Several Canadian National Team members will take to the traditional course at Henley-on-Thames in England for the 2005 Henley Royal Regatta, June 29 to July 3.
Men's pair Barney Williams of Salt Spring Island, B.C., an Olympic silver medallist, and Scott Frandsen of Kelowna, B.C. will race for Oxford, where they attend university, in the Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup. In this event for mens pairs, the tradition of giving a pair of silver "cups" to the winning crew started in 1850.
A quad of Liam Parsons of Thunder Bay, Ont., Doug Vandor of Dewittville, Que., Jeff Bujas of Grimsby, Ont., and Matt Jensen of Innerkip, Ont. will race as Victoria City Rowing Club (VCRC) in the Queen Mother Challenge Cup. This is the top event for men's quadruple sculls at the regatta.
Olympians Cam Baerg of Saskatoon, Sask., Kyle Hamilton of Richmond, B.C., Ben Rutledge of Cranbrook, B.C. and Kevin Light of Sidney, B.C. will race as VCRC in the Stewards' Challenge Cup, the top event for coxless fours at Henley. Baerg picked up a silver in the men's four in Athens, and Hamilton, Rutledge and Light were members of the fifth-place finishing men's eight at the Olympics.
The final races of all these events take place on Sunday, July 3. The Henley Regatta was first held in 1839 and has been held annually ever since, except during the two World Wars. Originally staged by the mayor and people of Henley as a public attraction with a fair and other amusements, the emphasis rapidly changed so that competitive amateur rowing became its main purpose.
Canada's top men and women rowers will race next at the World Cup in Lucerne, July 8 to 10.