Thousands Of Collegiate Rowers Converge In Philadelphia For The Dad Vail
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The oars are in the water and the energy is in the air along the Schuylkill River for the 77th Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta.
It's the nation's largest college rowing competition, attracting 3,000 rowers. Among them, Ohio University junior Nate Shoemaker:
"It's intense. It's really cool. We have two other teams staying at our hotel. Seeing all the trailers everywhere and seeing thousands of dollars worth of boats everywhere, it's really cool."
Ian Groopman, a senior on the crew team at Ohio University, says this is a regatta he looks forward to each year:
"I think it's a great atmosphere. It really gets the best out of all the crews and everyone as an individual coming out to compete at the highest level."
Sophie Parks is the crew coach at Georgia Tech. This is her third Dad Vail:
"On the water, it's very intense. And you get this sudden adrenaline rush as you are racing and you go by the grandstands. It's just great. It's a lot of fun."
It may not be so fun for drivers, though, as traffic on Kelly Drive will be detoured between Strawberry Mansion and Fountain Green as competitors will row in 175 races over the next two days.
The regatta began Friday morning.
