Oak Ridge Today

More than 40 teams at Dogwood Junior championship regatta

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The Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta is in Oak Ridge this weekend on Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28. (File photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

More than 40 youth rowing teams from 20 different states are in Oak Ridge to compete in the Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta.

The regatta is Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28. It’s hosted by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association.

“These young athletes, ages 14 to 19, represent some of the best programs in the nation,” a press release said. “They’ll travel from multiple regions—as far away as Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Virginia, and South Florida—to compete at one of America’s favorite rowing venues.”

ORRA’s Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta is the premier competitive opportunity for many teams, as they prepare for USRowing’s regional and national championships, the press release said. This year, the annual event features 1,100 athletes and more than 650 entries, from the single person scull to the coxed 8+. Racing began with time trials at 7:45 a.m. Saturday. Semi-finals are held on Saturday afternoon, and finals on Sunday over the 2000-meter course.

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Oak Ridge hosting three regattas this month

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A mural by artist Megan Lingerfelt is pictured above on the Oak Ridge Rowing Association boathouse at Melton Lake Park. (Photo courtesy Jim Dodson)

Oak Ridge is in the middle of hosting three championship regattas this month.

The regattas began May 12-14 with the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship. SMU (Southern Methodist University) of Dallas won all four races at the AAC Women’s Rowing Championship and captured the team title for the third consecutive season, according to Rowing News. The Mustangs finished with 168 points to finish first, while Tulsa placed second with 140. UCF (University of Central Florida) was third with 112 points.

Those three teams were in the top three last year also, with SMU, the champion, powering away from UCF and Tulsa in an intense matchup, a press release said.

This weekend’s regatta is the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) Championship.

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Two championship regattas in Oak Ridge this month

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Two championship regattas have been at the Oak Ridge Marina this month.

The first was the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championship Regatta on April 15-16.

The second is the Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta this weekend, April 22-23.

The regattas are hosted by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association.

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Secret City Head Race in Oak Ridge

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The Secret City Head Race is in Oak Ridge this weekend, and more than 1,100 athletes will compete in more than 500 boats.

The regatta is hosted by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. Rowing races are scheduled Saturday and Sunday at the Oak Ridge Marina. There will be athletes from major programs such as the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, a press release said.

“Spectators and fans are once again welcome to flock to the greenway ranging from Calhoun’s to the Melton Lake Park as they watch male and female rowers compete in a variety of nail-biting events,” the press release said.

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USRowing Masters National Championships begins Thursday

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The USRowing Masters National Championships is in Oak Ridge from Thursday to Sunday.

The regatta is hosted by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association.

The event draws competitors who are 21 years old and older from all across the United States. For many rowers, it will be their first big regatta in two years, a press release said. The regatta was last hosted by ORRA in 2017.

Racing will run each day from about 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Setup for the four-day regatta began on Saturday, August 7. Teams began to arrive Tuesday, August 10. and practice Wednesday, August 11.

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More than 100 teams register for USRowing National Championships

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The 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

There are more than 1,400 entries from 112 teams from across the United States for the USRowing Masters National Championships in Oak Ridge next week.

The championship regattas will be at Melton Lake Park in east Oak Ridge from August 12-15.

There will be rowers from as far away as Boston and San Diego.

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USRowing Southeast Youth Championships in Oak Ridge this weekend

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Rowers, officials, and referees are pictured above during the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The USRowing Southeast Youth Championships will be held Saturday and Sunday at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge.

More than 400 entries will be racing in the qualifying event for the Youth National Regatta for youth and teenaged rowers, a press release said. Trophies will include:

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Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge this weekend

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The Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta is in Oak Ridge this weekend on Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta is in Oak Ridge this weekend.

During the regatta, the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will partially close Melton Lake Greenway on Saturday, April 24, until Sunday, April 25, at 4 p.m.

“The closure is to help prevent the spread of COVID-19,” the city said. “It will be on the greenway between the boathouse parking lot and the crosswalk to the Emory Valley Greenway.”

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Oak Ridge to host 2021 USRowing Masters National Championships

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Rowing at Melton Hill Lake (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The 2021 USRowing Masters National Championships will be in Oak Ridge in August.

The championships, hosted by Oak Ridge Rowing Association, will be on Melton Hill Lake from August 12-15.

“We’re looking forward to offering the opportunity for our masters rowers to get back on the water at the USRowing Masters National Championships later this summer,” said USRowing Director of Events James Rawson. “Oak Ridge is a beloved racing venue, and we’re thrilled to be working with them for another national championship regatta. As always, our number one priority will be to run a safe regatta. We will be putting COVID protocols in place and will announce these measures closer to the event.”

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Parking at Melton Lake Park to be closed for regatta March 13 & 14

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Rowing at Melton Hill Lake (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The parking lots at Melton Lake Park will be closed to the public during a regatta next week.

The regatta, the 2021 Oak Ridge Louisville Cardinal Invitational Regatta, is scheduled on Saturday, March 13, and Sunday, March 14. It’s hosted by the City of Oak Ridge in partnership with the Oak Ridge Rowing Association, a press release said.

It’s an invitation-only event, and it will feature elite college women’s rowing teams who will compete in one of the first events of the season, the press release said.

To comply with ACC and Big 10 COVID-19 guidelines, this is a “no spectator” event, the press release said. As a result, the parking lots at Melton Lake Park will be closed to the public during the regatta, the release said.

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Regatta season starts next week

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The 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

This year’s regatta season will start next week with the Cardinal Invitational in Oak Ridge. That rowing competition with the University of Louisville is scheduled from March 13-14 at Melton Lake Park.

Other rowing events will begin in late April and run almost every weekend through May, a press release said.

This year, the Oak Ridge Rowing Association will host, for the first time, the NCAA Division I American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship, the press release said.

The races this year follow the cancellation of six regattas in 2020, including the NCAA Division I, II, and III Championships, the press release said.

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NCAA cancels events, including rowing championships in Oak Ridge

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The 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The 2020 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships, which were scheduled to be held in Oak Ridge in May, have been canceled because of COVID-19, and other collegiate regattas have been canceled as well.

Oak Ridge officials and others have been looking forward to the NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships since it was announced three years ago. The Oak Ridge rowing venue is considered one of the best in the country.

In a March 12 notice, the NCAA said all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships were being canceled due to COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. Also canceled were the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, which includes March Madness.

The cancellations affecting Oak Ridge include the NCAA division I, II, and III Women’s Rowing Championships, Big 10 Invitational Regatta, Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championship, as well as other regattas slated to be held in conjunction with the Oak Ridge Rowing Association.

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