Rideau Canoe Club
Encyclopedia
The Rideau Canoe Club is a canoe
club located on the Rideau River
in Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
. The club is located at Mooney's Bay, where the Rideau Canal
splits away from the river prior to joining up with the Ottawa River
.
The emphasis at RCC is on sprint canoe
and kayak
racing
, that is, long and slender boats intended for flat water racing, but the club is also counts numerous dragon boat
teams, marathon canoes, recreational canoers, and surf lifesavers among its users.
.http://www.rideaucanoe.on.ca/history.php A book on the history of the club has been written by lifetime member Mike Scott.http://www.canoekayak.ca/eng_newsarticle.cfm?ID=95
In June 2009, it was announced that the RCC was to receive $1.8 million dollars in federal, provincial, and municipal funding for an expansion project http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/bulldog/archive/2009/06/26/rideau-canoe-club-gets-infrastructure-funds.aspx, with significant financial contributions to be made to the project by the club membership as well. The RCC is undergoing a significant expansion and renovation of existing facilities to better allow the club to serve its ever-growing user base, including modifications to make RCC the first canoe club in Canada which is fully accessible to persons with disabilities
.
), where a K-2 is a 2 person kayak and C-4 is a 4 person canoe, etc. Several programs are offered, encompassing children and teenagers of varying experience and skill levels, high-performance paddlers, and Masters paddlers (age 25 and up). Rideau traditionally hosts a Canada Day
regatta, drawing high-performance athletes from across Canada and the United States. Dragon Boat
practices are frequently held at the club and the Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival is held on the club's course, with visiting teams setting up across the river. The Club also offers courses in more conventional recreational canoes and kayaks, and is the venue for the Head of the Rideau rowing
regatta
, held annually in late September by the Ottawa Rowing Club.
, cross-country ski, or skate
as well.
and Renn Crichlow
have paddled out of the RCC, and several high-level Canadian athletes call Rideau their current home club, including Angus Mortimer
and Ian Mortimer
, Kristin Gauthier, and Victoria Tuttle.
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
club located on the Rideau River
Rideau River
thumb|Rapids on the Rideau River opposite [[Carleton University]].The Rideau River is a Southern Ontario river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is 146 km...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The club is located at Mooney's Bay, where the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
splits away from the river prior to joining up with the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
.
The emphasis at RCC is on sprint canoe
Sprint canoe
A sprint canoe is a special type of canoe used in the sport of flatwater canoe racing.A one-person sprint canoe is 5.20 metres long; a traveling canoe of a similar length would be suitable for 2 to 3 people with gear...
and kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
racing
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
, that is, long and slender boats intended for flat water racing, but the club is also counts numerous dragon boat
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
teams, marathon canoes, recreational canoers, and surf lifesavers among its users.
History
The club was founded in 1902 and had a clubhouse on the Rideau Canal until the 1940s, when it was destroyed by winter ice. The club was then relocated to more or less its present location at Mooney's Bay, where it remains today. Club facilities include a club house with five boat bays and a repair shop, and two 'annex' boat storage buildings set somewhat back from the water. The club is directly adjacent to a set of locks on the Rideau CanalRideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
.http://www.rideaucanoe.on.ca/history.php A book on the history of the club has been written by lifetime member Mike Scott.http://www.canoekayak.ca/eng_newsarticle.cfm?ID=95
In June 2009, it was announced that the RCC was to receive $1.8 million dollars in federal, provincial, and municipal funding for an expansion project http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/bulldog/archive/2009/06/26/rideau-canoe-club-gets-infrastructure-funds.aspx, with significant financial contributions to be made to the project by the club membership as well. The RCC is undergoing a significant expansion and renovation of existing facilities to better allow the club to serve its ever-growing user base, including modifications to make RCC the first canoe club in Canada which is fully accessible to persons with disabilities
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
.
Programs
Traditional events include K-1, K-2, K-4, C-1, C-2, C-4 and C-15 (War CanoeWar Canoe
A war canoe is a watercraft of the canoe type designed and outfitted for warfare, and which is found in various forms in many world cultures. In modern times, such designs have become adapted as a sport, and "war canoe" can mean a type of flatwater racing canoe.-War canoes as sport:War canoe is...
), where a K-2 is a 2 person kayak and C-4 is a 4 person canoe, etc. Several programs are offered, encompassing children and teenagers of varying experience and skill levels, high-performance paddlers, and Masters paddlers (age 25 and up). Rideau traditionally hosts a Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
regatta, drawing high-performance athletes from across Canada and the United States. Dragon Boat
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
practices are frequently held at the club and the Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival is held on the club's course, with visiting teams setting up across the river. The Club also offers courses in more conventional recreational canoes and kayaks, and is the venue for the Head of the Rideau rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
, held annually in late September by the Ottawa Rowing Club.
Off-season
In the winter, club members will carry out a variety of exercises in order to stay in shape and prepare for the next summer. Typically, the club will put on a weights program and a swimming program, and many members will jogJogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
, cross-country ski, or skate
Skate
Skates are cartilaginous fish belonging to the family Rajidae in the superorder Batoidea of rays. There are more than 200 described species in 27 genera. There are two subfamilies, Rajinae and Arhynchobatinae ....
as well.
Notable successes
The club has a long history of excellent performance, having fielded many Olympians and Team Canada members over its lifetime. The club has won the overall Canadian Championship six times: 1924, 1925, 1927, 1973, 1985 and 2002. Former Olympians such as Sue HollowaySue Holloway
Susan Holloway is a Canadian cross country skier who competed in the late 1970s and sprint kayaker who competed from the late 1970s to the early 1980s...
and Renn Crichlow
Renn Crichlow
Renn Crichlow is a Canadian sprint kayaker who competed from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. He won a complete set of medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with gold , a silver , and a bronze .Crichlow also competed in three Summer Olympics, earning his best finish of seventh in the...
have paddled out of the RCC, and several high-level Canadian athletes call Rideau their current home club, including Angus Mortimer
Angus Mortimer
Angus Mortimer is a Canadian sprint kayaker currently attending Carleton University, who paddles out of the Rideau Canoe Club...
and Ian Mortimer
Ian Mortimer
Ian Mortimer is a Canadian sprint canoer who has competed in the World Canoe Championships and trains with the sprint canoe national team of Canada...
, Kristin Gauthier, and Victoria Tuttle.