The women’s rowing team finished their first regatta of the season with a seven-medal performance last weekend. The women’s lightweight and heavyweight eight-person boats earned first- and second-place finishes respectively, despite high winds in Peterborough at Head of the Trent competition.

“[We] recently added a lot of new members,” Gaels rower Elise Hoffman said. “It shows that we can keep up with older and more experienced crews.” The Queen’s men’s team wasn’t as successful. They were unable to repeat their 10-medal performance at the Head of the Rideau regatta in Ottawa on Sept. 25, earning only four medals at Head of the Trent.

The lightweight four and the lightweight double both finished second, while the lightweight and heavyweight eight-man boats finished third.

Men’s squads from the Western Mustangs and the Brock Badgers — teams that were absent at the Head of the Rideau — posted first-place finishes in five races in Peterborough.

“Brock and Western had a really strong showing,” Gaels rower Rami Maassarani said. “We’re going to have to put in a lot of work to catch up.”

The rowing team will compete at the Brock Invitational in St. Catherines next weekend, where they’ll switch from head racing to sprint racing.

Head races use a narrow, winding course, with boats starting at 15-second intervals. Boats try to catch up with crews ahead of them and avoid being caught by teams behind them. Sprint races are straight two-kilometre races with a simultaneous start.