Competitive rowing is returning to Burnaby Lake this summer in a big way.
Following on the heels of the recent announcement that Burnaby Lake will host next year's Canadian Masters Championships, Burnaby Lake Rowing Club announced two more events for the lake, one this month and another in July.
The Tourism Burnaby-sponsored events are the Mid-Summer Madness Regatta on June 30 and the Cascadia Master Regatta on July 20 and 21.
The Mid-Summer event will bring together rowers from B.C. and Washington State to compete in three divisions, junior under-19, junior under-23 and seniors. Races will start at approximately 10 a.m.
The Cascadia Masters has grown by boat lengths.
"Two years ago, we had just over 100 entries," said Burnaby Lake rowing coach Cinda Ewton. "Last year, the event grew to 425 entries, and we anticipate close to 500 entries next month."
The event, for rowers 21-and-over, is expected to draw rowers from B.C., Alberta and California, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho and Washington states.
"Tourism Burnaby is excited to welcome these two events and the 2014 Canadian Masters Regatta to Burnaby," said Tourism Burnaby executive-director Matthew Coyne. "We have a proud tradition of hosting successful sporting events, and we are delighted to see events of this calibre return to Burnaby and showcase how special a rowing facility we have in Burnaby."
Burnaby Lake Rowing Club won out over Welland, Ont. and Victoria to host the 2014 National Masters, which will be staged July 18 to 20.
Burnaby Lake will also host two events this fall, the small boat invitational regatta on Oct. 5 and the Western Canadian university rowing championships on Oct. 19.
