The vantage point from the boat on the water in the early morning provides Krista Hansen with a sense of peace and calm so it doesn’t require much prodding for her to get out of bed.
Hansen is a member of Team Belfor, one of the new female crews hitting the water under the umbrella of the Humber Valley Rowing Club and eager to test their mettle at the 2018 Corner Brook Regatta Saturday at Brake’s Cove.
Hansen has embraced the sport since participating in a Learn to Row program three years ago. She got her first taste of competition last summer at the Corner Brook Regatta and the crew made the commitment last year to train hard and compete in the 200th edition of The Royal St. John’s Regatta in 2018.
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The crew did a little better than enter the regatta. With Gerard Curtis as rookie coxswain, Team Belfor won its debut race at the 200th Royal St. John’s Regatta with a final clocking of 7:30.66 in a five-boat showdown in the Women’s Master Class under a scorching sun Wednesday in St. John’s.
Taking a seat in the winning boat with Curtis were Hansen, Amy Bishop, Erin Summers, Rosanne Hicks, Denna Newman and Wendy Robinson.
Hansen likes how rowing is an individual sport that requires her to work and perfect her own skillset, but she likes the fact there is a certain amount of accountability that comes with the sport knowing there are five other women waiting on the dock at 6 a.m. in the morning who rely on her being there to fill out the boat.
“If it was just me at six o’clock in the morning I’d probably shut off the alarm and roll over,” Hansen said.
Hansen has no hesitation about promoting rowing as a great way to spend the day. She was excited to compete in the 200th Royal St. John’s Regatta and she hopes the sport will show signs of growth on the west coast and she’s willing to do her part to see more people in the boats and reap the benefits she has since her first row.
There are a couple of crews from St. John’s entered in the women’s races this weekend and several members of the Royal St. John’s Regatta committee who will be in attendance so Hansen believes hosting a regatta could be a key in seeing more people excited about learning to row.
She’s excited about another regatta, but she’s particularly pumped that it will be closer to home and a good opportunity for family and friends to check it out and see why she loves the sport.
“I think it’s going to be awesome to show them what we do and why we drag ourselves out of bed,” she said.
The races get underway 10 a.m. at Brake’s Cove. There will be live entertainment, food, face-painting and a beer tent to set the mood for a festive day on the water.
