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Saturday, July 27, 2002 Cooper River regatta draws rowers, faithful fans from near and far Outside the Howard Johnson Express Inn on North Park Drive, a half-dozen high school rowers from Niskayuna, N. Y., were playing cards on a table they pulled out of their hotel room. A few feet away, a female teammate relaxed on a beach chair as she painted her toenails. Between them sat a box of Life cereal, a box of Wheat Thins, a jar of peanut butter, a bottle of Hershey's syrup and a half-gallon of Tropicana orange juice. Welcome to the U.S. Rowing National Championships on the Cooper River, where more than 1,500 scullers from as far away as Mexico City have converged for one of the nation's most competitive regattas. The five-day event continues today and concludes Sunday afternoon. "This is what we do between races," said Matt Mitsche, an 18-year-old from Niskayuna High School who will attend the University of Delaware in August. "There are 35 of us divided into 12 rooms. When we're not racing, we just hang out." Across the road, rowing's most avid fans - mostly relatives of those competing - shouted encouragement as rowers pulled their way through Cooper River's 2,000-meter course, which begins under Route 130 and ends at a grandstand near Cuthbert Boulevard. "This is pretty much how we spend our vacations," said Mike
Jane Castner, 73, flew in from Molin, Ill., to see Brent, her grandson, compete for Quad City. Castner was impressed by the serene waters of the Cooper. Two years ago, she said rowers endured 35-degree temperatures and a driving rain during the National Championships in Syracuse, N.Y. "It was so bad they had to call off the final," Castner said. "The lake was so big there were white caps when the wind blew. This is so much nicer here. Not only is it calm, but you can see the whole race from start to finish." This is the second straight year the U.S. Nationals have been held at Cooper River and, according to U.S. Rowing Association spokesman Brett Johnson, there has been no decision on next year's venue. Several rowers said they would like to see the nationals return to Cherry Hill. "It is good here," said Luis Rubio, 23, a member of Mexico' s national team. "The river is very smooth. But it's not better than the Royal Canadian Regatta." The Royal Canadian, which begins Tuesday, takes place in St. Catherines, Ontario. It is considered one of the best regattas on the rowing circuit, but Cooper River is not far behind. "The water is not the cleanest or the nicest, but the lanes are wide and the water is smooth," said Jenny Tuffree, a 19- year-old sophomore who rows for the University of Wisconsin. Tuffree and her eight teammates left Madison, Wis., at 2 a.m. on Tuesday and arrived at the Holiday Inn in Cherry Hill at 10 p.m. the same day. Doug Sier, 54, had a shorter journey from Mathews County, Va., about 60 miles east of Richmond. He saw his son, Doug, win the junior men's pair race with teammate Ian Holt. Aside from watching his son, Doug Sier is responsible for keeping the 30-member Mobjack Rowing Association fed. He brought with him 15 pounds of chicken breast, 40 hamburgers and several pounds of cold cuts, pasta salad and fruit salad. "This should keep them happy," Sier said, flipping burgers between races. "Everyone seems to enjoy it here. The parking is a little tricky and there's no boathouse, but the river is made for rowing." |