8th Annual Schuylkill Navy Awards Banquet Saturday, March 5th at Lloyd Hall on Philadelphia’s Historic Boathouse Row, Celebrating Top Rowers & Coaches
Philadelphia, PA – February 16, 2011 – The eighth annual Schuylkill Navy Awards Banquet will be celebrated on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at Lloyd Hall on Philadelphia historic Boathouse Row. A cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m. with dinner beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $60 for age 30 and over, $40 for under 30 guests. Deadline for ticket registration is Sunday, February 27. Registration is available online at https://www.regattacentral.com/services/listing.jsp?job=692&expand=true&filter=BANQ.
The Schuylkill Navy was founded in 1858 and is the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the U.S. It is comprised of the 12 rowing clubs of Philadelphia’s historic Boathouse Row along the Schuylkill River.
This year’s Schuylkill Navy Awards Banquet honors a number of outstanding individuals and coaches.
The “Coach of the Year” award will be presented to Mike McKenna, the long-time coach of Mt. St. Joseph’s Academy and Whitemarsh Boat Club. The Mount’s varsity 8+ and lightweight 8+ had an especially strong season in 2010, ending the spring at the US Rowing Youth National Championships with a bronze medal for the lightweight 8+, and a highest-ever finish for the varsity 8+ of fifth place in the grand final.
The 2010 season also included the following highlights for McKenna-coached boats:
• Undefeated women’s senior 8+ in the Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association (PSRA) Flick/Horvat Series;
• Gold for the women’s senior 8+ in the PSRA City Championships;
• Gold for the women’s Lightweight 8+ in the Stotesbury Cup;
• Gold for the women’s Senior 8+ and the women’s Lightweight 8+ at the SRA Championship;
• Gold for the women’s Senior 8+ and the women’s Lightweight 8+ at the US Rowing Youth Nationals;
• Bronze for the women’s Lightweight 8+ and fifth place for the women’s Senior 8+ at the Grand Final;
• And first-place high school (fourth crew overall) at the Head of the Charles.
Career highlights for McKenna’s also include: Gold at both the 2005 and 2006 Stotesbury Cup for the women’s Senior 8+; gold for the women’s Lightweight 8+ at the 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 Stotesbury Cup; Gold for the women’s Senior 8+ at the 2006 and 2008 SRA Championship; Gold for the women’s Lightweight 8+ at the 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 SRA Championship; first-place high school at the Head of the Charles in 2008 and 2009; and the 2006 US Rowing Youth National Champion women’s Lightweight 8+.
McKenna competed at Drexel University, where he also served as the Dragons coach, bringing himself and his crews to several Dad Vail championships; and he also coached for many years at Fairmount Rowing Association. Although his commitment to rowing has truly spanned his lifetime, The Schuylkill Navy recognizes McKenna’s achievements in 2010 as a “special year of success.”
Hannah Godfrey of Vesper is the winner of the Schuylkill Navy “Athlete of the Year” award. During the 2010 season, Godfrey finished second at the elite National Championships, and third in the United States trials. A 2007 Pan Am Games qualifier in the LW2x where she finished fourth, she also competed in the World Championships in 2007 in the LW4x that finished fourth. She won a Bronze Medal at the 2008 World Championships in a complete Vesper LW4x., and was a member of the LW Vesper 8 that won the Head of the Charles, also in 2008.
Malta Boat Club’s Jeff Cutler is the Schuylkill Navy “Masters Athlete of the Year.” Cutler’s 2010 season highlights include performances in the Schuylkill Navy Regatta [Masters Light 1X first over the line, second after handicap (fastest masters 1x time raw); Masters 2X--first fastest masters 2x time raw; Masters 4X—first]; Catch the Cooper [Masters C 1X--first (second fastest 1X time)]; Independence Day Regatta [LT 1x Dash--first, Master 1X--first, Master 2x--first, Masters 4X—second]; Master's Nationals [Light C 1X--first, Light C 2X--first, Light B 2X--third, Club E 4X—first]; and Head of the Schuylkill [Masters 40+ - 1X third place (fastest Lightweight in the event), Masters 40+ 2X first place with Ted Trocky, Masters 50+ 4x first Place with Ted Trocky, Rick Stehlik, Chuck Patterson].
Ann Holmes of Penn AC is the winner of this year’s “Duling Award,” for the most miles rowed on the Schuylkill River (3,010). Award certificates will also be presented to the 77 individuals who rowed more than 1,000 miles each in 2010.
The eighth annual Schuylkill Navy Awards Banquet marks the beginning of the 2011 season on the river. This year, beginning on Sunday, March 20th and continuing through November 13th The Schuylkill Navy debuts the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series, which brings together 22 previously independent events into the first year-long regatta series in the United States. The 2011 season of the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series will attract over 35,000 competitors in over 7,700 boats representing high school, college, club, open and masters programs from around the country.
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), the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series is the first of its kind in any city in the U.S. and represents a beloved Philadelphia athletic institution. The Schuylkill River hosts more regattas each year than any other river in the nation, as well as two of the country’s oldest continuing regattas.
About the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series:
The Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series brings together 22 separate rowing events into the first unified series of its kind in the United States. From March to November, the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series features over 35,000 competitors in over 7,700 boats representing high schools, colleges, clubs, as well as masters and open programs from around the country. It includes several of the nation’s oldest and largest regattas, all conducted on Philadelphia’s historic Schuylkill River. It is organized by The Schuylkill Navy, the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the U.S., representing the 12 rowing clubs based on Philadelphia’s landmark Boathouse Row. Additional information is available at http://www.boathouserow.org.
Media Contact: Jim DeLorenzo, 215-564-1122. jim@jhdenterprises.com