The history of rowing in Niagara is a rich and storied one.
The Royal Canadian Henley Regatta began in St. Catharines back in 1903.
Fast forward some 123 years and Sport Niagara and Row Ontario are pleased to announce the inaugural RowOn Indoor Hat Trick, a new festival-style indoor rowing event debuting Sunday, November, 15, 2026 at Canada Games Park in Niagara. The event will mark Row Ontario’s first-ever indoor rowing competition and serve as the pilot for an innovative new regatta format designed to expand participation and bring the sport to new audiences.
Built around the number three, the RowOn Indoor Hat Trick is designed for everyone from complete beginners to experienced rowers. Participants will compete in three short events; (1) Peak Power (2) Three-Minute Test, and (3) Step Up or Out; combining ranked racing, season-baseline testing and open come-try opportunities. The format will provide competitive rowers with meaningful off-water racing while offering newcomers an accessible, low-barrier introduction to rowing.
About the Events
The three events in the RowOn Hat Trick are built around three ways of measuring the same two things – how much power an athlete can produce and how long they can hold it. One is an established way of measuring peak power, one is a fixed-time race for distance, and one is a power ladder built for this event.
● Peak Power – Three self-paced maximal surges in one three-minute window — the highest single stroke in watts is the score, and the day’s baseline.
● Three-Minute Test – All out for three minutes, head-to-head in waves — the most metres wins.
● Step Up or Out – A universal power ladder that starts easy and rises every 30 seconds — climb as far as you can, and your peak stage is your score.
Placing points will be awarded and summed across the three events with scoring designed so no athlete goes home empty-handed. Placings, Power Efficiency Rating, the ‘Hat Trick Award’, and club standings will all be incorporated into event results.
“Indoor rowing has the potential to take rowing to a new audience and really help grow the sport. We view hosting this pilot of the RowOn Indoor Hat Trick as the first step in building a meaningful indoor race schedule throughout the off-water months. It’s also a very exciting moment for us as an organization since it will be the first indoor rowing event we’ve ever hosted. Bringing this event to the Ontario rowing community wouldn’t have been possible without our partners at Sport Niagara and we can’t thank them enough for their guidance and enthusiasm in getting this concept for a new indoor rowing event off the ground and running. The participants can look forward to an inclusive, high-energy event and we’re all excited to see this new concept in action,” said Row Ontario CEO Andrew Backer.
Sport Niagara is looking forward to expanding rowing in the region.
“We’re proud to partner with Row Ontario to bring the inaugural RowOn Indoor Hat Trick to Niagara. This innovative format is exactly the kind of event we want to help foster in our region; one that creates a meaningful competitive experience for athletes while also making the sport approachable for people who may be trying rowing for the first time,” Sport Niagara Executive Director Dan Kennedy said.
“We look forward to welcoming Ontario’s rowing community to Canada Games Park and helping Row Ontario launch what has the potential to become an exciting addition to the indoor rowing calendar.”
While indoor rowing is new to the Row Ontario race calendar, there’s a long history of indoor rowing events in Ontario, including the annual Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships and Nancy Storrs Ontario Indoor Rowing Championships. In 2023, the World Rowing Indoor Championships took place in Mississauga and welcomed athletes from across the world.
Further announcements about the RowOn Indoor Hat Trick, including the full event format, schedule and participation information, will be shared by Row Ontario in the coming weeks.
Rod Mawhood is a lifelong Niagara native who has had the pleasure of working in all three mediums – Radio, Print and TV – for over 20 years. His first announcing gig was with the then St. Catharines Stompers. Since then he’s worked in radio and TV in Toronto, and currently is the announcer for the Niagara IceDogs and Niagara River Lions.
Rod also covers the Buffalo Bills for FOX Sports and the Buffalo Sabres for NBC Sports.
