Rain Doesn't Dampen Spirits of Stotesbury Rowers or Their Fans
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Rain wasn't slowing down the competition today among 188 high school teams at the annual Stotesbury Regatta, on the Schuylkill River.
It was pouring throughout the morning and early afternoon, but Stotesbury Regatta director Clete Graham says rowers are used to that.
"Kids have rowed in the rain before," he notes. "As long as it's safe, we'll continue to row."
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And parents such as John Scherbenske of Ashburn, Va. will continue to watch.
"They're already wet and they might need a bilge pump to pump out the boat, but you still see them moving down the river pretty good," he said today.
Graham says the boats would be pulled out of the water in the event of lightning. And he says if the river levels get too high, Saturday's time trials and finals could be called off.
This event attracts 5,200 high school rowers from Texas to Canada.
Ellen Shuttleworth of Haddon Township, NJ, was here to cheer her daughter, Cara, whatever the conditions.
"You have to be dedicated. You have to have good clothing, and you have to know how to drive in a lot of traffic," she said.