While silently working behind the scenes at every competition, umpires maintain fairness and safety during a regatta. Hence each race, from start to finish, is monitored. Well-trained umpires are thus crucial in order to ensure a well organized, athlete centric regatta.
At every World Rowing competition a jury of eighteen to twenty umpires, which includes a president of the jury and two spare umpires, are present. The various umpiring roles are shared amongst them.
Canadians who umpire at the world level must pass practical and written tests in addition to having al least three years experience umpiring with their national federation.
Canadians are well represented on the world stage. This year, a number of them will be umpiring at regattas around the world.
Below is a list of Canadian Umpires working on the international stage for the 2015 competitive racing season.
Thomas Blacquiere - World Rowing Cup I, Bled, Slovenia Philippe Colas - World University Games - Chungju, Korea Ken Campbell - Pan American Games, Toronto, Ontario Charles Hauss - Pan American Games, Toronto, Ontario Allan Horne - Pan American Games, Toronto, Ontario Debbie Wood - Pan American Games, Toronto, Ontario Jim Marino - World Rowing Under 23 Championships - Plovdiv, Bulgaria Brian Fiori - World Rowing Junior Championships, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Dave Derry - World Rowing Championships - Aiguebelette, France William Donegan - World Coastal Rowing Championships for Clubs, Lima, Peru
The first important international event will be the World Cup I regatta, held this year in Bled, Slovenia from the 8th until the 10th of May.