Thousands of rowers take over Schuylkill River for Philadelphia Youth Regatta
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- One of the largest regattas is underway on the Schuylkill River. Thousands of young athletes are taking over the Schuylkill River for the Philadelphia Youth Regatta.
Saturday's event comes as a dredging project continues on the river.
Many athletes were out in the water making this regatta larger than the Dad Vail Regatta that happened in the spring.
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The Schuylkill Navy's Philadelphia Youth Regatta is for younger rowers ages 13 to 18 years old. But it also attracts Olympic athletes.
Over the years the race course has become muddied with debris from fallen trees and other objects. The project is coming to a close and includes nearly the entire length of the river from East Falls down to University City.
"It means everything, I mean, the Schuylkill River has been probably the most iconic venue for regattas and rowing in the country since 1835," Bonnie Mueller, Commodore of the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia, said. "It's close to a 200-year tradition that we have, it's one continuous ark, and unfortunately, the river has a mind of its own. The end of this project insight is really exciting."
The races started at 8:30 a.m. and are expected to go on until around 5:30 p.m. The event is also free, so it's great to bring the family out to enjoy the day.
Over 2,000 athletes from across the country will take part in Saturday's regatta.
For some context, that makes it three times the size of the Dad Vail Regatta.