Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series Starts 2012 Season with Record Numbers for Five Manny Flick Regattas, Setting Stage for Upcoming Championships


Philadelphia, PA – April 26,  2012 – The Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series started the 2012 season with a “bang,” as five Sundays of competition in the high school-oriented Manny Flick Regattas drew record numbers of competitors and spectators.

This past Sunday’s fifth and final Manny Flick Regatta drew more competitors and boats than last year’s Dad Vail Regatta (which is not affiliated with the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series), giving increasing credence to the fact that there is more to rowing in Philadelphia than one weekend in May.

"We had more races, more competitors and more spectators this year than ever, and although the weather was far from perfect, it was good enough to allow us to hold all five Manny Flick/Horvat Regattas," said Leslie Pfeil, president of the Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association (PSRA). "We were ahead of schedule most of the time, and had great support from the thousands who participated as well as all the great volunteers who work behind the scenes on these events. It’s a true community effort."

This year’s first Manny Flick Regatta, on Sunday, March 18th, had 191 entries, 43 teams from four states, for a total of 889 rowers.  The second, on Sunday, Marcy 25th, drew 364 entries, 58 teams from seven states, for a total of 1,906 rowers, while the third, on Sunday, April 1st, had 484 entries, 71 teams from six states, and 2,524 total rowers.  The fourth Manny Flick, on Sunday, April 15th, had 487 entries, 70 teams from six states, and 2,459 rowers. This past Sunday’s fifth and final Manny Flick of the 2012 season included 2,828 competitors in 547 boats from 79 teams and schools, drawn from Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C. 

“The Manny Flick Regattas are unique because they are a series of events with no medals or awards, they are almost like scrimmages that promote safety, fairness and inclusiveness as the high school coaches work with different lineups and combinations to get ready for the upcoming championship events,” said Pfeil.  “Teams come from all over to the Manny Flick Regattas because they have competition here on the Schuylkill River that they cannot get anywhere else.”

As part of the 2012 Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series, this year’s Manny Flick Regattas provide a “testing” stage for the upcoming high school championship events on the schedule. 

The Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series continues this coming Saturday, April 28th with the Catholic League Championships, followed by the PSRA City Championships on Sunday, May 6th, and the 86th Annual Stotesbury Cup Regatta on Friday and Saturday, May 18th and 19th.

“The five Manny Flick Regattas are all about the competition rather than the pomp and circumstance, and are extremely well run and officiated to give every competitor and team optimum conditions,” said John Hogan, Commodore of The Schuylkill Navy.  “I really don’t think anyone else in the country has rowing at this scale for high school competitors, and every year, our events get bigger and bigger.”
Last year’s PSRA City Championship event had 485 entries from 66 teams in four states, with 2,460 competitors, while last year’s Stotesbury Cup Regatta (the world's largest as well as the oldest high school rowing event and the second largest rowing event in the U.S. each year) featured over 5,000 high school student-athletes, competing in over 130 races, from 176 high schools representing eight states (Delaware, Florida, Maryland New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas and Washington, D.C.)as well as Canadian teams, with over 868 boats and over 25,000 in attendance over the course of the two days.  (For comparison, last year’s Dad Vail had 3,200 competitors from 111 schools in 497 boats; Stotesbury had 5,200 competitors, from 175 schools in 856 boats.)

The 2012 schedule of the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series, which brings together 20 previously independent events into the first year-long regatta series in the United States…

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.  Last year’s debut season featured 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 remaining 2012 Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series schedule of historic regattas:
  • Saturday, April 28:  Catholic League Championships
  • Sunday, May 6:  Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association City Championships
  • Sunday, May 13:  Dr. White Regatta
  • Friday, May 18 & Saturday, May 19:  86th Annual Stotesbury Cup Regatta
  • Saturday, June 16: 154th Schuylkill Navy Regatta
  • Friday, June 29 thru Sunday, July 1: 132nd Independence Day Regatta
  • Saturday, July 14: Philadelphia Youth Regatta
  • Saturday, August 4: Quaker City Masters Regatta
  • Saturday, October 13: 26th Annual Navy Day Regatta
  • Saturday, October 20:  4th Annual Philadelphia Children’s Foundation Regatta
  • Saturday, October 27 & Sunday, October 28:  42nd Annual Head of the Schuylkill Regatta
  • Saturday, November 10:  9th Annual Hutchinson Cup Regatta
  • Sunday, November 11: 4th Annual Philadelphia Turn & Burn Regatta

The Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series has been recognized by the Philadelphia Sports Congress as one of the "Premier Annual Events" for the city, state and region along with the Penn Relays (April); Blue Cross Broad Street Run (May); Devon Horse Show (May); TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship (June); Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon (June); ING Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon (September); the Philadelphia Marathon (November) and Army-Navy Football.

The official host hotel of the 2012 Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series is the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia Downtown.  The official host restaurant of the 2012 Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series is Buca di Beppo-Philadelphia.  Official sponsors of the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series include Monarch Travel Services and Spike's Trophies. Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington and Double Tree Suites by Hilton Philadelphia West are hotel partners of the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series.


Media Contact:
Jim DeLorenzo, Jim DeLorenzo Public Relations
215-564-1122, jim@jhdenterprises.com