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NORTH WESTERN INTERNATIONAL ROWING ASSOCIATION

The North Western International Rowing Association is a regional association of Canadian and American rowing clubs of the Upper Mid-Western United States and Western Canada.


The Association was founded in 1885 by the Winnipeg Rowing Club, the Minnesota Boat Club and the Saint Paul Lurline Rowing Club, and was originally named "The Minnesota and Winnipeg Rowing Association".

The Association was dormant from 1897 to 1905 during the Boer and American-Spanish Wars. In 1905 the Association was revived in as the "Mid-West-Canada Rowing Association" and the annual regatta was held in 1906 on Lake Minnetonka just West of Minneapolis, MN. In 1909 the North Western International Rowing Association name was adopted.

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2025 marks the 119th running of the NWIRA Championship Regatta. The regatta is scheduled to take place August 15th-16th on Rabbit Lake in Kenora, Ontario.

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The NWIRA comprises 12 member clubs:

  • Brainerd Lakes Rowing Club

  • Duluth Rowing Club

  • Kenora Rowing Club

  • Long Lake Rowing Crew

  • Minneapolis Rowing Club

  • Minnesota Boat Club

  • Regina Rowing Club

  • Rochester Rowing Club

  • Saskatoon Rowing Club

  • Thunder Bay Rowing Club

  • Twin Cities Youth Rowing

  • Winnipeg Rowing Club

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NWIRA member clubs host the following events throughout the year:

  • Minneapolis Sprints

  • Tops & Bottoms

  • Thunder Bay Sprints

  • Duluth International Regatta

  • NWIRA Championships

  • Pike Island Challenge

  • Death Row

  • Head of the Miss

  • Head of the Red

  • NWIRA Curling Championships

Home: Events
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