Oak Ridge Today

Photos: Cardinal Invitational Regatta in Oak Ridge

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Twelve of the nation’s best NCAA Division I women’s rowing teams competed this weekend in the Cardinal Invitational Regatta in Oak Ridge. Pictured above, a Notre Dame team competes at Oak Ridge Marina on Saturday, March 12, 2016. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Twelve of the nation’s best NCAA Division I women’s rowing teams competed this weekend in the Cardinal Invitational Regatta in Oak Ridge. Here are photos by Julio Culiat.

The rowing races were hosted by the University of Louisville at the Oak Ridge Rowing Association on Melton Hill Lake.

The 2016 Cardinal Regatta included the following rowing teams: [Read more…]

This weekend: University of Louisville hosts Cardinal Regatta in Oak Ridge

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Whether you’re out for an early-morning walk or driving home from work along Melton Hill Lake, it is clear to see that rowing season has begun in Oak Ridge. Rowing teams from all over the northern United States and parts of Canada are beginning to arrive in Oak Ridge for spring training and racing.

This weekend, the University of Louisville will host its annual Cardinal Invitational Regatta. Twelve of the nation’s best NCAA Division I women’s rowing teams will compete on March 12-13 at the Oak Ridge Rowing Association on Melton Hill Lake.

The 2016 Cardinal Regatta will host the following rowing teams: [Read more…]

Geotechnical testing for eighth lane on Oak Ridge rowing course starts next week

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USRowing Club Nationals

Racing in the USRowing Club National Championships in Oak Ridge on Saturday, July 19, 2014, consisted of heats and semifinals setting up the second round of finals on Sunday, July 20. (Photo by USRowing)

 

An engineering company will start geotechnical testing next week along Melton Lake Greenway for the installation of an eighth rowing lane, officials said Thursday.

Work will be done by Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon Inc. engineering, the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department said. The testing is scheduled to begin Monday, October 12, and be complete on Friday, October 16, weather permitting.

The testing areas will be concentrated between Palisades Parkway and Amanda Drive, a press release said. During the geotechnical testing process, the use of Melton Lake Greenway may be disrupted. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Rowing hires head coach for Atomic Rowing programs

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Shannon Moore

Shannon Moore

Shannon Moore has been hired as the head coach for Oak Ridge’s Atomic Rowing programs, the Oak Ridge Rowing Association said Saturday.

Moore will direct the developmental and competitive programs for junior novices, men’s and women’s varsity, and adult rowing programs, the ORRA said in a press release.

Moore was a decorated rower for Ohio State University, was a member of the US Rowing National Team, and medaled in both the women’s 4+ and women’s 8+ races in the USRowing National Championships during her amateur rowing career, the press release said.

It said Moore has 17 years of coaching experience, including international, collegiate, and competitive club and high school programs. [Read more…]

Local rower finishes 6th in nation at USRowing National Championships

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Sarah Kate Rogers at USRowing Nationals

Sarah Kate Rogers sprints to a second-place finish in the final 250 meters of the Women’s Youth 1x Semifinal at the 2015 USRowing Southeastern Youth Championships. (Photo courtesy J. Rogers)

 

By Jim Rogers

Oak Ridge’s Sarah Kate Rogers continued her memorable run to USRowing’s 2015 Youth Nationals, overcoming windy course conditions and formidable talent to reach the Grand Final of the Women’s Youth sculling singles (WY1x). The Youth Nationals were held June 12-14, in Bradenton, Florida.

Rogers qualified for the Youth Nationals as a result of her victory in the USRowing Southeastern Regionals in May.

Her path to the National Grand Finals was not without significant drama. In her opening heat, she tangled with lane buoys early in the race, and despite a ferocious comeback, finished a narrow fourth. This forced her to the repechage, a last chance to qualify for the semifinals. She responded to that challenge, moving through her opponents to grab the lead at the halfway point and holding off a furious challenge from Rachel Pierce of South Jersey Rowing Club. On short rest, Rogers then out-sprinted Shelby Johnson of Capital Rowing Club in the semifinal to finish second and qualify for the Grand Final. [Read more…]

Dragon Boat Festival includes races, music, beer garden, kids area

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Four Dragon Boats

Dragon boats are pictured above at the Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival at Melton Lake Park on May 31, 2014. (Submitted photo) 

 

The second annual Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival this weekend will include dragon boat races, music, vendors, a youth area for kids, and a beer garden.

The Oak Ridge Marina boat ramp will be closed on Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30, for the festival, organizers said. They expect increased traffic congestion on Melton Lake Drive this weekend. Organizers are encouraging those who attend to park at Roane State Community College on Briarcliff Avenue and catch a ride in a bus or van to the waterfront.

Thirty or or more teams of 20 paddlers each are expected in Oak Ridge for the 2015 Dragon Boat Festival.

The festival, which will raise money for local charities, will start on Friday evening, May 29, with a “Lanterns on the Lake” ceremony, music, beer garden, and other festivities. [Read more…]

Local rower earns invitation to USRowing Youth National Championships

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Sarah Kate Rogers and Marc DeRose

Rower Sarah Kate Rogers, who has been invited to compete in the USRowing Youth National Championships in June, is pictured above with coach Marc DeRose. (Photo by Suzanne Rogers)

 

By James H. Rogers

Oak Ridge’s Sarah Kate Rogers has earned an invitation to compete in the USRowing Youth National Championships by virtue of her first-place finish in the women’s youth sculling singles (WY1x) at the USRowing Southeast Youth Championships earlier this month. Competing against other young women from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, she swept through the heats and won the 2,000-meter final in a time of 8:26.257, more than eight seconds ahead of any other sculler.

At next month’s national championship, which is from June 12-14 in Bradenton, Florida, Rogers will compete against as many as 27 other scullers through both heats and repechage for a coveted spot in the grand finals.

“The competition is incredibly tough,” Rogers said of the national event. “We all train and work as hard as we can to get to this point, and leave nothing on race day.”

Her competitors qualify from 11 separate national regions, and represent powerhouse rowing programs from the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southwest, Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest. Rogers is unique in this regard, rowing as an unaffiliated rower under the watchful eyes of her coaching team, Shannon Moore and Marc DeRose. [Read more…]

USRowing in Oak Ridge: Vesper Boat Club victorious again

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Vesper Boat Club

The Vesper Boat Club of Philadelphia swept the competition, winning the men’s, women’s, and overall team trophies at the 2014 USRowing Club National Championships for the second consecutive year. The championships were in Oak Ridge from Wednesday through Sunday. (Photos courtesy USRowing)

 

By Ella Odland/USRowing

Vesper Boat Club of Philadelphia swept the competition, winning the men’s, women’s and overall team trophies at the 2014 USRowing Club National Championships for the second consecutive year. Vesper won a total of 14 gold, 12 silver and six bronze medals.

The 2014 championships were in Oak Ridge from Wednesday through Sunday. The 2013 championships were in Camden, New Jersey.

“We decided to shrink the numbers of the program this year and try to go for more quality,” said Sean Clarke, Vesper’s program manager. “It made things very exciting at the end for us, but everyone here really did a fine job of living up to Vesper’s tradition of ‘all together.’”

Vesper Boat Club Men

The Vesper Boat Club Men are pictured above.

The Vesper men narrowly beat out New York Athletic Club, winning the men’s trophy by two points.

“We had a solid outing,” said Vesper men’s coach Colin Regan. “We had some good results in a lot of our races and some results we’ll look to improve on going into Canada.” [Read more…]

USRowing: Last day of heats, semis Saturday; more finals Sunday

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USRowing Club Nationals

Racing in the USRowing Club National Championships in Oak Ridge on Saturday consisted of heats and semifinals, setting up the second round of finals on Sunday. (Photos courtesy USRowing)

 

By Luke Reynolds/USRowing

If Saturday’s racing on Melton Lake in Oak Ridge could be summed up in a few words, it would be these: wet, saturated, and exhausted. The athletes—some on their fourth day of racing—rowed through a consistent, steady drizzle, and at times, a heavy downpour.

Such was the case for Sagamore’s junior B quadruple sculls boat coming off the water after its heat.

“This is my second race of the day, so I’m pretty exhausted,” Sagamore junior Patrick Ansalon said. “Today’s race went … not so well. We had a U17 eight, which got fourth, and I was in a composite four that qualified for finals tomorrow.”

Luckily though, the rain let up around 1:45 p.m. during the break and held off for the majority of the afternoon. Around the race course though, conditions remained muddy and saturated from the several hours of continuous rain.

Saturday’s racing consisted of heats and semifinals setting up the second round of finals on Sunday. [Read more…]

USRowing: First final session wraps up in Oak Ridge

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Harborside Rowing at the at the 2014 USRowing Club National Championships in Oak Ridge. (Photos courtesy USRowing)

By Ella Odland/USRowing

“‘Olé, olé, olé,’ rang out across Melton Hill Lake Friday morning as crews battled for the title of club national champion in the first bout of finals at the 2014 USRowing Club National Championships.

The “olé” cheer could be heard during every race in which Harborside Rowing competed. Harborside won a gold medal in the lightweight women’s intermediate pair and two silver medals—one in the women’s senior four with coxswain and one in the lightweight women’s intermediate pair.

“We still have a lot to go; we are very excited,” said Harborside coach Hugo Guardo. “We hope the next three days are also good. It was a great day for Harborside.”

As for the unique “olé” cheer, Guardo says that it stems from his Mexican heritage, and it is something the crew has done for a few years now.

“It is one of the first things the kids learn,” Guardo joked. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge hosting 2014 USRowing Club National Championships this week

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USRowing Club National Championships

The USRowing Club National Championships started Wednesday and ends Sunday at the Oak Ridge Marina. (Photo courtesy USRowing)

 

Story courtesy USRowing/Luke Reynolds

Crews from across the country ranging in every age and skill level converged on Oak Ridge this week for the 2014 USRowing Club National Championships, which started Wednesday and ends Sunday on Melton Hill Lake.

Philadelphia’s Vesper Boat Club is the defending overall team points trophy winner. The team brought nearly 200 junior men and women to compete on the Cooper River in Camden, N.J., in 2013 and also took the men’s and women’s trophies to sweep the event.

This year, around 1,500 athletes from 80 different clubs will be participating in the event, which is hosted by Oak Ridge Rowing Association.

“The city is really trying their best to welcome people to Oak Ridge,” said Oak Ridge Rowing Association President Terry Holley. “The businesses are very excited for this regatta and all regattas hosted by USRowing. [Read more…]

Volunteers, launch drivers needed for USRowing National Championship

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USRowing Youth National Championships Finals

The USRowing Youth National Championships Finals are pictured above in Oak Ridge in June 2013. (File photo)

USRowing is having its 2014 National Club Championship regatta in Oak Ridge from Wednesday, July 16, through Sunday, July 20.

The regatta is on Melton Hill Lake at the Oak Ridge Marina.

The Oak Ridge Rowing Association is seeking volunteers for this event, a press release said. No experience is necessary.

“This is a great way to get up close to some of the best racing in the country,” said Terry Holley, president of the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. “We are pleased that USRowing has chosen Melton Hill Lake once again as the venue for this prestigious event.” [Read more…]