MONTREAL – Fresh off of a pair of wins at the Western Canadian University Championships, next stop is the national stage at the Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC). With two race days on the Saturday and Sunday of November 1 and 2, the stage is set for some high-level rowing at the Olympic Basin in Montreal.
 
Hosted by McGill University, the two-day national title chase will begin with time trials Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. before going head-to-head for the championship glory on Sunday. A record 28 schools are expected to participate at this year's event, with nearly 400 athletes hitting the water.
 
The UBC men's team has been a dynasty in recent years, winning the CURC in seven of the last eight seasons. In particular they have dominated the heavyweight events, winning the 8+ seven years in a row, the 1x five years in a row, and the 2+ four years in a row.
 
After defeating their closest competitors UVic at the Western Canadian Championships, the T-Birds will face a stiff test in Montreal as the Vikes are joined by schools including Brock and Western as top contenders to dethrone the 'Birds. Brock came very close to doing so last year, finishing with 107 points compared to 113 for UBC.


 
The T-Bird women are searching for their first CURC title since 2021, after finishing second-place at the event each of the last two years. It was a close battle last fall, as UVic edged out UBC by a score of 119 to 110. After defeating the Vikes earlier this month at the Western Canadian Championships in Burnaby, the T-Birds will be able to take some real confidence into this weekend's nationals.
 
The CURC finishes off a busy month of action for the Thunderbirds, who also had teams competing in successful outings at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston and the Head & Tail of the Gorge event in Victoria a couple weeks ago.
 
See the full schedule for the 2025 Canadian University Rowing Championships here: www.regattacentral.com