Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series Continues This Saturday, October 13th with the 26th Annual Navy Day Regatta
Philadelphia, PA – October
12, 2012 -- The
2012 season of the Philadelphia Classic
Regatta Series continues this Saturday, October 13th, with the 26th
annual Navy Day Regatta.
Originally
developed in 1986 to promote and support Navy and Marine Corps awareness, the Navy Day Regatta
is held in the second week of October to celebrate the U.S. Navy’s
birthday.
Approximately
3,000 competitors in 586 boats and representing 80 clubs and schools from
across the Mid-Atlantic Region are expected to participate in the Navy Day
Regatta. Competitors include crews from
the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine
Academy, among others. Saturday’s races
being at 8:15 a.m. and the last race of the day is schedule at approximately
4:40 p.m.
Admission
to view the Navy Day Regatta on the
banks of the Schuylkill River along is free of charge. Limited parking for cars is available nearby
in Fairmount Park. The starting line for tomorrow’s Navy Day Regatta is above the Strawberry Mansion Bridge
with the finish line above the "Viking" statue on Boathouse Row.
The
Navy Day Regatta, like the other
remaining events in the 2012 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.
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 of the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series 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. This
season has already featured some of the biggest competitive rowing fields, as
well as some of the largest audiences, in Philadelphia’s storied tradition in
the sport.
The
remaining 2012 Philadelphia Classic
Regatta Series schedule of historic regattas:
- Saturday,
October 20: 4th Annual Philadelphia Children’s Foundation Regatta
- Saturday,
October 27 & Sunday, October 28:
42nd Annual Head
of the Schuylkill 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 Sonesta
Hotel 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.
Additional information is
available at http://www.BoathouseRow.org.
Media Contact:
Jim DeLorenzo, Jim DeLorenzo Public
Relations
215-564-1122