This weekend, two of our local rowers will be racing in the 73rd annual Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association Championships. This is Canada’s largest high school regatta and hosts schools from all across Canada and the US to compete in various rowing events on the world renowned Henley course in St. Catharines.
Lily Baker, grade 12 at BMLSS in Bracebridge, will be racing in the Senior 63kg Women’s Single event, and Kennedy Burrows, grade 9 at Parry Sound High School in Parry Sound, will be racing in both the Junior Women’s Single and the Senior 63kg Women’s Single events.
Lily Baker, Port Carling resident, started rowing with Hatchets Rowing Centre in Port Carling when she was 12 yrs old. She learned to row and took part in the junior scullers programs over the summer and quickly decided that it was a sport that she loved. When she entered high school in grade 9 at BMLSS in Bracebridge, she got involved with the Muskoka Rowing Club in Bracebridge to help to re-ignite a high school rowing program at her school. Lily has trained and raced for the last 4 years alternating between the Muskoka Rowing Club for her high school rowing season and Hatchets Rowing Centre during the summers. She has competed in both a single and a double and many high school regattas as well as indoor races throughout the winter. She got involved at a junior level coaching at Hatchets and now coaches full time every summer for all different levels of rowers which have ranged from age 7 to 85! This will be her last year competing at a high school level and we send our best wishes with her and the Muskoka Rowing Club this weekend, to soak it all in and enjoy every minute of all of the experiences the weekend will bring!
Kennedy Burrows, who grew up and lives in Parry Sound, also started rowing with Hatchets when she was 12 yrs old. She took to it quickly, and after 2 yrs of building her skill and lots of fun, she decided she wanted to join the competitive team before she had even started grade 9. By the end of the summer, not only was she keeping up with the other competitive rowers, she was faster than a good number of them! After a bit of planning and keeping our ear to the ground, we recruited long time rower and coach Marie LaForme who grew up in Hamilton rowing and rowed at Trent University, and who now calls Parry Sound home. Marie has now been coaching Kennedy while training beside her in a single for the past year, and will be taking her to compete this weekend in St. Catharines for her first CSSRA (Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association) experience. We also look forward to the summer, as Marie and Kennedy lead the charge in starting up a new location for Hatchets Rowing Centre - Hatchets Parry Sound! All the best this weekend Kennedy!!