Rowing youth nationals take over Benderson this weekend
More than 1,700 athletes from more than 30 states are expected to converge on Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota this weekend for the USRowing Youth National Championships.
The three-day competition, which begins Friday, is expected to draw more than 370 crews representing more than 150 clubs and teams from across the country, including members of local clubs Sarasota Crew and Sarasota Scullers. The Manatee County Youth Rowing club did not have a boat qualify.
“The park has successfully held many high-profile events, and we are pleased to welcome back the Youth Rowing Championships this year,” said Robert J. Sullivan, CFE, president and CEO of the Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates, Inc. “This event will be a great precursor to the 2017 World Rowing Championships taking place here in September.”
Racing, in 18 classes, will take place in men’s and women’s categories, sculling and sweep. Competition is scheduled to get underway at 8 a.m. Friday with trial heats. Semifinals for half of the events are scheduled for Friday afternoon. Remaining semifinals are scheduled for Saturday morning. C and D finals will follow on Saturday. The A and B finals are scheduled for Sunday. Racing on both Saturday and Sunday is scheduled to get underway at 8 a.m.
Competition is expected to wrap up on Friday and Saturday about 4:30 p.m. and around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
“This is a unique opportunity to experience the country’s best youth rowing at a world-class venue,” acting USRowing CEO Susan Smith said. “We are excited about the partnership with NBP and expect a tremendous turnout.”
Sunday has been designated Olympic Day at the facility. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., rowing Olympians and Paralympians will be at the park greeting athletes and spectators, posing for photos and signing autographs.
Tickets are available online only. Daily tickets cost $10; a three-day pass is available for $25. Parking at Benderson Park costs $5 per day.
For those who can’t make it to Benderson Park, the semifinals and finals will be live streamed on USRowing’s YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/usrowingorg.
This marks the second time in three years the Youth Nationals are being held at Nathan Benderson. Last year’s competition was held at Mercer Lake, N.J.
USRowing is the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. It has 83,000 individual members and 1,350 member organizations.
This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Rowing youth nationals take over Benderson this weekend."