SRA Steps Up To Host Early Regatta This Sunday
SARATOGA SPRINGS – While the sport of rowing is by its nature a competitive entity, there is a camaraderie that exists in the governing bodies that rises to support one another in times of need. Such is the case with the Saratoga Rowing Association (SRA), which, capitalizing on a mild winter (and hence, an ice-free Fish Creek), was able to accommodate a request from the organizers of the Doc Hosea Invitational Regatta, when they ran into difficulties with their regular location at Cooper River, New Jersey (near Cherry Hill).
As such, local regatta fans have an extra reason to celebrate spring’s arrival this Sunday, April 3, as SRA will be the host when 10 collegiate Division I women’s rowing programs will descend upon Saratoga Lake. Competition begins at 8 a.m.
“It’s a nice homecoming for some of our (SRA alumni) rowers,” said SRA Regatta Director Chris Chase. “There are several coming back from the UMass-Amherst and University of Rhode Island programs.”
Other women’s rowing teams in Sunday’s regatta are Boston University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Northeastern University, Syracuse University, US Naval Academy, University of Minnesota and University of Pennsylvania. The regatta is named after Dr. Timothy “Doc” Hosea, who, among many sports medicine posts, was the Team Physician for the US Rowing National Team at 12 world-rowing championships and multiple Olympic Games over the past two decades. Hosea passed away last August.
“They reached out to us in late February,” Chase explained, “the course at Cooper River was going through expansion, which involved an investment in their course, and, among other things, dredging. They ran into a time crunch when the dredging was taking longer than expected, and they ran into an environmental issue. Dredging had to be suspended because of the impact it would have on native wildlife at a certain time of the year.”
He continued, “It was easy for us to accommodate, since it was outside our regular regatta season, and of course, we caught a big break because of our mild winter.” Chase noted that there was only about a half-dozen courses that could accommodate the requirements of the Hosea Regatta, Saratoga being one of the few.
So when we contemplate the by-products of unusually mild weather in the region this year (see story – page 15), here is another that can be placed on the positive side of the ledger.
For more information, visit www.saratogarowing.com
