Brock University Men’s Rowing to compete at the Henley Royal Regatta

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University Men’s Rowing heavyweight 8+ will be competing at the upcoming Henley Royal Regatta Temple Challenge Cup which takes place between June 30th and July 4th, 2010 in Henley-on-Thames, England.

“This is a real feather in our cap,” said Brock Director of Athletics Dr. Lorne J. Adams. “Having the opportunity to compete at the Henley Royal Regatta speaks volumes about the quality of our program and our athletes. We are competing with the best in the world and look forward to testing ourselves at that level.”

The Temple Challenge Cup is a collegiate level event attended by the best collegiate crews from around the world, as well as in the United Kingdom. Crews compete down 2100m in dual races (2 boats side-by-side) with single elimination (instead of the 6 boat racing as seen in the Olympics).

“Our student-athletes worked hard this season and have earned the opportunity to compete at the Henley Royal Regatta which is something special they will always remember in their university rowing careers,” said Brock head coach Peter Somerwil. “As an athlete I had the chance to race in this prestigious regatta and now have the opportunity to take part in it as a coach.”

“The style of racing at this event will definitely be a challenge for our athletes,” explained Somerwil. “It is not like any other regatta in the world, but our crew is training hard each day leading up to the event.”

The Henley Royal Regatta is one of the most prestigious rowing regattas in the world. Recognized by FISA (the International Federation of Rowing Associations), the regatta is attended by International caliber crews that compete in open categories, as well as top club, collegiate, and secondary school level crews.

The Brock University crew is comprised of coxswain Alexsia Dekaneas (Ancaster, Ont), stroke Ben Cushnie (Fonthill, Ont.), Brendan Coffey (Fonthill, Ont.), Keegan Drummond (Quispamsis, NB), Thomas Morley (St. Catharines, Ont.), Joshua Gracin (Welland, Ont.), Travis King (St.Catharines, Ont.), Corey Brunton (St. Catharines, Ont.), Sylas Coletto (Vineland, Ont.) and Patrick O’Connor (Toronto, Ont.) as the spare. The crew coaches are Assistant Coach Steffan Wagner and Brock University Rowing Head Coach Peter Somerwil.

Earlier this spring the Brock Men’s 8+ made history becoming the first Canadian crew to capture the Richard O'Brien Trophy placing first in the Varsity Men’s 8+ at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, Penn. The Dad Vail Regatta is one of the largest Collegiate rowing events in North America, and the regatta’s organizing committee has sponsored winning collegiate crews to compete at the Henley Royal Regatta in the past.

With the sponsorship of the Dad Vail Regatta Organizing Committee and support from Aberdeen Asset Management, the Brock University Men’s 8+ will be following in a tradition of excellence, as Brock University crews have competed a number of times at this prestigious regatta.