(Delta, British Columbia – May 25, 2025) Nine Vernon rowers delivered an unprecedented performance at the Delta Deas Scholastic Regatta on May 24-25, racing the 1000-metre course to a tally of five gold and three silver medals, competing against 228 crews from across the province. Saturday's action kicked off with Peter Masys and Leo Middelkamp dominating the U17 Mens Double. They first won their time trial with a commanding 03:40.41 and then secured
gold in the final with a 03:35.18. In the Mixed Double, Cole O'Connor and Sierra Munroe were equally formidable, winning their heat (03:48.36) before seizing first place in the final at 03:37.21.
Later, Munroe went with Aida Mills in the U19 Womens Pair. In the notoriously challenging boat class, they struck gold with a time of 04:00.30. O’Connor, with 16-year-old Ryland Holmgren, added a silver medal in the U19 Mens Double. Performances from developing athletes were also promising: Amy Milne placed 15th in the U19 Womens Single time trial, Anthony Masys finished 3rd in his U15 Mens Single heat, and Kate Green secured 6th in the Womens Novice Single final. Sunday was no less impressive for the Vernon crew. In the U17 Mens Single, P. Masys continued his quest for gold, winning the final with a memorable 3:44.58. Middelkamp, also in the final, was on track for a podium finish before an unfortunate encounter with a course buoy in the last 200 metres saw him place a hard-fought fourth. O’Connor captured another gold in the U19 Mens Single, clocking 03:33.74 after a strong third in the time trial. Munroe and Milne added to their weekend tally, winning their U19 Womens 2x heat (04:00.44) and
then securing silver in the final with a time of 03:53.05.
For those keen to see if this Vernon momentum continues, or perhaps just spectate some close-quarters racing, the local rowing scene shifts to Swan Lake for the annual Lap theLake regatta. Action kicks off June 14th at 9 AM, and the admission is free.

(Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia – May 11 th , 2025) Four Vernon rowers are bringing home gold medals from the Shawnigan Lake School regatta – one of the largest high school rowing events in the province. Among the over 550 boats competing on the 2000-metre course on Shawnigan Lake, six crews were from Vernon. They saw it all – from discouraging equipment failures and weather so bad that races were cancelled, to the sweet joy of victory for those who work hard. The U19 mixed double crew – Cole O’Connor and Sierra Munroe – crossed the finish line first at 7:34, leaving their closest opponent trailing by 12 seconds. Both athletes are joining university rowing programs next year. Munroe has been recruited by the University of Rhode Island, and O’Connor caught the sights of the University of Victoria. They will be joining five more Vernon Rowing and Dragon Boat alumni, who are currently rowing in university teams across the country. The day before, O’Connor also snagged a bronze medal in the U19 men’s single race – one of the most competitive events – finishing at 8:00. Munroe, on the other hand, suffered an unfortunate equipment failure and did not progress into the U19 women’s single final. The U17 crew – Peter Masys and Leo Middelkamp – were forced off the water on Saturday by high winds, along with their competitors. Their rescheduled race was organized in a rare timed final format, where they not only had to race their opponents in the same final but also needed to post the fastest time of all finals combined. Luckily, the boys pushed their hardest, because the 41-second gap they attained in their final at 8:17 gave them only a 2-second overall lead and, of course, a set of gold medals. Middelkamp also made the U17 men’s singles B final, where he finished 4th.

Double Gold for Vernon Junior Rowers in B.C. Summer Games
(Burnaby, British Columbia – July 21, 2024) Aida Mills and Sierra Munroe were awarded a B.C. Summer Games rowing event gold medal for their race in U19 Women’s Pair, and then joined a U19 Mixed Scull crew, and were the first to finish again. Last weekend, over 60 rowers from across the province competed at Burnaby Lake, the rowing venue for the B.C. Summer Games in Maple Ridge. The crews raced over a straight 1000-meter course, with notable success from Zone 2 (Okanagan / Thompson) athletes. Rising stars in junior rowing, Aida Mills (Salmon Arm) and Sierra Munroe (Vernon) excelled in the challenging Pair event. In this boat, each crew member has only one blade, requiring perfect
synchronization just to keep the shell moving straight. Despite having slightly over a month to train together, they embraced the challenge and mastered the skill. Their 4:10 finish on Saturday earned them gold, ahead of Cora Van Vliet and Amy Milne (both from Vernon) at 4:18, and Sam Kronis and Rowan Denis (both from Nanaimo) at 4:22. On Sunday, Mills and Munroe joined Jonas Masys (Vernon) and Oleksii Lupan (Kelowna) in a Mixed Quad and won another gold medal with a time of 3:14, outpacing the next competitor by nearly 10 seconds. This was the first time this crew had rowed together. The U17 Mixed Quad crew, consisting of Leo Middelkamp, Peter Masys, Autumn Prediger, and Louisa Van Vliet (all from Vernon), earned a bronze with a time of 3:34. Peter Masys also joined the ranks of double-medalists with a silver in the U17 Men’s Single.
These junior athletes are already attracting attention from university rowing team recruiters, once again highlighting Vernon on the provincial rowing map.

We're thrilled to announce that our site opening on April 27th was an absolute success, with a record time of just 21 minutes! This remarkable achievement wouldn't have been possible without the incredible efforts of our dedicated volunteers and enthusiastic juniors who worked to make it a speedy morning.

A special shoutout also goes to our green-thumbed volunteers who spent their morning sprucing up our gardens. 

​As we reflect on the start of the season, we're reminded of the power of collaboration and community spirit. It's moments like these that highlight the strength of our club and the incredible things we can achieve when we come together with a shared goal. We look forward to building on this success and continuing to work together to create memorable experiences for our members. Thank you once again to everyone who contributed to making our site opening a resounding success!