VICTORIA – The final and most exciting rowing event of the season is nearly here for the Thunderbirds, as they are in the midst of their final preparations for the upcoming Brown Cup rivalry showdown against the Victoria Vikes.
Held at the Gorge Waterway over on the island, the 'Birds and Vikes will do battle on Saturday, March 28, beginning with the first of four races at noon. Each year the Brown Cup brings out thousands of spectators who line the course at various popular viewing spots like the Johnson Street Bridge and Bay Street Bridge, with thousands more watching the
livestream broadcasted by CHEK Media.
"We have had a good season of training, and the team has worked hard to develop what we feel is better boat speed than we had in the fall," said UBC women's team head coach
Craig Pond. "We are excited to get to the start line! The growth in viewership has not only helped to build hype around the event but also makes it that much more meaningful to compete in. It's a huge boost for the team."
This year is the 33rd edition of the Brown Cup, which dates back to 1991. Contested as two races featuring the top eight on both the men's and women's sides for the first couple decades, reserve races were introduced in 2011 with those crews competing for the Campbell-Dowd Cup.
Last year, UBC prevailed in three of the four races, winning both Brown Cup contests as well as the men's Campbell-Dowd. While UVic still holds the most wins in the series all-time, the UBC men have been dominant in recent years, winning the Brown Cup race in each of the last five editions, in addition to six of the last seven Campbell-Dowds.
The 'Birds will be aiming to continue what's been a strong season to this point, with UBC reigning as champions at both the Western Canadian University Championships as well as the Canadian University Rowing Championships.
On the women's side, the T-Birds also pulled out the win at the Western Canadian Championships, but finished behind the Vikes at nationals the following month. UBC and UVic have been difficult to separate on the women's side at the Brown Cup in recent years, evenly splitting the last six races on both the varsity and reserve sides.
The Thunderbird women have won back-to-back Brown Cup races heading into this year's event, the first time that's happened in series history. They'll aim for their first three-peat on Saturday in what's sure to be a hotly contested race.
"We need to stay focused on process and not get ahead of ourselves," added Pond. "We have worked hard on staying in the moment, being complete from start to finish. This will be key for us."
You can tune into the exciting event by clicking
HERE for the live broadcast. The races begin with the men's Campbell-Dowd at 12:05 p.m., followed by the women's at 12:25 p.m. and the men's and women's Brown Cups at 1:05 p.m. and 1:25 p.m. (all times PT).
