RYERSON'S BUIE CAPTURES ROYAL CANADIAN HENLEY SINGLES TITLE
August 12, 2009
TORONTO - It was a big weekend on the water for Ryerson University's Matt Buie, as the third-year rower claimed the under-23 men's singles championship at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines, Ont.
Buie, who was representing the Bayside Rowing Club in the event, took the championship with a 7:13.14 clocking in the final. The meet featured some of the best club rowers from the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Canada.
"This is huge for Matt," said Ryerson rowing coach Dominic Kahn, adding that the regatta is essentially the national championship for club rowers. "He went out against the best of the best, and came out on top."
"It feels great," said Buie, who only started rowing a year and a half ago. "All of the training and hard work has paid off."
Buie said that while his victory was the culmination of months of practice, he hopes that new rowers can draw motivation from his success.
"Lots of newcomers wonder how they are going to compete with rowers who have been doing this for years," he said. "But it's great to think that they can look at me and see that anyone can do it."
Buie, who won a silver medal in the heavyweight singles for Ryerson at the 2009 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship, was also quick to thank his coach and teammates for keeping rowing fun, and said he has lofty goals for the Ryerson rowing team this year.
"It's been a great year for me already," he said. "But I have high hopes for our team this season."
Kahn echoed those sentiments, noting that while Buie's victory was great on a personal level, it should also help spur the rowing team on to a big year.
"It proves he's a good rower, for starters, but it also shows that we’re doing the right things as a program in training and engaging
students," he said. "His success will help us continue to move our program forward."
Buie was not the only Ram to enjoy success over the weekend, as teammate Allison Loosley placed fourth in the under-23 women's doubles on Saturday. Ryerson alumnus Andy Guiry also had a strong showing at the regatta, claiming silver in the senior lightweight men's singles.
The regatta rounds out a strong summer for Ryerson rowers, as both Buie and Loosley will bring significant hardware back to the OUA. On top of his regatta win, Buie also claimed a silver in the under-23 men's singles at the ROWONTARIO provincial championships in July. Loosley also medaled at the provincials, collecting a bronze in the under-23 women's doubles.
The OUA rowing schedule opens with the Head of the Thames in London, Ont. on Sept. 19.
Source: Ryerson Rams
Buie, who was representing the Bayside Rowing Club in the event, took the championship with a 7:13.14 clocking in the final. The meet featured some of the best club rowers from the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Canada.
"This is huge for Matt," said Ryerson rowing coach Dominic Kahn, adding that the regatta is essentially the national championship for club rowers. "He went out against the best of the best, and came out on top."
"It feels great," said Buie, who only started rowing a year and a half ago. "All of the training and hard work has paid off."
Buie said that while his victory was the culmination of months of practice, he hopes that new rowers can draw motivation from his success.
"Lots of newcomers wonder how they are going to compete with rowers who have been doing this for years," he said. "But it's great to think that they can look at me and see that anyone can do it."
Buie, who won a silver medal in the heavyweight singles for Ryerson at the 2009 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship, was also quick to thank his coach and teammates for keeping rowing fun, and said he has lofty goals for the Ryerson rowing team this year.
"It's been a great year for me already," he said. "But I have high hopes for our team this season."
Kahn echoed those sentiments, noting that while Buie's victory was great on a personal level, it should also help spur the rowing team on to a big year.
"It proves he's a good rower, for starters, but it also shows that we’re doing the right things as a program in training and engaging
students," he said. "His success will help us continue to move our program forward."
Buie was not the only Ram to enjoy success over the weekend, as teammate Allison Loosley placed fourth in the under-23 women's doubles on Saturday. Ryerson alumnus Andy Guiry also had a strong showing at the regatta, claiming silver in the senior lightweight men's singles.
The regatta rounds out a strong summer for Ryerson rowers, as both Buie and Loosley will bring significant hardware back to the OUA. On top of his regatta win, Buie also claimed a silver in the under-23 men's singles at the ROWONTARIO provincial championships in July. Loosley also medaled at the provincials, collecting a bronze in the under-23 women's doubles.
The OUA rowing schedule opens with the Head of the Thames in London, Ont. on Sept. 19.
Source: Ryerson Rams