Eight championships to be held this Spring and Summer at the lake, including USRowing Masters Nationals
Worcester and Shrewsbury Mass.—The regatta season kicks-off this weekend at DCR’s Regatta Point State Park with the 55th New England Rowing Championships, on Saturday, April 30 and the Eastern Sprints (Women) on Sunday, May 1.
In addition to this weekend’s racing, Lake Quinsigamond will host the National Invitational Rowing Championships, Patriot League Championships, Eastern Sprints (Men), USRowing Junior Regional Championships, and the N.E. Interscholastic Rowing Championships. USRowing announced last year that Lake Quinsigamond was chosen as the site of the 2016 Masters National Championships in August.
Lake Quinsigamond serves as home course for many Worcester area teams including Assumption College, Bancroft School, Clark University, Holy Cross, Shrewsbury High, St. John’s, St. Mark’s, Worcester Academy, Worcester Public Schools, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
“Lake Quinsigamond is one of the premier rowing venues in the world and such tremendous asset to the City of Worcester,” said Worcester City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. “We’re looking forward to an incredible season of regattas and to welcoming thousands of athletes and fans to our city and region.” Shrewsbury Town Manager Daniel Morgado added, “The Town of Shrewsbury is excited to host these regattas with the City of Worcester and welcomes competitors and visitors from near and far to Lake Quinsigamond.”
Hosting regattas since the mid-1850s, Lake Quinsigamond has been an ideal location for crews to compete and establish numerous boat clubs around the lake’s shores. In 1952, the lake held the 1952 National Olympic rowing trials. Discover Central Massachusetts, the region’s travel and tourism agency, in partnership with the Quinsigamond Rowing Association, Inc., the local organizing committee for all racing on Lake Quinsigamond, played an integral role in helping to secure many of this year’s competitions. Additionally, the growing community of master’s rowers (over 21 years old) and the formation of rowing clubs like the Quinsigamond Rowing Club helped attract the Master’s National Championship.
“Rowing is in Worcester’s blood. Lake Quinsigamond has hosted thousands of high school, college, and professional rowers. We are thrilled to host the USRowing Masters Championship on the finest natural rowing course in the country,” said Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty.
Some of the competitions will see as many as 7,000 visitors to the region, including competitors, coaches, family and the general public. Last year’s USRowing Masters National Championships, held on the Cooper River in Camden, N.J., featured 2,024 competitors from 149 rowing organizations across the country making it the largest USRowing event ever held.
“The economic impact of these multi-day events is significant for the region,” said Christina Andreoli, President, Discover Central Massachusetts. “Competitors and spectators alike stay in area hotels, dine at local restaurants, and explore the region. Over the course of the summer, the Lake’s activities will create an economic impact of more than $4 million.”
The Quinsigamond Rowing Association has played host to a number of USRowing National Championship Regattas, as well as NCAA and ECAC college events including the 2015 NEIRA, BIG EAST and Patriot League Championships. In 2005 and 2012, Lake Quinsigamond hosted the USRowing Masters National Championships. Lake Quinsigamond enjoys an excellent reputation as one of the best rowing venues in the country.
Information and race times for all of the regattas is available at qra.org and row2k.com.