It was an emotional day Saturday at Ridley College with the staging of the first-ever Nancy Storrs Indoor Rowing Championships.

“Nancy was passionate about sharing her love of rowing and spent her life volunteering whenever and wherever she was needed in the sport, including running this event for 34 years,” regatta chair Caitlin Pauls said. “Nancy was one of the founders of this event and with her passing in September we felt it was appropriate to name the event in her honour. She was also a trailblazer in the sport of rowing. She was part of the first group of women to compete at the world championships or Olympics. She was quite the icon in the sport.”

The indoor championships were important to Storrs.

“I think it was because it brought together all the high school students from across Niagara and across Ontario to compete and show the hard work that they had done all winter to get ready for the water season,” Pauls said.

Storrs never specifically asked Pauls to take over chairing the event but she knew that’s what her mentor would have wanted her to do.

“After taking charge of the event for these past two editions, I truly appreciate how much time and energy she put into it for all those years and why she was the hardest person to find on the event day. There is really no time to stand still. Nancy’s impact will continued to be felt for years to come. Many of our event’s volunteers, coaches and athletes return year after year because of the positive impact she had on them.”

Like Storrs, Pauls is a big fan of the championships.

Click here to read the full article on BP Sports Niagara.