VICTORIA – It was a perfect day on the Gorge Waterway and everything was in line as the University of Victoria Vikes women's varsity rowing crew executed a race plan that culminated in them hoisting the program's 24
th and second-straight Brown Cup title. The head-to-head eights race with the UBC Thunderbirds was thrilling from start to finish as alumni of both schools, community and supporters cheered from the Selkirk trestle, Bay Street bridge, Johnson Street Bridge and at the organized viewing party outside the Delta Ocean Pointe Hotel.
RESULTS
The morning started with the women's reserve crews testing the race course of 3.6-km. The UBC Thunderbirds crew stroked by Madi Obrovac came through the Johnson Street bridge with a significant gap to take the Campbell-Dowd cup title in 12:11.34, while the Vikes reserves finished in 12:21.66.
Photo: Kevin Light
"Barney has prepared us really, really well since we got back on the water in February," explained captain
Larissa McKinlay who rowed the four seat in the varsity eights. "We did some even eights which is great training for this event because it's side by side every run. Once we got into the varsity either we had some of the men's 3V and novice boats training alongside us which helps us just know what it's like having a boat right beside us. That's what it's like on the Gorge and that's just how we trained."
For McKinlay, this was her last race as a Vikes varsity athlete.
"This is bigger than Nationals for us because UVic and UBC are the two best schools in the country," explained McKinlay. "You take these two schools and make the course longer and more tactical just makes it more intense. There's also so much history in this event."
Senior and captain Larissa McKinlay honoured after her last Vikes race with Alumni Chapter Chair Claire Truesdale (Photo: Kevin Light)
The varsity race was an exciting one as the Vikes crew coxed by
Lily Copeland and stroked by
Piper Battersby came through the final stretch with over a boat length of a lead. UBC made the push at the end but the Vikes came away victorious in 11:41.35 with the Thunderbirds crossing in 11:50.44.
"They just absolutely executed in my mind the perfect race," said Vikes head coach
Barney Williams. "They capitalized on their opportunities but they also really were agile and where they needed to be. The first half of the race they were really under pressure and we said 'bend but don't break' and the second half was the reward for that for sure."
Photo: Kevin Light
For Williams, this is his first Brown Cup but as head coach of the Vikes and not an athlete in the boat. The former Vike and two-time Olympian had lots riding on his crew's first Brown Cup performance at home.
"We just have that spirit in our daily training environment of train at 'x' so you race at 'x'," said Williams about his approach to the team's preparation. "Whatever you do in training you have to duplicate on the race course so we made sure every session had an element of that and some challenges, some variables and some unknowns. That's very uncomfortable for athletes so it was a philosophy of leave no stone unturned and by the end of the day you have that sense of the crew showing up to the start line ready for anything. Full credit to them for that mind set and embracing it. It's exhausting but it's the only way forward."
Photo: Kevin Light
The event was also the culmination of the Legends Cup, a series of head-to-head events across multiple sports with UBC. The Thunderbirds hoist the inaugural cup for 2018-19, while the Brown Cup for 2019 signifies a much more unified approach to event itself.
"It took a lot of collaboration between the coaches initially and then the universities and that's the way forward," said Williams about the joint efforts to execute the event. "By putting the two departments and programs together behind this event we raised the bar. That's because it's a shared visit and our hope moving forward is there is a community out there behind us that wants to help us grow this."
VARSITY 8+ RESULTS
- Victoria (11:41.35)
- UBC (11:50.44)
RESERVE 8+ RESULTS
- UBC (12:11.34)
- Victoria (12:21.66)
