Philadelphia Children's Foundation 2.25 Regatta is Saturday, October 22nd, Continuing the 2011 Debut Season of the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series

Philadelphia, PA -- October 21, 2011 -- The debut season of America’s first organized year-long series of rowing events, the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series, continues this Saturday, October 22nd, with the third annual Philadelphia Children’s Foundation 2.25 Regatta, on Philadelphia’s historic Schuylkill River.  The event begins at approximately 10 a.m. and concludes at approximately 1 p.m.

This Saturday’s Philadelphia Children’s Foundation 2.25 Regatta is a traditional two-and-one-quarter mile “head race.”  Approximately 250 rowers will compete from 19 different clubs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with 64 boats entered in the races, featuring Masters, open, college, high school and junior events.  Viewing for the event is along the Schuylkill River on Kelly Drive, with parking nearby in historic Fairmount Park.

The Philadelphia Children’s Foundation 2.25 Regatta, like the other remaining events in the 2011 Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series, are what are commonly referred to as “head races,” compared to the sprint races that were held throughout the spring and summer. Head races are a longer distance than the sprint races, and instead of six boats lining up and racing to the finish line, the boats are racing against the clock to get the best time.  The term “head races” comes from the tradition that the winner of a particular race the previous year is the “head of the river” until the next year’s race, at which point that defending winner gets the number one slot in the race.

Among the participating rowing clubs are: Absegami High School; Bachelors Barge Club; Crescent Boat Club; Fairmount Rowing Association; Harriton Boat Club; Haverford High School,; LaSalle College High School; Mount Saint Joseph Academy; Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club; RFH Rowing; Richard Stockton College; St. Joseph’s Preparatory School; Swan Creek Rowing Club; The Haverford School; Undine Barge Club; University Barge Club; Upper Merion High School; Vesper Boat Club; and Wharton Crew Club.

All proceeds from the Philadelphia Children’s Foundation 2.25 Regatta go to the development and expansion of career and college programming for Philadelphia students. In addition to raising money for a good cause, all participants are encouraged to bring a new or gently used children’s book to be donated to a local elementary school.

The Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series schedule runs from March through November, and features over 35,000 competitors in over 7,700 boats representing not only high schools but colleges, clubs, masters and open programs from around the country.  The four remaining regattas on this year’s schedule include:

  • Saturday, October 22:               Philadelphia Children’s Foundation 2.25 Regatta
  • Sat., Oct.  29 & Sun. Oct. 30:     Head of the Schuylkill Regatta (h.s./coll./club/open/masters)
  • Saturday, November 12:            Hutchinson Cup Regatta (masters/open/coll/h.s./juniors)
  • Sunday, November 13:              Philadelphia Turn & Burn Regatta (masters/open/coll./h.s./clubs)

The Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series brings together for the first time 20 previously independent events in the first organized year-long series of rowing events of its kind in any major U.S. city.   The Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series is organized by the Schuylkill Navy, which is the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the country, representing the 12 rowing clubs based on Philadelphia’s landmark Boathouse Row.

With three of the largest regattas in the Mid-Atlantic region on the schedule, as well as two of the nation’s oldest regattas, the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series connects the rowing competitors of today to the historic home of the international rowing elite.  It is built upon a tradition that launched November 12, 1835 with the first organized regatta on the Schuylkill (a full eight years before the start of the rowing program at Harvard).   Over 175 years later, the Schuylkill River hosts more regattas annually than any other river in the nation.

The official host restaurant of the 2011 Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series is Buca di Beppo-Philadelphia. 

The official host hotel of the 2011 Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series is the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia Downtown.

Additional information about the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series and The Schuylkill Navy is available at http://www.boathouserow.org.

Additional information about the Philadelphia Children’s Foundation is available at http://www.philadelphiachildrensfoundation.org.