The best university rowing teams in the country converge on London, Ontario this weekend, as the Thunderbirds compete in the Canadian University Rowing Championships on Saturday and Sunday.

The T-Bird men are on a dynastic run, having won each of the last four national titles, but received a real warning shot in the form of the Victoria Vikes earning a narrow victory at the Western Canadian University Rowing Championships at the beginning of October.
 

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On the women's side, the Thunderbirds are shooting for their first national championship since 2021, having finished as runners' up on multiple occasions since. The Vikes also claimed the women's banner at the WCURCs, but UBC women's head coach Craig Pond has confidence heading into this weekend.

"We're feeling good with where the group is sitting right now," said Pond. "Coming off a competitive block at WCURCs and following that up with a win in the Open Women's 8+ at the Head of Shawnigan, we've proven that our speed is there and our depth across the squad is building every week. 

"Racing tight coastal rivalries has forced us to sharpen our training and chemistry. The energy in the boat house is high and we're peaking right when we want to be as we look ahead to CURCs."

All of the action takes place on Fanshawe Lake, northeast of downtown London. The time trials are set for Saturday, November 7, with the finals on Sunday, November 8.

"Championships are won with depth of performance across all events," added Pond. "I feel that all our team has dedicated a lot of time to ensure we have trained adequately in all boat classes. The key this weekend will be to perform consistently throughout the regatta, and I feel the team is very capable of doing that."