VICTORIA – The decorated UBC Thunderbirds men's and women's rowing teams are all set to compete in the 27
th edition of the Canadian University Rowing Championships this weekend beginning on Saturday morning November, 2 and continuing through Sunday, November 3, hosted by the University of Victoria at Elk Lake.
UBC's men's team enters as the two-time defending champions and the T-Birds women's team claimed the silver medal after being edged out by just eight points by the rival UVic Vikes at last season's championship, hosted by UBC at Burnaby Lake. T-Birds rowing looks forward to competing against the best university teams from across the country in the two-day national title chase that will start with time trials Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. before going head-to-head for the Championship Banner bragging rights on Sunday morning also at 9:00 a.m.
Championship Sunday November, 3 will be live streamed on the UVic Vikes Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/UVicvikes
T-Birds women's and men's rowing have undergone a busy month of October in preparation for the 2024 CURC with at least one of and sometimes both squads competing throughout four straight weekends. Starting with the Western Canadian Championship which saw the men top the podium and the women secure second spot on the first weekend of October at Burnaby Lake. What followed was different levels of participation at the National Rowing Championships in Welland, Ontario. The men's team once again took part in the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass. Competing and showing well against some of the best rowers and university programs from around the globe. The string of events wrapped up with the annual Head of the Gorge from Victoria last weekend.
"Our final move in preparation for the Canadian University Rowing Championships in Victoria has been very productive," said UBC women's head coach,
Craig Pond. "The team have been pushing each other aggressively and the lineup has changed a few times through the fall season. I am confident that we will put our best foot forward and battle hard to try and bring home the banner."
"It's been a challenging fall dealing with more illness and injury than is typical," commented UBC men's head coach
Mike Pearce. "However, the team is rallying at the right time and are zeroing in on being at their best for CUs. We've been seeing improving speeds in practice and this brings the confidence needed for a run at the banner."
The T-Birds women's team have won three of the last five Canadian University Rowing Championships and will be looking to wrestle the title back from UVic who claimed the banner last year for a second consecutive season thanks to narrowly defeating UBC by just eight overall points. Something that has stuck with the T-Birds for the last 12 months.
"Our approach this year is to not leave any points on the table," added Pond. "The team is very eager to compete and looking forward to racing, we know that Victoria is confident going in and we will have to be at our best to pry that banner back in our direction."
Conversely the men's team has won seven of the last nine CURC titles including last year at Burnaby Lake to make it back-to-back championships, they've also won every men's eight race since 2018 at the event and are eager to get going this weekend to try and complete the three-peat.
"For our team we try to put the outcomes in the background and focus on the big things we can control," concluded Pearce. "Important elements like boat speed, being together and feeling like the execution is unified. If the guys can do that, we know we'll be in the hunt.
See the full Canadian University Rowing Championships schedule here:
https://govikesgo.com/sports/2024/9/23/curc-2024.aspx
