The P.D. Ross challenge returned from the Ottawa River to the Rideau Canal for the first time in a decade (Photo Provided)

Rowing season officially began on Sept. 19 with the P.D. Ross challenge on the Rideau Canal, where the Ravens bested the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in both the alumni and varsity two-kilometre regattas.

The day began with the alumni race, and it looked as though the Gee-Gees would take the first win of the morning.

However, with some cunning moves by the team and directions given by alumni coxie Bryan Luu, the Ravens were able to pull ahead and win by two lengths.

The varsity race also promised to be a close one, as the two boats were neck and neck for the entire length of the course. Upon entering the final parts of the course, the Ravens were able to pull ahead and win the race by 4 lengths.

Siobhan McLaughlin, the head coach for both the men’s and women’s varsity rowing teams, said the regatta was “very exciting” and gave a lot of credit to the two coxies, as their directions very much aided in the Ravens’ wins.

This was the first time that the team had swept the P.D. Ross challenge under her coaching.

“Timing and teambuilding are key. There’s a good mix of new and old rowers so that really helps,” McLaughlin said.

First-time varsity rowers Taryn Lloyd and Sarah McCue, the two female rowers in the Ravens’ boat, both had a good feeling about the regatta even before it started.

“Racing the [U of O] team is a lot of fun because we know them so well from training,” Lloyd said.

Both girls laughed at the idea that knowing the Gee-Gees makes the regatta less competitive.

“It’s still really competitive, but it’s just more fun,” McCue said, “it’s for bragging rights.”

Kristina Roic, a 2005 graduate, said that even though it had been over a year since she last rowed, it was really fun to be back with the Ravens and racing against people you know really well.

Despite the Ravens’ success, Roic admitted to one regret for the day.

“We forgot the beer,” she said, explaining that it’s a tradition for the alumni to celebrate a win with cans of beer in the boat.

Paul Amesbury, a 2008 graduate and Ontario University Athletics (OUA) medalist, had a message to send back to those rowers who graduate this year: “Come back for this regatta, it’s a great way to help new rowers and it keeps the tradition going.”

Mike Walker, president of the Ottawa Rowing Club, said “I thought the [regatta] went very well, being one of the most competitive [regattas] in recent years.”

On behalf of the Ottawa Rowing Club, Walker congratulated Carleton “on a hard fought victory.”

He said this year showed that the Rideau Canal “is the right venue for this important race.”

The regatta is usually done on the Ottawa River so bringing it back to the Rideau Canal for the first time in over 10 years took a lot of planning.

 “The athletes put a lot of time into getting permits, umps, everything done,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said the rowing team is one of few varsity teams that offer a novice program for students interested in the sport, and she said she hopes the event will bring out more spectators next year.

“[Hopefully the regatta will] raise the community profile of our club’s varsity rowing programs, continuing a lively competition between the rowing programs that one day could rival the great rowing challenge races,” Walker said. q

   
Fact Box: History of the P.D. Ross competition

The P.D. Ross regatta is held annually between rowing teams from the two Ottawa universities, and was started during the first years of Carleton’s existence. Two teams from each university compete in the regatta, the current varsity team and a team consisting of alumni from over the years.
Originally, the regatta was held on the Rideau Canal, starting near Carleton and ending near U of O. In more recent years, the regatta moved to the Ottawa River, but it returned to the Rideau Canal this year for the first time in a decade. Q

Who were the Ravens at the rowing challenge?

The alumni team consisted of, coxie Brian Luu, Paul Amesbury, Tim Ensom, Kristina Roic, David Dunlop, Vincent Garneau, Alex Harrison, Olivia Saab, and Becca Stiles.

The varsity rowing team was represented by coxie Jenny McLeod, Blake Farquharson, Eric Farquharson, Cameron Reid, Tom Kingdon, Sarah McCue, Taryn Lloyd, Kent Mamen and David Blair.