Schoolboy’s boy wonders
Lucas Maroney is hoping Sunday is the start of a successful summer of rowing on Henley Island.
The Grade 12 student at Notre Dame won the senior boys single at the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association championships one day before he starts the junior national team trials on the same course. At stake, is a berth on Team Canada for the under-worlds Aug. 18 to 25 in Catharines.
“I wanted to get some experience on it before trials and worlds and it went pretty well,” the 18-year-old said. “Trials are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and if I make the team then I will be training on the single until worlds.”
Last year, he tied for ninth in the single at the junior worlds and it’s a boat he has grown quite fond of.
“I feel like I can really control the race. It’s about finding out about yourself and pushing yourself to the limits without having to rely on someone else. It creates a lot of fun.”
He is stoked at having the chance to represent Canada in his backyard.
“My grandparents are coming down from Uruguay to be able to watch and that would be really special if I could have a good result there.”
Maroney returned to the Schoolboy after a one-year absence.
“I took the year off high school racing to train through it. I figured that was the most beneficial for me last year but I wanted to come out and have one last go at high school racing.”
It was important for him to make that happen.
“I didn’t want to miss out on my entire high school career. I figured I might as well end it off with my Grade 12 year. It felt pretty good. Braedon (Durcak) gave me a pretty good push which was fun and I am grateful for that.”
When he last raced Schoolboy in 2022, he won the junior single and placed second in the senior single.
When summer ends, Maroney will head to Dartmouth for his freshman year of collegiate rowing.
“It is coming up pretty quick and I am really excited. They are racing IRAs (Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships) right now and are having some pretty good results. I am excited to see how they will do next year when I am there and I am looking forward to having fun with a bigger crew.”
SENIOR MEN’S 72.5-KILOGRAM SINGLE
Liam Shapland’s incredible spring continued Sunday with an impressive win in the senior boys 72.5-kilogram lightweight single at the Schoolboy regatta.
Earlier this spring, the Grade 12 student at E.L. Crossley won the heavyweight single at the Stotesbury Cup in Philadelphia and the South Niagara regatta.
“I kind of got put into the single because in the States lightweight is a bit lighter and I wanted to race something in the States,” he said. “I put myself in the single and I didn’t know what to expect but I started to find my rhythm as I went.”
He is now a big fan of the event.
“You have so much control when you are in the boat and it is a lot of fun.”
Combined with the gold he won Sunday stroking the heavyweight quad, the 17-year-old Fonthill resident now has five CSSRA gold medals on his resume.
“We are doing a lot of distance, taking a lot of strokes and we really put in the time,” he said. “Getting time in the boat and doing distance you can trust yourself in the middle of the race and that’s the best part.”
The best part is also winning Schoolboy gold.
“It is so important. We row the whole season for this event and everything else is second to this,” Shapland said. “It is just so much fun here and it’s great racing. That was a phenomenal race.”
He will be rowing lightweight at Queen’s University this fall but first he will take a crack at the Canadian junior national trials this coming week in St. Catharines in the coxed four. Last year, he won the first stage of the trials in Ontario but got knocked out in the second round of trials in British Columbia.
“Trials will be a lot of fun and whether I do worlds or CanAmMex or row for my club this summer I just really enjoy racing. It’s a lot of fun no matter what I do this summer.”
JUNIOR MEN’S DOUBLE
E.L.Crossley’s Jack Moyer and Hunter Guillemette capped an unbeaten season in the junior men’s double by winning Schoolboy gold Sunday.
The crew also won the John Bennett, South Niagara and Mother’s Day regattas.
“We just have really great chemistry. On the way up, we were laughing about stuff and making jokes,” Moyer said.
Guillemette credited work ethic for the boat’s success.
“We were practising day in and day out and we had upwards of 70 practices. It was chemistry and all that.”
Having fun was also important.
“Someone told me fun rowing is good rowing and if you are laughing and having fun you are going to be able to focus. If you are taking it too seriously, it’s not going to be good.”
It was Moyer’s first CSSRA gold.
“Last year, I did so bad in the final. I was in the novice eight and I think we pulled 7:50 or something like that. It was not that great,” the Grade 10 student said.
That showing made this year’s gold even cooler for the 16-year-old.
“It feels great. It was the most painful race in my life. You have to give it everything if you want to win this. If you lay off for one stroke it’s over and everyone is going to take advantage of that. We stayed in it and gave it everything.”
The gold by Guillemette ended a string of near misses at Schoolboy. Last year, he was 0.1 seconds off winning gold in the lightweight four and Sunday morning the Grade 10 student finished 0.3 seconds off winning gold in the junior men’s four.
“It is the best feeling ever. I have never done anything as good as this so far,” he said. “It’s great and we are looking forward to what we can do in the future.”
