Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta to be held on Cooper River for 2nd year in row, organizers say
PENNSAUKEN, N.J. (CBS) -- The Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta will be celebrating its 85th anniversary next year, but for the second year in a row, the event that's billed as the largest collegiate regatta in the country won't be held in Philadelphia. Instead, rowers will once again be on the Cooper River in Camden County, New Jersey.
This past May was the first time the Dad Vail changed locations since 1953.
Camden County says the event attracted some 30,000 people and pumped millions into the local economy. The county plans to roll out the red carpet again in 2024, but what does Philadelphia think?
"It's huge. It's great for Camden County," Joe Calendo, Camden County's director of rowing, said, "and also the Cooper River to get a little bit more exposure."
Calendo says the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta returning to Cooper River Park for the second year in a row is a privilege and an honor.
"It's a much-needed improvement I think," he said, "and it's going to be a huge competitive advantage for a lot of athletes and coaches to have a fair and regulated regatta."
The Dad Vail has been a long-standing tradition on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia for decades, but the regatta changed course and crossed the bridge this past May because of a dredging project to make the race lanes even.
Now, organizers said they wanted to assure participants early on the course would be complete and fair again next year.
"In terms of providing certainty that we could stage a regatta again successfully in 2024," Jim Hanna, president of the Dad Vail Regatta organizing committee, said, "the board made the decision to return to the Cooper River."
"It's one of the most fair courses out there, I think," Tyler Judge said, "so it's an awesome opportunity for this to continue to grow over here."
In May, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau wished Camden County well and said it looked forward to the Dad Vail returning in 2024.
On Wednesday, the city said, "when the National Course dredge project is completed this fall, we look forward to exploring new opportunities to host world renowned regattas in Fairmount Park for years to come."
The Army Corps of Engineers said the dredging project on the race course portion of the Schuylkill River will begin this weekend.
So will the regatta return to Philly for 2025? Organizers say they are planning one year at a time.