GNS Students Shine at Henley Regatta

This August, Grade 10 students Ronen S., Leo P., and Sally J. competed at the 136th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines, Ontario. There were over 2,300 athletes at the Henley Regatta, and the students had the amazing opportunity to meet other rowers from all over the world. “It was almost like a ‘Round Square’ cultural exchange event,” says Sarah Jones, Sally’s mother.All three of the students learned to row – and row well – for the GNS Rowing Team. They attribute their love of the sport in large measure to Rene Gonin, GNS Rowing coach and former Olympian for the Team Switzerland. “GNS rowing was a great,” says Ronen. “It was a lot of consistent practice and a lot of progress was made. It was also great to spend time with the novice rowers and help out when needed.” After their experience and successes in the GNS Rowing Program, they started rowing for the Victoria City Rowing Club last year. Their training for the Henley Regatta was intense, but paid off. “We practiced seven times a week on the water for the month prior to our departure,” says Sally. “That added up to about 14 hours a week of practicing during the month of July.” At Henley, rowed a single and a double with her teammate Nina. In the double, they placed 6th in the under 17 women’s double category out of 66 entries from clubs worldwide. In the under 17 women’s single, Sally finished 5th out of 72 entries. ”It was a really fun experience with great competition, and I’m excited to go to more national and international competitions in the future,” Sally says. Ronen and Leo raced together in the Men’s Under 17 Quad, placing 4th in the final out of 44 entries. Ronen also raced in the Men’s Under 17 Single and made it to the semi-finals out of 77 entries. Leo raced in the Men’s Under 17 Double and came 3rd in his heat, narrowly missing the semi-finals. “Overall, it was an extremely humbling experience being on such a massive race course with thousands of athletes there, especially considering there are 77 entries in your event, meaning over 300 athletes of your age,” says Leo. Along with Ronen, Leo, and Jack D.’20, Sally is part of the development program at Victoria City Rowing Club. They practice around 22 hours a week. Sally encourages anyone curious about rowing to give it a try, especially if they haven’t really found a sport you’re passionate about. “I tried many different sports before I began rowing and thought that I would never find a sport that I loved,” Sally says. “I started when I was in Grade 9 with the GNS fall season team and it has become a year round sport for me. The GNS fall team is a great place to get started and the coaches are absolutely wonderful.” For more information on rowing at GNS, contact Rene Gonin at gonin@shaw.ca.