Kind Of A Secret - 2010 Usrowing Collegiate Championship Regatta

We missed the mention in the April issue of Rowing News and a quick look at the USRowing website doesn't give any indication of the event but the 2010 USRowing Collegiate Championship Regatta is the most important new regatta event to emerge in a long time.

2010 will be the first year for this regatta but USRowing is committed to supporting this event moving forward.

The 2,000 metre event will be held at Mercer Lake near Princeton 22 - 23 May 2010. What makes this event so important is the wide variety of boat classes that are available for competition, and the open entry classification. We had to use the old index finger word counting out loud trick to make sure we got it all: 11 men's events and 10 women's events. Yes, there are events for singles, doubles, coxless fours (NICE!), pairs, quads, lightweights of all manner, and yeah, eights... Beyond the attraction of the huge number of boat classes is the fact that any university rower with any program, varsity, club, or even unaffiliated, can compete. That's unprecedented, and it also, finally, puts the United States on the same competitive field with Europe.

Now a set of twins studying at Occidental College in Pasadena and rowing out of Marina Del Rey can compete at a University Championship and then go on to compete in Europe. It means a 12-year old US sculler can continue his focus through high school and at university, and then be competitive with the powerful Slovakians at the World Championships and the Olympics. It means Europeans studying in the United States have a chance at continuing their training in boat classes that are otherwise ignored at most if not all US collegiate rowing programs before they return to their native countries to prepare for elite training.

We're looking at hosting a booth at the event for the simple reason that the regatta will attract rowers from so many rowing programs, and because we like the underlying meaning of the regatta: it's inclusive. That and USRowing sent us an email and said we'd like you to be there! :)