eli Baughen finished in fourth place just off the podium.

On Friday, August 15, racing continued with heats and finals for the 2x and 4- events over 1000 meters, followed by another training session. The Men’s 2x of Oscar Joyeaux-Humpries and Billy Thornton placed 4th in an incredible tight finish with one second separating 2nd to 4th. The Women’s 2x of Laura McKenzie and Norah Harrop-Lopez also finished 4th. In the 4-’s both crews hit the podium with Silver for the women and Bronze for the Men. The women’s crew of Grace Sisset, Sierra Monroe, Ester Majercin and Sierra Goldberg-Goris. The Men were represented by Kieran Fitzpatrick, Eli Baughen, Oscar Joyeaux Humpries, and Will Low. 

Racing intensified Saturday, August 16 on the final day in the 4x and 8+. The mixed 4x and 8+ heats, semi-finals, and finals were contested in a fun knockout format over 500 meters. All crews raced heats for ranking and then were matched up in quarter and semi final rounds to produce the two boat A and B Final showdowns.

The Mixed 4x of Laura McKenzie, Alex Lupan, Billy Thornton and Norah Harrop-Lopez, had a rough first seeding heat that matched them up with eventual event winners Nova Scotia in the quarter final. The crew was eliminated and finished 7th overall.

In the final race of the regatta, BC won Gold in the 8+ with a thrilling victory over Alberta, winning the race by 0.09 seconds! 

Following the racing all medals were presented by local Olympians and the overall point Championship was awarded to Ontario with BC finishing in third.

The 2025 Canada Cup regatta concluded with athletes reflecting on their week-long experience. The close, exciting 500-meter dashes, culminating in a Gold medal win for the mixed 8+, left the athletes feeling they had built valuable skills and experiences to carry forward.

Thank you to our coaches Steven Randall and Terry Paul for all of their support and coaching throughout the week. Until next year!