Winnipeg rowers pulled hard for a first-place finish – on land.
On Sunday, the Winnipeg Rowing Club hosted its annual indoor rowing challenge at the clubhouse. All races took place on rowing machines, but that didn’t slow the athletes' competitive nature.
“We hooked up our (rowing machines) together, put up a projection so racers can see what their times are and see their own boat move across the screen,” said Steven Taylor, head coach of the Winnipeg Rowing Club.
Full races were 2,000 metres in length, with 500 metre races available for non-rowers. People could also row as a team for a relay event.
It’s not unusual for Winnipeg rowers to race indoors; the club’s junior and senior competitive teams run tests, just like Sunday's races, every six to eight weeks during the winter.
“We’re just a small little club that has winter six months out of the year…but we have a long history of high performance success,” said Taylor. “In the last Olympics alone we had four of our former members racing in London for Canada.”
