Neil Horne ’96 - Sitting at the bow of rowing at Trent

Neil Horne’s love for rowing at Trent runs deeper than the Otonabee

October 18, 2022

Neil Horne’s ’96 Trent experience centered on rowing. Twenty-six years later, he is still sharing his deep love for this sport with the Trent and Peterborough communities as vice president of the Peterborough Rowing Club, advocate for the Trent Rowing Endowment Fund, and co-chairperson of the annual Head of the Trent Regatta. 

“I think I may have come to the rowing club even before I made it to my residence,” says Neil as he reminisces about his time at Trent. “I was fortunate enough to row on the Varsity rowing team for four years and just had a tremendous experience – the coaching, mentorship, and of course great friends I made here. When I attended my first Head of the Trent in 1996, I just fell in love with this event and knew that I was part of something very special!” 

And Neil has been involved with almost every Head of the Trent since. Over the years, and thanks to the countless hours put in by volunteers like him, the regatta has grown to become Canada’s fall rowing classic, attracting rowers of all ages and levels of experience. It is also the only university homecoming event in Canada that revolves around rowing. 

“The uniqueness of the Head of the Trent is part of why I stay involved”, says Neil, who has been the chairperson of the event since 2011. “I want to see us lean into that even more. When you find something that makes you unique, you really hold on to it. I don't think we need to be like other universities, I think we have something special, and we should really foster that and celebrate it.”  

Starting with just 12 boats competing in 1971, the Head of the Trent Regatta grew into a premier rowing event, this year hosting 580 boats competing over two days. This meant all hands on deck (or sitting in the boat and rowing in the same direction as he describes it!) for Neil and his team of around 90 volunteers for each day of racing. 

“It really is an honour that the Peterborough Rowing Club and Trent University Rowing Club trust me to run this event that I’ve always loved. The number of rowers and boats competing this year is a testament to the hard work of our volunteers and the willingness to continually improve.” 

Neil believes that there is something really special about rowing at Trent, particularly when it comes to the often-coveted relationship between the University’s Rowing Club and the Peterborough Rowing Club. 

“We have found a way to coexist and to build each other up in a way that many other university towns with a rowing club can't seem to find. We're all equally committed to making sure that more people are coming into the sport and ensuring that there are boats for those who are getting their first rowing experience at Trent.” 

It is this commitment to growing the sport that resulted in the creation of the Trent Rowing Endowment Fund. 

“We hope that this fund becomes a real vehicle through which people can remember their great rowing days at Trent and help foster that love for the sport in future generations.”

Click here to support the Trent Rowing Endowment Fund.