Regatta ready to roll on the river

How to go

HAMILTON — One of Hamilton’s most prominent features will play host this weekend to rowing teams from throughout the Midwest in one of the region’s growing sports.

The third annual Double Dam Regatta, sponsored by the Great Miami Rowing Center, features 11 rowing teams — ranging from high school to universities — battling in three different race events on the waters of the Great Miami River.

It’s just one aspect of the efforts by the Great Miami Rowing Center — which began in 2007 — to generate interest in the sport of rowing and what it can offer to both students and adults, said Frances Mennone, executive director for the GMRC. The center offers rowing programs for youths and adults on all experience levels.

“Rowing is a viable sport and a great thing to add to your resume,” Mennone said. “It can lead to a lot of different opportunities.”

Some of those opportunities are college scholarships. One former high school rower for the GMRC was offered a full scholarship to Syracuse University for rowing and another GMRC rower was invited to go to Cornell University for an unofficial visit, Mennone said.

“At all those programs there is a vacuum of experienced high school rowers,” Mennone said. “Coaches come to us all the time looking for kids to row for their program.”

The city’s physical attribute of the Great Miami River has also helped to foster the program, Mennone said.

“Every community has a soccer complex, but not every community has a river running through downtown,” Mennone said.

The river will be full Saturday morning with 11 teams, ranging from the Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club and Dayton Boat Club to the Xavier University, Wittenburg and Miami-Hamilton rowing teams, said Brian Clark, regatta director.

The field of competitors — which also includes teams from Indiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania — is the largest in the race’s history and features a variety of rowing levels, Clark said.

“A few of these teams also have masters, which are rowers who are no longer in college, who will also be rowing in several of the events, so there’s really a great range of rowers who will be out on the water on Saturday,” Clark said.

The turnout for this year’s race may also be the largest in its history, Clark said.

“We’re expecting to have a lot more people for this regatta than we have had in the past,” Clark said. “First of all, we have more teams coming than usual and with them come families and friends. We’re also hoping to get some of the local Hamilton residents to come out and enjoy the racing.”

The regatta’s course begins just south of the Hamilton City Boat Ramp and continues for 3,800 meters north to the finish line located just south of the Black Street Bridge. It was named the “Double-Dam Regatta” due to it taking place on the river waters between the city’s two low-level dams.

The GMRC suggests spectators find a spot on the riverbanks to watch the race. Concessions and merchandise will be available at the GMRC dock near the Main/High Street bridge.

“Hamilton has a great river for excellent rowing along with some really good vantage points for watching the races,” Clark said. “The more GMRC grows, the bigger these events will become and that will bring in more people from all around the Midwest to Hamilton, and that’s good for everyone.”