The Okanagan/Thompson team and their coaches at the provincial championships in Burnaby (submitted photo)

By Pete McIntyre

B.C. championships

Local rowers bring home medals from provincials

Jul 26, 2023 | 6:00 PM

Rowers from Vernon, Salmon Arm and Kelowna showed off their paddle power with a historic showing at the Rowing BC Provincial championships.

A Vernon athlete won a provincial title, while the Okanagan/Thompson rower team scored eight podiums at the event held on Burnaby Lake in Burnaby July 21-23.

Team officials called the results “a huge achievement for rowing in the B.C. Interior.”

Jonas Masys of the Vernon Rowing and Dragon Boat Club (VRDBC) did his community proud by winning the provincial championship in the Under 19 Men’s Single event.

B.C. Champion Jonas Masys of the Vernon Rowing and Dragon Boat Club after the final race (submitted photo)

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Elena Masyte of VRDBC scored a bronze medal in Women’s Lightweight Single. VRDBC’s Sierra Munroe and Cora Van Vliet also made the podium, taking second and third place in the U17 and U19 Women’s Single events respectively.

In the U17 Women’s Single category, the Okanagan/Thompson team dominated the podium. Aida Mills of Salmon Arm claimed the champion regalia, while Kelowna’s Kiersten Bereska secured the third spot.Oleksii Lupan and Kate Kulig of Kelowna finished fifth in their respective single scull races.

The BC Champion U17 Womens 4x crew. L-R: Sierra Munroe, Kiersten Bereska, Aida Mills and Heidi Miege after winning the final. (submitted photo)

Composite quadruple scull teams showcased the strength of cooperation in the region. Aida Mills, Heidi Miege (both Salmon Arm), Kiersten Bereska (Kelowna), and Sierra Munroe (VRDBC) finished first in the U17 Women’s event. The men’s crew, including Jonas Masys (VRDBC), Ian VanBergeyk (Salmon Arm), Nolan Stiven (VRDBC), and Bentley Schipfel (Salmon Arm), placed second.

The women’s open crew featuring Elena Masyte, Cora Van Vliet (both VRDBC), Kate Kulig (Kelowna) and Annika Van Vliet (VRDBC), finished fifth.

University of Victoria athletes and VRDBC graduates, Danica and Natalya Ariano, continued to be formidable competitors, with Natalya finishing second in the Women’s Single category, and the pair securing first place in the Women’s Four and Women’s Eight categories.

A heartwarming highlight of the event was the performance of Peter Masys of VRDBC, who at 13 was the youngest athlete in the event. After the time trials, Masys was placed into a semi-final with only one competitor, Richard Fergie of Terrace – an elite rower, who suffered an unfortunate accident during the time trial and ended up placing last. Fergie, however, chose to patiently pace his young rival into a personal best of 9:00.980, becoming an example of true spirit of camaraderie in sports.