The Telegraph Journal, Saturday, August 18, 2001

A Pair: NBer gold and silver on the water, Ontario takes gold in men's pairs.

By Neil Hodge

Katie Reynolds of Saint John powers her way to a gold medal finish in the women's single sculls Friday at the Canada Games in London, Ont.

Drew Simson of Rothesay, left, and Andrew Munro of Quispamsis won silver in men's pair on Friday.

Katie Reynolds of Saint John shows off her gold medal Friday.

LONDON, Ont. - New Brunswick keeps on finding medal in the water.

The province powered through a stiff head wind and very choppy waves on Fanshawe Lake to capture two more rowing medals on Friday morning at the 2001 Canada Summer Games in London, Ont.

Katie Reynolds of Saint John struck for gold in women's singles. Drew Simson of Rothesay and Andrew Munro of Quispamsis earned the silver in men's pair.

New Brunswick finished with three medals - two gold and one silver - in rowing this week. Rowing is the province's most successful sport in the history of the Games with 21 a 11-time medals.

Reynolds completed the 2,000 metre course in 8:54:97 and won the race by almost three boat lengths. Ontario took the silver medal in 9:01:51 and Alberta pocketed the bronze in 9:02:22.

It was New Brunswick in the lead followed closely by Quebec after 500 metres. Reynolds opened up a one boat-length lead on Quebec after the 1,000 metre mark and never looked back.

"The Quebec girl is who I was watching for because she had beaten me at the Canada Cup and Canadian Henley last year," said Reynolds. "The water was rough and I hate rowing in rough water, but I just wanted to win this race so bad. I was determined to hold on.

"I like rowing from being in the lead the whole way. I had a good start and got ahead early, but it was really between the 1,000 and 1,500 mark that I pulled ahead of the pack. When I had a boat length of open water at the 1,000, that's when I thought this was my race to win. I knew I could do it."

Reynolds averaged 30 to 31.5 strokes per minute throughout the race. She usually averages 36-37 strokes per minute.

"It was a head wind and side swells but we're from Kennebecasis so we're used to that," she said. "I go out in these kind of conditions all the time back home so it helped me work through it today."

"She kept her strokes very long and very consistent through the water," said New Brunswick rowing coach Mark Bonham. "That's the key with a strong head wind and rough water. She managed the conditions very well today. Once she got the early lead, she was able to keep and eye on the fields. It's an easier way to race instead of playing catch up."

Reynolds, 19, is a science student at the University of Michigan and she's a member of the school's rowing team. Call her New Brunswick's golden girl on the water.

She won three bronze medals in rowing at the 1997 Canada Summer Games in Brandon, Man. She also captured a bronze in speedskating at the 1999 Canada Winter Games in Corner Brook, Nfld.

"It's nice to have a gold in there now," she said with a laugh. "This is pretty special for me."

In men's pair, there was a photo finish for second, third, and fourth places. Simson and Munro emerged from the pack with a silver medal time of 7:50:44.

Ontario took the gold in 7:43:14. Manitoba earned the bronze in 7:51:98 and British Columbia finished fourth in 7:52.20.

"It feels pretty good, it's nice to beat the bigger provinces for sure," said Simson. "We trained hard a long time for this so it's nice to be rewarded.

"It was pretty head windy in the first 500 metres of the race. The middle thousand was the best part. The last 500 was the worst. It was all whitecaps. It was a big dogfight out there."

Entering the final 500 metres, New Brunswick trailed Ontario by one boat length in the race for the gold medal.

"First, we were trying to catch Ontario," said Munro. "That took a lot out of us, trying to keep up with them. Then Manitoba and B.C. started to make a move on us and had a strong finish. Fortunately, we were able to put our nose down and stay ahead of them."

New Brunswick also competed in two more rowing finals on Friday.

Reynolds was also part of the crew that placed fifth in women's four in 8:17.40. Others on the team were Laura Penny and Meghan Hartlen, both of Rothesay, and Anne-Marie Skillen of Fredericton.

Simson and Munro were also members of the crew that finished fourth in the men's eight in 6:56:00. Their teammates were Mike Owens, Ryley Greene, and Ian Edwards, all of Rothesay, Joel Mazerolle and Duncan Beattie of Saint John, Daniel Malone of Fredericton, and coxswain April Nason of Saint John.