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Oak Ridge Rowing Association hosting USRowing Masters National Championships this week

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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…]

Dogwood Junior Regatta to feature about 2,000 young rowers this weekend

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Dogwood Juniors Regatta

The Dogwood Junior Regatta will be in Oak Ridge from April 30-May 1, 2016. Pictured above from left are an Atlanta Junior Rowing Association crew preparing to race in Oak Ridge, an Atomic Junior Rowing racing crew, and youth rowers from Asheville Rowing Club preparing to launch. (Photos by Explore Oak Ridge)

 

Junior rowing, for those under 19 years old, has grown by leaps and bounds in the southeastern United States during the past 10 years. Whether due to the extensive opportunities for rowing college scholarships or the general improvement in quanity and quality of rowing programs offered, junior rowing is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the nation.

This weekend, Oak Ridge will welcome about 2,000 junior rowers from all over the Southeast and Midwest to compete in the Dogwood Junior Regional Regatta. The regatta is one of the largest in the Southeast.

A crew’s performance at the event will be considered heavily for seeding purposes at the USRowing Regional Championship, where rowers compete to qualify for the Junior National Championships.

“If you’re a junior rower (from the Southeast) you’ll want to be in Oak Ridge this weekend,” said Shannon Moore, head coach of Atomic Junior Rowing in Oak Ridge. “It’s going to be the best opportunity for crews to test their speed prior to the regional championships. This regatta will inform coaches on how to train for the weeks leading to regionals, and (it) can be the difference between qualifying for nationals or not.” [Read more…]

Close to 2,000 rowers race in more than 300 boats in SIRA Championship

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About 1,900 rowers competed in the 2016 SIRA Championship in Oak Ridge on April 16-17. Pictured above is a Stetson University crew at the start of the 2,000-meter course on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

About 1,900 rowers from 61 programs raced in the 2016 SIRA Championship in Oak Ridge on Saturday and Sunday.

Featuring 322 boats, it was the largest SIRA regatta ever.

SIRA, the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association, has been holding its championship in Oak Ridge for almost 30 years.

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau said the city’s rowing course has been attracting rowers since the late 1970s with its calm, flat water, and SIRA rowers were among the first to compete in Oak Ridge back in the 1980s. Today, the regatta attracts more than 50 collegiate men’s and women’s rowing teams to Oak Ridge, and the one this past weekend had 61 teams.

Racing started Saturday morning with time trials, which were followed by afternoon heats and semifinals. Finals were from 8 a.m. to 1:05 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]

State grant of $250K will help build eighth lane at Oak Ridge rowing course

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Oak Ridge Rowing Lane Announcement

Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, announces a $250,000 state grant for an eighth lane at the Oak Ridge rowing course on Sunday. Also pictured from left are Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, Sen. Randy McNally, Anderson County Chamber of Commerce President Rick Meredith, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick, Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau President Marc DeRose, Oak Ridge City Council member Rick Chinn, and Oak Ridge Rowing Association President Russell Byrd.

 

A $250,000 state grant announced Sunday will be used to help build an eighth lane at the Oak Ridge rowing course. And that’s expected to significantly increase the economic impact of rowing races, or regattas, officials said.

The eighth lane has been on the city’s wish list for years, and it will allow the Oak Ridge Rowing Association to compete for bigger races and international regattas and provide more on-water capacity, allowing more competitors in events like this weekend’s SIRA Regatta.

According to rough estimates, the eighth lane could cost about $350,000 total, said Oak Ridge City Council member Rick Chinn, the father of two former rowers and a rower himself. That means the City of Oak Ridge might have to contribute up to $100,000 to complete the project.

Tennessee Representative John Ragan, the Oak Ridge Republican who spearheaded the effort to get state funding, said the regional impact of the regattas in Oak Ridge is estimated at $13 million now, but it could increase to $33 million, according to a University of Tennessee study. [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…]

Conference USA Rowing Championships in Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Tennessee Rowing

Image courtesy Tennessee Volunteers Athletics

 

The 2014 Conference USA Rowing Championships are in Oak Ridge on Saturday. The regatta is at Melton Lake Park and the Oak Ridge Marina.

The University of Tennessee will be competing against Alabama, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Old Dominion, Sacramento State, San Diego State, Texas, Tulsa, and West Virginia for the 2014 C-USA Title. The championship begins at 9:00 a.m.

For a schedule of events this Saturday, visit http://www.conferenceusa.com/championships/w-rowing-championship-14.html.

The regatta is hosted by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association.