NY State Collegiate Rowing Championships - Champs All the Way

This past weekend the NY State Collegiate Rowing Championships were held at Dorchester Park in Whitney Point, NY. If you are somewhat geographically challenged on NY state (as I was), this is near Binghamton. If you were on the East Coast on Saturday, you already know that it was a cold wet and gusty day, one best suited for curling up with a good book, not a bullhorn and flag in the wind and rain.

Wet, rainy rowing regattas some seasons are the norm. Two weeks in a row it has rained and rained, but this did not stop dim the enthusiasm of competitors and referees. Father Mike Siconalfi was the chief and his careful planning and constant communication before the event had me anxiously anticipating my first trip to Whitney Point. I was not disappointed. There were 28 colleges and 1,300 athletes and good racing in the rain.

The weather forecast was so dire that it was decided to combine two days of racing into a single long day. In many venues and with some local organizers this would not have been possible, but it worked. I had to leave to return to MA for another regatta the next day so I can only speak for two of the three sessions of competition. This much I can say the welcome was warm, everyone was eager to make it a wonderful day; and they succeeded.