Le Club d’aviron de Laval wins two events in historic Alma regatta.

By Laurence Côté
The Club d’aviron de Laval won two races at the Festirame coastal rowing regatta which took place on July 9th in Alma on la Grande Décharge. Participants came from Alma, Boucherville, la Capitale, Lachine, Laval, Montréal et Victoria City.

The Lavallois were anchored by a stellar performance by Hélène Diéval who won the Women's Single. She then teamed up with AQA president Daniel Aucoin to win the Mixed Double.

Other winners included:
• Kristjan Joubert -- Men's Single -- Club d’aviron de Boucherville
• Daphné Émond and Geneviève Thétrault -- Women's Double -- Club d’aviron de la Capitale and Club d’aviron d’Alma, respectively
• Samuel Lavoie et Jean Lemieux -- Men's Double -- Club d’aviron d’Alma

The President of the regatta, Guylaine Bernier, was enthusiastic about the historic event. "Thanks to the vision of Festirame and Club d’aviron d’Alma, a page has been turned in the history of rowing in Quebec. This unique new regatta is sure to attract attention from rowers all over North America."

Marie Gareau, member of the Executive Committee of l’Assocation Québécoise d’aviron and regatta participant, was full of praise for the organizing committee. "This new style of rowing was a lot of fun. Who knows? Perhaps in years to come coastal rowing will add a new aspect to the sport much like mountain biking did to cycling."

For more information on the regatta please go to: http://www.courseramealma.com or www.avironalma.com

L'Association Quebecoise D'Aviron is a non-profit organization which governs the sport of rowing in Quebec. Its goal is to create and manage services and programs that attract and retain rowing club members in an integrated model that welcomes both competitive and recreational athletes.