Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled the name of the president of the Dad Vail Regatta Organizing Committee. The error has been corrected.
In 2023, the historic Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta moved across the Delaware River from Philadelphia to New Jersey.
It looks like it's staying put in the Garden State for at least another year on the Cooper River. The 85th edition of the largest collegiate rowing event in the United States will be held on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, in 2024, Camden County officials announced Thursday, July 6.
“We are pleased to return to the Cooper River to stage the 85th Anniversary of the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta,” Jim Hanna, president of the Dad Vail Regatta Organizing Committee, said in a news release. “The transition to the Cooper River was made seamless and very welcoming thanks to the park and county officials.”
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The collegiate rowing event is traditionally held on Philadelphia's Schuylkill River, but moved tin 2023 due to a dredging project.
The announcement for the 2024 race being held in Pennsauken makes no mention about dredging. Camden County officials are touting their venue as being the draw.
"With significant investment and enhancements over the last 20 years Cooper River Park and our Olympic rowing venue has become one of the best true racecourses in the nation and the world,” Camden County Commissioner Jeff Nash said. “With that said, we are ecstatic to welcome back one of the most renowned regattas in the country, the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta, for its second year at the park. As we continue to grow the sport of rowing and respect its time-honored traditions the relocation of this great regatta underscores everything Camden County has to offer as a regional destination."
The county said that 2023 regatta "brought more than 30,000 visitors to the park over the weekend and injected millions of dollars into the local economy."
“The regatta season brings more than $20 million annually into our local economy based on the influx of visitors who patronize our small business community,” Nash said. "There is no question in my mind that the rowers, families and fans will contribute to that when we see them again in early May of 2024."
On its website, the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta bills itself "as largest collegiate regatta in the United States, with over 100 colleges and Universities from the U.S. and Canada. Thousands of student athletes gather to compete during the weekend of the second Saturday of May."
NBC10 reached out to Philadelphia for comment about the race not taking place in Philly next year. A City spokesperson responded that Philly looks forward to hosting renowned regattas once the dredging is over, but didn't name Dad Vail directly:
“The City of Philadelphia enjoys a rich rowing tradition, built around the unique geography of the Schuylkill River on the banks of Fairmount Park. For decades the City has proudly hosted a variety of prestigious and inclusive rowing events, including some of the largest and most iconic collegiate and scholastic regattas in the country.
"The City-led effort to dredge the national race course was a historic investment in river access along the Schuylkill, and represents the City’s ongoing commitment to Philadelphia’s rowing community. 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."
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