Rowing Archives - Oak Ridge Today

Reminder: Oak Ridge will try to set world record in ‘knockout’ basketball today

Posted at 9:40 am June 9, 2018
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A reminder: Oak Ridge will try to set a Guinness World Record on Saturday in a basketball game known as “knockout” today (Saturday, June 9).

The attempt to break the previous world record is part of the Secret City Festival this weekend. The game will start at noon in the parking lot of Dick’s Sporting Goods at Main Street Oak Ridge. The first 702 people will get a free T-shirt, organizers said. Then, every 30 minutes, prizes will be awarded from Electronic Express and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Once you have taken your shot (and missed…), you get to register for a Jeep awarded at no cost from Secret City Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Every 30 minutes, one of those registrations will be pulled as a finalist for the drawing for the Jeep on June 27, organizers said. (You must be present to win and 18 and over with a valid driver’s license).

The Dallas Mavericks set the record for the largest game of basketball knockout with 701 participants in Dallas, Texas, on October 4, 2015. The game lasted 27 rounds and more than three hours, according to Guinness World Records. Team owner Mark Cuban was there before the record-setting attempt to check out the court and the turnout, and he also motivated the basketball shooters.

Organizers of this year’s Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge want to do better than Cuban and the Mavericks. They need at least 702 shooters to set the new world record. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Rowing Association hosting USRowing Masters National Championships this week

Posted at 4:10 pm August 16, 2017
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The 2017 USRowing Masters National Championships will be held in Oak Ridge in August. The championships are scheduled for August 17-20 on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy USRowing)

Oak Ridge Rowing Association will host the 2017 USRowing Masters National Championships from Thursday, August 17, to Sunday, August 20.

“With 3,000 rowers coming to town to compete in the highest masters level race and a peninsula filled with food and shopping, come experience the event!” the Oak Ridge Rowing Association said in a press release distributed by the City of Oak Ridge.

This regatta will take place down at the Oak Ridge Rowing Association Boathouse and on the waterfront. Rowers will arrive on site to practice on Wednesday, August 16, and will compete August 17-20, the press release said.

The parking lot in front of the boathouse will remain closed from August 17-20 for the championship regatta, the press release said. The public boat ramp next to the boathouse will be closed for the duration of the regatta also. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will close the waterway that is affected by the regatta until Sunday, August 20, the press release said. [Read more…]

USRowing Masters National Championships is in Oak Ridge this week

Posted at 12:11 pm August 14, 2017
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The 2017 USRowing Masters National Championships will be held on the Oak Ridge rowing course from August 17-20. (Photo courtesy USRowing)

The 2017 USRowing Masters National Championships are in Oak Ridge this week.

The rowing races are scheduled from Thursday, August 17, to Sunday, August 20, on the Oak Ridge rowing course on Melton Hill Lake.

The 2016 regatta had more than 2,000 entries as 165 clubs converged on the waterways of Lake Quinsigamond for the largest USRowing event ever. For Oak Ridge Rowing Association Regatta Director Sarah McAuliffe, it set the bar even higher for this year, and she is looking forward to the challenge, a press release said.

“Oak Ridge Rowing Association is extremely excited to provide an excellent athlete experience for rowers at Masters Nationals 2017,” McAuliffe said. “With our race course recognized as one of the best in the country, and an organization that has decades of experience hosting high-caliber events, rowers will have the ability to connect with other athletes socially and competitively.” [Read more…]

Big 12 Rowing Championship in Oak Ridge this weekend

Posted at 9:47 am May 11, 2017
By John Huotari 2 Comments

The Big 12 Rowing Championship is in Oak Ridge this weekend, Saturday, May 13-Sunday, May 14, 2017. Pictured above is a race during the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Big 12 Rowing Championship is in Oak Ridge this weekend.

It’s the third-straight season the Big 12 Rowing Championship will be at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge, according to big12sports.com.

“Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia, along with affiliate members Alabama, Old Dominion, and Tennessee will meet May 13-14 to battle for the conference crown,” the website said. [Read more…]

Current too strong for regatta on Oak Ridge rowing course, forcing cancellation

Posted at 10:28 pm April 27, 2017
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The destruction of the Oak Ridge rowing course is pictured above after heavy rains in the past week led to flooding and now strong currents on the Clinch River, causing the cancellation of the Dogwood Regatta on April 29-30, 2017. (Photo courtesy Explore Oak Ridge)

The strong current on the Oak Ridge rowing course forced the cancellation of the Dogwood Regatta this weekend, April 29-30, a press release said.

“The rain over the last several days has caused major flooding in the area,” said Sarah McAuliffe, Oak Ridge Rowing Association regatta director. “The current is about 10 times the norm and has done damage to our race course and other infrastructure, but the larger issue is athlete safety. “

The Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Coast Guard have confirmed that the water flow rate will remain too high for safe rowing regatta operations over the weekend, the press release said. [Read more…]

Dogwood Jr. Regatta canceled due to increased water flow, unsafe rowing conditions

Posted at 1:08 am April 27, 2017
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This story was updated at 9:55 a.m.

The Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta scheduled for this weekend has been canceled due to increased water flow on Melton Hill Lake and unsafe rowing conditions, the Oak Ridge Rowing Association said on Twitter.

All coaches received a cancellation notice by email through Regatta Central.

“We regretfully announce this cancellation,” the Rowing Association said. “Thank you for all support and understanding that our main goal is to keep rowers safe.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge will celebrate new eighth rowing lane on Friday, April 28

Posted at 11:02 am April 19, 2017
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Rowers are pictured above on the Oak Ridge rowing course in the spring of 2017. The area that needed work to recently add the eighth lane is pictured at center-right along Melton Lake Drive. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge will celebrate the new eighth rowing lane with a special dedication ceremony on Friday, April 28, the city said in a press release.

The dedication, announced by the City of Oak Ridge, will be at 3 p.m. Friday, April 28. It is expected to include state and local leaders, and it will help kick off one of the biggest rowing weekends of the season, the press release said.

The eighth rowing lane, which is now complete, has been on the city’s wish list for many years. Officials have said that it could help attract even more and larger regattas (rowing races) and help maintain the Oak Ridge course as one of the top-ranked rowing venues in the United States.

Those who attend Friday’s dedication ceremony will gather in Melton Lake Park at the pavilion across from the Oak Ridge Rowing Association and then take a short walk on Melton Lake Greenway to the new overlook for the eighth rowing lane, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge will host NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships in 2020

Posted at 4:14 pm April 18, 2017
By John Huotari 4 Comments

The Oak Ridge rowing course is 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 2020 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships will be in Oak Ridge.

The selection was announced by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) on Tuesday, April 18. The NCAA said it has selected more than 600 host sites for preliminary rounds and finals of predetermined championships in Divisions I, II, and III to be held from 2017-18 through 2021-22. The selections for Division I are posted online at the NCAA website.

The hosts for the 2020 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships at the Oak Ridge rowing course are the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge Rowing Association.

The championships will be in Indianapolis in 2019 and in Sarasota, Florida, in 2021 and 2022.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

SIRA Regatta in Oak Ridge this weekend

Posted at 1:20 pm April 14, 2017
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The 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta is pictured in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association, or SIRA, Regatta is in Oak Ridge this weekend. The regatta started Friday, April 14, and it will end Saturday, April 15.

It’s hosted by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. It’s the 49th annual SIRA Regatta in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

“Few partnerships have stood the test of time like that of SIRA and Oak Ridge,” said the press release, which was from Explore Oak Ridge.

This year, the regatta will feature 59 teams from 12 states.

“This is the largest regatta in SIRA history for an Easter weekend,” said Sarah McAuliffe, Oak Ridge Rowing Association regatta director. “We are looking forward to a great weekend of rowing.”

The race distance is 2,000 meters, or about 1.25 miles. You can view the start line from Calhoun’s restaurant on Melton Lake Drive. Teams cross the finish line downstream at the UT-Battelle Rowing Tower. Coaches and spectators can now view races from start to finish with no obstructions because of the recent completion of the eighth lane, the press release said. [Read more…]

Eighth rowing lane complete in time for spring training

Posted at 8:43 pm March 10, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 4 Comments

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

The eighth lane on the Oak Ridge Rowing Course has been completed on schedule and under budget, just in time to welcome teams for spring training and the season’s first regatta, the City of Oak Ridge said Friday.

“Previously, the course utilized seven rowing lanes, taking Oak Ridge out of the running for any event requiring eight lanes for competition,” a city press release said. “Part of the waterway was widened, and a retaining wall installed in order to create the additional lane.”

Spring training started in late February, and Oak Ridge has already welcomed dozens of teams to town, the press release said. The first regatta on this season’s schedule, the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational, kicks off Saturday, March 11. Approximately 12 teams will compete in the event before it wraps up on Sunday, March 12.

First Place Finish Inc. was selected to carry out the project back in September. The $548,350 contract was awarded to the company during a meeting of Oak Ridge City Council. A partial closure of Melton Lake Greenway and a temporary speed limit reduction along part of Melton Lake Drive were both lifted this week. [Read more…]

Photos: Construction work on eighth rowing lane

Posted at 10:13 am February 21, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Rail work on the eighth rowing lane on the Oak Ridge rowing course is pictured above on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. (Photo by Laurel Patrick/First Place Finish)

Rail work on the eighth lane of the Oak Ridge rowing course is pictured above on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. (Photo by Laurel Patrick/First Place Finish)

Construction work continues on the eighth lane of the Oak Ridge rowing course.

Here are three recent photos by Laurel Patrick of First Place Finish, the contractor. The work includes a precast concrete block retaining wall and associated dredging and site work.

The construction of the eighth rowing lane is funded by a combination of state appropriations, City Capital Improvement funds, and a state tourism grant awarded to the Anderson County Tourism Council specifically for the eighth lane project. The Oak Ridge Rowing Association (ORRA), Explore Oak Ridge (the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau), and Visit Knoxville also contributed. [Read more…]

Spring training on Oak Ridge rowing course starts Feb. 9

Posted at 10:49 am January 31, 2017
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Cardinal-Invitational-Regatta-West-Virginia-Rowing-March-12-2016

Spring training on the Oak Ridge rowing course runs from February 9 to March 5, 2017. Pictured above is a West Virginia University team competing in the Cardinal Invitational Regatta in Oak Ridge on Saturday, March 12, 2016. (File photo by Julio Culiat)

Spring training on the Oak Ridge rowing course runs from February 9 to March 5.

Oak Ridge and Anderson County tourism officials said there will be 31 different teams coming to town this year, with 40 to 50 rowers on each team. Each team generally stays in town for a week at a time.

Rowing has a $2 million impact on the community, according to Adventure Anderson County and Explore Oak Ridge.