Virginia Haley can remember when Nathan Benderson Park was really not much more than a ditch and an idea.
She also remembers being at the 2013 World Rowing Championships in South Korea when FISA awarded Nathan Benderson Park the 2017 World Rowing Championships when the idea became the promise to put on a world class event - which also meant there were years of work ahead before the venue would be complete.
On Saturday, Haley, President of Visit Sarasota County, was getting ready for the opening ceremony of the World Rowing Championships and taking stock of the fact that the idea that became the project was now an international event, and had reached the finish line.
"It's hard to describe how I feel," Haley said. "It really is beyond words. To see something that we dreamed about become a reality, looking at all the athletes that are now here. I look at it with enormous pride and a recognition of the hard work. It's taken an army of people to put this together, and it's been a real unifier in the community."
If there were questions that the venue would be ready, that Hurricane Irma might throw a wrench into the schedule, or keep the tents and preparations from being completed – well, forget it.
Nathan Benderson Park, the race course and the venue, were fully operational on Saturday night when it came alive with spectators and was decked out from end to end with entertainment - live music on a giant stage at the finish line, a long wall of heaps of vendors lining the spectator walks, and even baby tigers.
Real ones.
Come Sunday morning, over 900 athletes from 69 countries will begin competition. Racing will run through the week and conclude with the championship finals next weekend. It is an important event for every country racing here - the first World Championship of the four year Olympic quadrennial that will end with the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
For the first day of the regatta, 38 races are scheduled, and 11 US crews will see action. Normally, US athletes opt out of attending an opening ceremony, but with most hotels located close to the course, there were a number of athletes in the stands for the kick off show.
Anders Weiss competed in the pair in Rio and he is competing in the pair at this World Championship, and was in the stands Saturday night.
"This is incredible," Weiss said. "The amount of work that has gone into this has clearly paid off. This is the opening ceremony, racing hasn't even begun yet, and you can already feel the sense of excitement that is here.
"Rio was really nice, but I would have to say, with the size of this, it being in America, and how well run this is, this is probably the nicest venue I've raced at. They have really done a top-notch job."
Weiss's partner, Michael Colella, is a first-time senior athlete and was told by the team veterans, "not to expect anything like this again. Sarasota has really delivered," he said. "Everything about it has been amazing. It is truly a treat to be a US athlete and racing for our country."
And what makes it an even more special event for the 25 American crews and 75 athletes who are here, is the chance to compete in front of a home crowd for the first time in their lives. It's the first World Championships in the US since it was held in Indianapolis in 1994 - twenty-three years ago.
"In 1994, I saw the World Championships in Indianapolis and I remember the men's quad from Italy coming down the course. That boat was so fast," said Matt Madigan, who is coaching the US lightweight women's double. "To have that experience there, and be a part of it now, going from a spectator to a coach, is awesome. And it is really exciting to me to have it on our own soil," he said.
"This is awesome," said men's coach Bryn Volpenhein, who rowed for the US through three Olympics. "This venue is amazing. And having it in the US is just different. It just feels like being at home, that it's just another day going to practice. And that's a good thing."
Comments | Log in to comment |
There are no Comments yet
|
row2k's Worlds coverage is brought to you in part by:
row2k's Worlds coverage is brought to you in part by: