Renforth - A total of 16 members of the Kennebecasis Rowing Club departed here Friday morning on a two-week trip to Montreal and St. Catharines, Ont. to compete in two rowing competitions.

This past weekend, members of the club entered five events at the Canadian Amateur Rowing Championships in the Montreal Olympic Basin with two members of the Club defending their gold medal in the men’s heavy pair division.

Mark Allan, 20, and his brother, David, 17, last year captured the gold medal in the competition, and this year hoped to repeat that feat in the event which was rowed Saturday afternoon over a distance of 2,000 meters.

Other events for the club on Saturday included the woman’s four with coxswain and the men's lightweight four.

Sunday the club entered rowers in the mens light-weight four with coxswain the women's pair and the men’s pair, and combined with the Fredericton Rowing Club in the women's composite eight.

All men's events are rowed over 2,000 meters while women cover a distance of 1,000 meters.

Beginning tomorrow, August 10, the club will be competing in events at the Royal Canadian Henley 96^th annual regatta, also sponsored by the Canadian Amateur Rowing Association.

In this competition as well, the Allan brothers captured the gold medal last year and are hoping for a repeat.

Thursday the club will have a crew in the men’s junior lightweight four seeking the C. Hooper Memorial Trophy, while Friday they will be entering the junior women’s four with coxswain and the junior men’s four with coxswain.

On Sunday the club will be entering the senior men’s pair competition with the Allan brothers defending their title which they captured last year for the William Hamilton Memorial Trophy.

Dr. C. H. Bonnycastle, president of the club, said the team was taking four boats this year and three crews, with two members of the women’s 4’s team entering the women’s pair event as well.

In addition to the Allans, members of the rowing team include Rick Cassidy, Paul Plume, Ken Salmon and Henry Flood in the lightweight 4’s team, with Danny McGuire as coxswain and Margo Inches, Sally Hutchinson, Mary Ellen Guidry and Gwen Jones on the women’s 4’s along with Theresa Sleigh as coxswain.

Coaches for the team are Keith Ratcliffe for the men’s pair team, Gary Hunter for the lightweight men and Lorne Kilpatrick for the women’s crew. Team manager is Serge Bergeron.

Throughout the summer said Dr. Bonnycastle, six crews of youngsters have been rowing each morning with the assistance of a coach who is now a member of the Yale University Rowing Team in the United States.

These 24 youngsters aged between 12 and 14 are just learning to row, and are seeking spots on the competition team for the club, which is now in its seventh season.

Through the winter months, he said, the team works out in the Renforth Community Club lifting weights, skipping rope, running and dry rowing, then as soon as the ice is out of the river in the spring they take to the open water of the Kennebecasis.

Following their return from the Canadian Henley, the team will go to Halifax for a regatta there, and then will be laying off for the season.

However, he said, the men’s heavy pair, will be unable to attend the August 19 competition in Halifax, because they have been invited to attend the selection camp for the national teams to compete in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.

The first trials for that team are set for August 18 and 19 in Brockville, Ont. Said Dr. Bonnycastle, and the Allan brothers will be there.