Jonesing for PB at Ontario Indoor Rowing Championships

Malarie Jones checked off all the boxes Saturday at the Ontario Indoor Rowing Championships at Ridley College.

“It’s the Ontarios so you want to go out there and do your best all the time,” the Grade 12 student at E.L. Crossley said. “Having an improvement or a PB (personal best) is your first goal obviously but winning is an extra bonus.”

The 17-year-old Wainfleet resident did all of the above, shattering her previous PB by five seconds and winning the senior high school women’s event by more than 11 seconds for the second straight year.

Last week, she recorded a 7:04 time in the 2,000-metre ergometer race to finish second at the world championships. Her time of 6:59.1 Saturday came within one second of breaking the Ontario record set back in 2003 by Yvonne Epp.

“It came into my head that I had just missed the record but it was a five-second PB for me and at the end of the day that is really great. I am really proud of myself.”

The member of Team Ontario’s eight that won gold at the 2022 Canada Summer Games credited her training for her excellent progress.

“I have recently been training at the RowOntario Centre and we train twice a day, six days a week. It’s hard work going out twice a day with school as well. In the long run, if you stick to the plan, it all works.”

Jones is looking forward to the spring rowing season.

“Around the time of the last erg competition, it’s ‘All right. I am ready to get back on the water.’ ”

She won Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association gold last spring and followed that up in the summer by placing 10th in the women’s four at the under-19 worlds and mining gold at the Canada Games.

“I am looking to make the junior national team again and a friend (Stella Bittman) and I are trying to get a boat together for the small boat trials.”

Her 2022 appearance at the junior worlds has been a big motivation for this season.

“This sport is about constantly improving yourself and you don’t want to settle,” she said. “I am on to the next thing now. Let’s get sub-6:59.”

Following are winners and top five local results from Saturday’s event:

Junior high school men: 1, Adam Falvo, Notre Dame (6:58.3); 3, Chen Gong, Ridley; 4. Leo Uttley, Churchill; 5. Jack  Ciocca, St. Francis.

Junior high school women: 1. Sydney Swick, Ridley (7:24.5); 2. Rachel; Dirks; 3. Jade Postma, Ridley.

Junior high school 150-pound men: 1. Levi Patterson-Raby, Churchill (7:02.8) ; 2, Myles Quintyn, Niagara Falls RC; 3. Noah Paquin, Crossley; 4. Ashton Kidd, Ridley; 5. Domenic Rapone, Denis Morris.

Junior high school 165-pound men: 1. Jack Moyer, Eden (6:56.6); 2 Lucas Riddle, Crossley; 3. Lucas Mason, St. Francis; 4. Ethan Postma, Ridley; 5. Marcus Santoro, Ridley.

Junior high school 135-pound women: 1. Reagan Hamm, Denis Morris (7:53.6) ; 2. Pippa Soyka Rozendaal, Churchill; 3. Sarah Graham, Crossley; 4. Shanelle Burcher, Denis Morris; 5. Abbygayle Durliat, Simcoe.

Junior high school 145-pound women: 1. Kailey McKimm, Denis Morris (7:55.3); 4. Kaitlyn Furtney, Crossley; 5. Fleur Goedhart, Crossley.

Masters women: 1 Rae Ceccato, St. Catharines RC (7:42) : 2. Tanya Rodger, South Niagara RC; 4. Rhonda Chopin, South Niagara RC.

Masters men: 1. Andrew Gordon, Guelph (6:57.8); 5. Mohammed N., Ridley.

Under-13 boys 500 metres: 1. Clark St. Amand, Ridley (1:52.7); 2, Maxim Easton, Ridley; 4. Ethan Maroney, South Niagara RC; 5. Carrington Flus, Ridley.

Under-15 boys 500 metres: 1. Frank Lu, Ridley (1:44.9); 3. Jerry Xin, Ridley; 5. Jeremy  Hauber, South Niagara RC.

Girls 13-15 500 metres: 1. Braelyn Johnston, Notre Dame RC (1:47.2); 2. Gina Yu, Ridley.

Under-13 girls 500 metres: 1. Gwen Scobie, Ridley (2:04.3); 2. Sienna Szewczyk, Ridley; 3. Alayah  Osbourne, Ridley.

Senior high school 150-pound men: 1. Liam Shapland, Crossley (6:54.7); 2. Hudson Stortz, Crossley; 3. Sam  Parlatore, Denis Morris; 4. Arden White, Churchill; 5. James Cuff, Crossley.

Senior high school 165-pound men: 1. Preston Darling, Crossley (6:26.8); 2. Leo  Biancaniello, St. Francis; 4. Bassil DiLorenzo, Croslsey; 5. Carson Fernick, Blessed Trinity.

Senior high school 135-pound women: 1. Kairsen Frick, Churchill (7:41.5); 2. Emerson Darling, Crossley; 3. Juliette Freure, Crossley; 4. Ciara Allington, St. Francis.

Senior high school 145-pound women: 1. Sarah Stacey, Crossley (7:29); 2. Ashlynn Fehr, Niagara Falls RC.

Senior high school women: 1. Malaria Jones, Crossley (6:59.1); 2. Emma Goedhart, Crossley; 3. Ingrid Eshuis, Eden; 4. Mackenzie Murray, Niagara Falls RC.

Senior high school men: 1. Caillen Pieckenhagen, Ridley (6:24.6); 2. Alessio Perco, Crossley; 4. Matti Essig, Eden; 5. Aidan Smouter, Crossley.

Open lightweight women: 1. Natasha Kozak, Waterloo (7:30.5).

Open 19-22 lightweight men: 1. Ahmet Gulsaran, Waterloo (7:02.3).

Open lightweight men: 1. Lucas Austin, Ridley Grad (6:44.7).