SHARK Bites

Canadian University Rowing Championships

OCTOBER 2024 | SHARK crews raced on Elk Lake (Victoria, BC) November 2-3 for the Canadian University Rowing Championships. Time trials on the first day of racing seeded teams for exciting side-by-side racing in the finals.

The University of British Columbia Thunderbird Men won their third straight Championship by picking up wins in the Men’s Pair, Men’s Single, and Men’s Eight. Congratulations to coach Mike Pierce for his honor as the Men’s Team Coach of the Year.

The University of Victoria Women also won their third straight Championship. Athlete Sai Sai Faubert, female Athlete of the Year, won the Women’s Lightweight Single. The Women’s Lightweight Four also picked up a win to help the team secure the overall trophy. Coach Jane Gumley was awarded Women’s Team Coach of the Year.

SHARK Team athlete, Stephen Harris, rowing for Brock University, won the Lightweight Men’s 1x and was a member of the Badgers third place Men’s Eight. Stephen was named Canadian University Male Rower of the Year for the third year in a row! Congratulations Stephen on an JAW-some university career finishing with 12 medals in 12 races at the Canadian University Championships. 

The Championship event rounded up a great fall season of University rowing in Canada with a shiver of Great White North SHARK crews represented in all events.

OCTOBER 2024 | SHARK fins raced continuously on the Charles River during the three-day 2024 Head Of The Charles® Regatta. With favorable weather and conditions, several course records fell: two racing in HUDSON boats.

Community Rowing, Inc’s (Boston, MA) Men’s Youth Singles entry, John Simeon, set a new course record of 18:06.274. Simeon continued his fall season with a win at the Saratoga Rowing Association's Head of the Fish Regatta in the Boys U19 Single. On the women’s side, Nereid Boat Club (Rutherford, NJ) raced their SHARK to first place in the Women’s Under-17 Fours event with an all-time best time (19:14.292).

In addition to fast times, the SHARK Zone proudly hosted several visiting crews. Skibbereen Boat Club brought together Olympians from the Lightweight Women’s Singles and Doubles to row together as the “Great Lightweight Eight”. With the removal of lightweight events on the Olympic schedule, this race was bittersweet for the competitive athletes–representing the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Romania, and France–to celebrate their legacies as one.

Another legacy of Olympians also teamed up to row the Men’s Championship Eights under the team Koven Training Systems. The line-up included 2024 Men’s Pair Olympic Medalists Valent Sinkovic and Martin Sinkovic (Croatia), and Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith (UK). The boat spanned the decades with Olympians from the 1996, 2000, 2016, 2020, and 2024 Games.

Unity Boat Club (Washington, DC) also joined us in the SHARK Zone. Their Men's Club Eights entry included former collegiate rowers who came together to be a face of representation for the future. Unity Boat Club is a Black- and Veteran-owned rowing club with the goal of unity, inclusion, and empowerment. HUDSON proudly provided them with a SHARK boat for their first Eights entry at the Head Of The Charles Regatta.

The last race of the regatta showcased an aspirational SHARK crew in the Director’s Challenge Mixed Eight. The “Octogenarian 8+” from Community Rowing, Inc. averaged 82 years old. The crew, ranging from age 80 to 88, demonstrated that passion, fitness and fortitude can transcend expectations.

We celebrate these athletes who have what it takes to be a SHARK.

Did we miss you? Please email [email protected] with details.

OCTOBER 2024 | STEALTH carbon sweep riggers, now available on the U8.12 and U8.21, are the next generation in Ultimate Shark Predator (USP) technology. The STEALTH U8.32 debuts October 2024.

The STEALTH Eight showcases groundbreaking construction that combines winning SHARK hull speed with greater stability. As a SHARK wraps itself in the silence of the deep, moving like a shadow, the STEALTH Eight quietly attacks without warning.

Imagination drives innovation in USP philosophy, allowing HUDSON to rethink design without limitations. “To undertake a project of this magnitude, we explored new rigger mold-making technologies” explains Chris McCully, Engineering Manager. “We developed a mold made from composite materials that allows us to increase production and gives us greater control on overall dimensional stability.” The resulting manufacturing consistency ensures a cohesive row from stroke to bow. 

STEALTH carbon sweep riggers transfer athlete power into efficient strokes right from the start. STEALTH Eight hulls have lower cockpit deck heights with no changes to the standard gunnel heights. This brings athletes to an optimized position closer to the water, capturing horizontal movement. Athlete positioning can be easily adjusted on the rigger’s carbon fibre C-bracket. The C-bracket’s length easily accommodates oarlock-to-seat height changes and installation of telemetry instruments. The sleek STEALTH one-piece design requires no additional stay and is available in multiple rigging configurations

The STEALTH carbon sweep riggers have been engineered and manufactured with greater stiffness and durability than its competitors. Each rigger is built in-house in London, Ontario, alongside hulls and parts. HUDSON continues to own the manufacturing process from inception to final production, ensuring quality and consistency. “We’re proud to showcase our manufacturing vertical integration with this development,” says McCully.

The STEALTH Eight is quickly becoming the high-performance advantage for winning teams:  the U19 USA Women’s Eight rowed to victory at the 2024 World Rowing Championships in the STEALTH U8.21. The University of Texas rowed the STEALTH U8.21 to win the 1st Varsity Eight at the 2024 NCAA DI Championships.

As Dave O’Neill, Head Coach at the University of Texas explains, “The first time our crew stepped into the STEALTH they noticed a difference and felt comfortable. While the bow-mounted riggers are the most noticeable difference, the more subtle improvements had the biggest impact on stability and speed. We literally never had a bad row or race in that boat, and we’ve decided to have both our top eights race in the STEALTH moving forward.” 

Contact your local sales representative to discuss STEALTH Eight options for your crew.

AUGUST 2024 | Summer 2024 racing wrapped up with many SHARK sightings on the water: At the 2024 World Rowing Championships, held August 18-25, 2024, SHARK attacks approached 100 in St. Catharines, Canada. HUDSON celebrated elite competition on home waters as a proud sponsor of this year’s 2024 World Rowing Senior, Under 23 and Under 19 Championships. The massive event, nicknamed “Mega Worlds”, awarded seven SHARK crews with medals.

The SHARK Zone proudly hosted the World Champion U19 USA Women’s Eight (U8.21 STEALTH), who won with open water over Great Britain and Italy. The U19 USA Men’s Eight (Silver, U8.43), Women’s Coxed Four (Bronze, U5.21) and Men’s Coxed Four (Bronze, U5.31) brought home more hardware for the Americans.

In a historic finish, Paraguay earned a first-ever World Championship medal in rowing. Matias Ramirez and Alberto Portillo rowed to Silver in the Lightweight Men’s Pair (S2.22). Sisters from Peru, Alessia Palacios and Valeria Palacios brought home Silver (for the second time ever) in the Lightweight Women’s Pair (S2.12). The Palacio siblings are also Silver Medalists from the 2022 World Rowing Under 23 Championships.

Dannie Price-Hughes, representing South Africa, came in second in the U19 Women’s Single (U1.12). South Africa also celebrated the fourth place finish of their U19 Men’s Coxed Four (S5.31), who led the race at the halfway mark only to be edged out of medal contention in the sprint. South Africa’s U19 Women’s Coxed Four (S5.21) finished sixth.

SHARK Athletes Stephen Harris (Canada), Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls (U1.21), and Karissa Riley (Canada) Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls (U1.12), both finished thirteenth in their first Senior World Championships. As Karissa explains, “It’s only the beginning and I know I have it in me to keep chasing the dream.”

SHARK athletes chased their dreams in Paris this summer at the 2024 Olympic Games. Kara Kohler (USA), finished fifth in the Women’s Single Sculls (U1.21), moving up four places from her finish in Tokyo. The Men’s Double Sculls of Ben Davison and Sorin Koszyk (USA, U2.32) finished fourth, the best finish in that event for USRowing since 1984. As the athletes look ahead to 2025 and beyond, Sorin reminds young scullers: “Be relentless in the pursuit of your goals within the sport.”