The 2008 American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) National Championship will be held May 24-25 on the Oklahoma River in Regatta Park. Racing will start at 8:00 a.m. and conclude at 1:00 p.m. both days. The inaugural regatta will attract more than 600 student-athletes and 40 collegiate club teams from across the United States.
Rowing clubs from over 40 universities formed ACRA in January of this year to establish a national association and annual championship. Until now, collegiate men's and women's club programs have been able to compete in national events but never for their own national championship.
"We believe the ACRA National Championship has the potential to become the largest intercollegiate rowing championship in the world," said ACRA President Gregg Hartsuff. "In structuring this organization, we have discovered the potential to have over 150 university club programs as members."
Oklahoma City has been the venue of choice for elite sporting events such as the 2007 Rowing World Challenge, The OCU Head of the Oklahoma and the 2008 Olympic Team Trials for Flatwater Sprint.
Hartsuff explains, "The Oklahoma River offers a unique opportunity for our collegiate crews to travel to the center of the country for a championship race. The facilities at the Chesapeake Boathouse and the race course are both world-class, and it's in an urban setting, so there are plenty of hotels and restaurants to support the event. It seemed the logical choice for us."
The two-day race will include a variety of 2000 meter sweep and sculling races. In sweep events, rowers use one oar to propel the boat; sculling requires two oars per rower.
"This will be the first time for collegiate scullers to have a national championship race," explained Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation Executive Director Mike Knopp. "We're excited to have the first sculling championship as part of this event."
Sweep events included in the ACRA National Championship include the men's varsity eight, junior varsity eight, freshman/novice eight, lightweight eight, varsity four, freshman/novice four, lightweight four and pair. Women's races will include varsity eight, freshman/novice eight, varsity four, freshman/novice four, lightweight four and pair. The sculling events will include men's and women's singles and doubles.
The 2008 ACRA National Championship is part of the OKC Boathouse Foundation Champion Series, a series of nine events over a period of three years. The series includes the 2008 Olympic Team Trials for Flatwater Sprint in April, the 2008 USA Canoe/Kayak National Championship in August, the 2008 Oklahoma Regatta Festival, which includes the Oklahoma City University Head of the Oklahoma in October and the OKC Boathouse International Triathlon in May of 2009.
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