At 8 a.m. on a weekday morning before work, Janice Mason and rowing partner Brenda Taylor take extra care to clean and tune up their boat before the put it back into the Victoria City Rowing Club boathouse at Elk Lake.
“We try to take care of these boats, otherwise pieces start to go missing,” Mason says.
The 1987 world champion still likes to row scull, just as she did when she won gold in the double scull with Lisa Roy in Copenhagen, Denmark that summer. This summer Mason - who competed at the 1984 Olympics and was named to the 1980 Olympic team that never went to Moscow due to the boycott - is embarking on the Race 2 Alaska, a 750-mile journey from Port Townsend to Victoria, then from here to Ketchican.
Last year Mason, a 1977 Reynolds secondary grad, and her entire 1981-82 UVic Vikes women’s rowing team were inducted into UVic’s Hall of Fame. For all her endeavours on the water, Reynolds secondary is awarding the 57-year-old adventure athlete one of the school’s prestigious silver scarves.
Mason will be at the Reynolds ceremony in the school auditorium on May 11, the first night of its 50th anniversary weekend celebration.
“It’s pretty cool,” Mason said. “I didn’t know Reynolds did this, last year I got a blue and gold scarf from UVic for the Hall-of-Fame and Esquimalt High gave me one for helping out with their high school rowing team so now I have three.
The silver scarf ceremony kicks the weekend off in the school’s theatre.
“Normally we give out just a few each year, but this year for the 50th we’ve selected a large class of recipients,” said Reynolds teacher Dean Norris-Jones, a coordinator for the anniversary.
Among the 2017 Reynolds silver scarf recipients is another 1977 grad, current NDP party leader John Horgan.
“He was on student council back then was already gearing up for something political,” Mason recalls.
Horgan is one of the few not to commit to the event (and no one doubts his reasons, as it’s two days after the B.C. election). However, quite a few of this year’s silver scarf class will be there.
The weekend includes a Friday open house, 6 to 10 p.m. on May 12, which will feature a cash bar and tours of the school by current students, and a Saturday alumni soccer game. There is a Saturday evening event ($20 ticket) with live music by former Reynolds music grads and recordings by Reynolds musicians.
Please RSVP to contact@reynolds50.ca for the open house so organizers will know how many tour guides to have on hand. There will also be photo displays, videos, artifacts, live music and of course, a chance to run into old friends.
To join the soccer game or alumni band contact soccer coach J.J. Atterbury at jratterbury@sd61.bc.ca or band leader Dave Flello at dflello@sd61.bc.ca.
For more information visit http://reynolds50.ca/index.php
Reynolds 2017 Silver Scarf Recipients: (With grad year or years served)
Stacie Anaka (2005) - World wrestler
Ken Christensen (1983-2005) - long time staff member and coach
Howard Denike (1967- 1980) - long time staff member and first band instructor
Mike Finlayson (1973) - Played baseball Montreal Expos system. Pitched no-hitter in AA for Memphis Chicks.
William (Bill) Garner (1973-1979) - Principal
Principal John Harrison (2001 -2005) - Principal
John Horgan (1977) - NDP Party Leader
Mike Lewis (1999) - Olympic rower
Ave Pyne (1999) - Snowbird pilot
Janice Mason (1977) - Olympic rower
Tracie McAra (Sibbald) (1978) - Vikes basketball
Marilyn Miller (1992 - 2016) - Support Staff and long time volunteer
Christin Petelski (1995) - Olympic swimmer
Dave Pitre (1996 - 2001) - Principal
Brian Ramsay (1998) - Grey Cup
Champion Bobbi Renton (1992 - 2016) Support staff and long time volunteer
James Wallace (Wally) Russell (1988 - 1996) - Principal
Chad Willett (1989) - Actor