Royal St. John's Regatta gets more inclusive, and one activist says that's needed now more than ever
New open crew category is open to all rowers, regardless of gender
When rowers take to Quidi Vidi Lake this summer for the 207th Royal St. John's Regatta, there will be a new category for rowers to compete in.
A new category called "open crew" is being added that will allow all rowers to participate regardless of gender. It's being celebrated as an inclusive move that's needed right now.
"I don't know if the regatta committee really has a full grasp of the magnitude of what this decision means to our community and how much queer people needed to hear a story like this, especially in the sporting world," said St. John's Pride co-chair external Eddy St. Coeur.
St. Coeur says the timing of the announcement is important, pointing to U.S. President Donald Trump's order to ban transgender female athletes from women's sports earlier in February.
"A move like this is really indicative of where we should be going," said St. Coeur.
"You're actually making your sport more welcoming and opening it up."
Unanimously approved
Keith White, who is with the regatta committee, says the addition of the new category was on the radar for some time, but picked up speed when St. Coeur approached the committee a few months ago about the initiative.
"It was probably the nudge we needed to push us in the right direction," said White.
"We convened a small little working group, we discussed it, and just two evenings ago the Royal St. John's Regatta Committee approved this rule change, unanimously. It was an easy decision."
St. Coeur says it was non-binary runner Émile Sopkowe who brought the lack of opportunities for non-binary athletes to their attention. They said working with the regatta committee was an easy process.
"We didn't have to sell it. We really just presented it and they took it and ran with it. And now here we are," St. Coeur.
Few opportunities
Sopkowe said barriers for non-binary athletes have been present in their lives for years.
"I have attended the cross country meets for students hosted by the [Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association] in the fall and recognized that, you know, many non-binary children were just not attending and we're hence dropping out of the sport of running because there just wasn't a place for them," said Sopkowe.
Sopkowe said they had to travel to Quebec to participate in a marathon because it had a non-binary category, something not available in Newfoundland and Labrador.
"If a person is running the Tely 10 or the Cape to Cabot or the provincial marathon, you have the choice between male and female," said Sopkowe.
Opening sports up
But back on the lake, White says the open crew category will be "blind to gender."
"It can be a combination of men, it can be a combination of women, non-binary people, really the sky is the limit," he said.
WATCH | When it came time to vote, Keith White says the decision was unanimous:
About 70 to 80 teams typically participate in the annual races. White says he's anticipating those numbers will increase this summer. During the 200th anniversary race, there were more than 200 teams.
"In light of everything that's going on in the United States at the moment, it's more important than money. It's more important than numbers," he said. "I think it sends the right signal at this really critical time."
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With files from The St. John’s Morning Show