Royal St. John’s Regatta Committee Announces New Race Category
February 20, 2025 (St. John’s, NL) – The Royal St John’s Regatta Committee, in collaboration with St. John’s Pride, is pleased to announce the introduction of the Open Crew category, starting this 2025 season.
Open Crews will be comprised of oarpersons determined by age only; gender will have no influence on the composition of a crew. Open Crews will compete in the short course and will be open to rowers who are registered in another category, thus permitting rowers the opportunity to be registered with a second crew. The Open Crew category will join the existing race categories as a registration option for rowers going forward.
“Other than our U14 category, this will be the first time in our history where an entire race category is blind to gender, meaning Open Crews will be comprised of rowers, regardless of gender or gender identity,” said Ashley Peach, President of the Royal St. John’s Regatta Committee. “We hope the Open Crew category will inspire friends, families and coworkers, regardless of their individual genders, to join together and create crews in the spirit of sport and fun.”
This is also an important moment in Royal St. John’s Regatta history as it will be the first time there is a registration option for individuals who identify as nonbinary.
“Sports bring people together, and the Open Crew category is a meaningful step toward greater inclusion in one of our province’s most cherished traditions,” said Eddy St. Coeur, Co-Chair External St. John’s Pride. “At a time when gender inclusivity is being challenged worldwide, the Royal St. John’s Regatta is setting an important example: everyone deserves a place on the water. As we prepare for upcoming meetings with Sport NL and the Department of Recreation, we look forward to working with other sports organizations to build even more inclusive policies, because sports are better when everyone is included.”
“This is a particularly poignant addition as the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador marks 2025 as the “Year of Sport”, said Keith White, Vice President & Captain of the Course of the Royal St. John’s Regatta Committee. “The Open Crew category is an exciting opportunity to expand our sport and allow crews the flexibility of building a team regardless of its teammates’ genders. We look forward to welcoming new rowers and seeing the return of experienced rowers as we launch the Open Crew category this coming season”.
The Royal St. John’s Regatta is the oldest continuing organized sporting event in North America, with 2025 marking the organizations’ 207th anniversary. More information about the Royal St. John’s Regatta, including details regarding operations, learn to row programs, learn to coxswain programs, and resources on how to establish a rowing team can be found at www.stjohnsregatta.com.
