Blistered hands. Ice chunks floating by at 6 a.m. practices. Moving in unison in a 60-foot needle-nosed racing shell with a crew of eight when a wrong tilt of the oar can spill all into frigid water or lose a championship. The opportunity to row in the wake of Olympic medalists in one of the most logistically complicated sports in college competition.
When the NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships come to Lake Lanier Olympic Park May 29-31, the culmination of grueling hours of training, the art of precision, the gracefulness of a beautiful sport and a legacy that still glows will be on display, live and on big screen. The championships will also showcase years of teamwork from the local community, stirring ripples on Lanier’s Olympic shores for years to come.
Eight- and four-women crews from 36 colleges will race on the 2,000-meter course in Division I, II and III championships in what is regarded as one of the most prestigious competitions at the venue since the 1996 Olympics. LLOP first came into focus as a national and international regatta site when it hosted the Olympic rowing and canoe/kayak events 30 years ago this July.
“This is really the first major event here in the current era of U.S. rowing,” remarked Howell Buot, championship regatta director and executive director of Lake Lanier Rowing Club. “NCAA (rowing) has completely changed since the last time we did it,” in 1998, he added. Modern technology, including drones streaming stroke-by-stroke, a surging popularity of the sport and millions of dollars pumped into it have launched new techniques and pressures on competitors and event hosts.
In mid-April, Buot was in the midst of final training for specialized volunteers who will man stake boats at the starting buoys to assure a fair start, manage dock operations, check boats for compliance, weigh team members, control communications and drone flights, monitor the course for debris, and run other regatta tasks. He sought experienced rowers from local and regional rowing organizations for a month of training to meet NCAA’s strict standards. “They have the awareness and knowledge … and understand the gravity of the situation. It’s a national championship … these women have been training four to five years to compete,” he said.
Kasey Light, chair of the Division I Rowing Oversight Committee, described the working parts of an NCAA regatta as a programmed machine functioning in a fluid environment. Competitors line up at starting buoys in water that is never still, officials stream the start and every meter with drones, patrol boats check the course for obstacles, weather monitors look at wind speed and current. Although the program is designed for precision, numerous natural and human factors complicate the buoyed lanes toward a national rowing crown.
Light, also chief NCAA compliance officer and assistant coach for Rhode Island University, said her crew’s head coach, Shelagh Donohoe, a 1992 Olympic rower, imparted the “impact, importance and significance” of Olympic legacy to her rowers. Although Donohoe did not compete in Lanier’s Olympic debut, she carries a torch that ignites college athletes.
“It will be a cool experience for them to see (the Olympic site), knowing the history and Olympic rowers before them,” Light said. It will also be an awesome experience for local spectators to see the premier collegiate rowing event, she added.
“They’ll see amazing athletes in fast boats in high level competition. Rowing is a beautiful sport to watch,” she added. And, each heat, semi-final and final will be projected onto a big screen at the grandstands. The audience will get to see nervous rowers dig into the water at the start more than a half mile up the Olympic channel, a sight possible via drone and big screen. As they come into view at about 1000 meters, spectators can watch the athletes catch and drive the oars in near perfect choreography toward the finish tower.
In its announcement about choosing LLOP, NCAA stated it sought sites for their “ability to create an outstanding experience for student athletes” both on and off the competitive stage.
Outside the on-the-water action, the Gainesville Convention & Visitors Bureau has recruited hundreds of volunteers to welcome teams, oversee parking, set up refreshment stands, sell merchandise, hand out water to racers via kayak, drive coaches in golf carts and perform other hospitality tasks. As of early April, about 100 more volunteers were needed, according to the sign-up sheet on www.exploregainesville.org. “We are confident we will fill all of our volunteer slots,” said Robyn Lynch, Gainesville Tourism Director. “We have a team that is speaking at civic and school groups weekly and are getting great response.”
Lynch predicted an economic impact of $2.5 million, including hotel stays and restaurant meals. “NCAA has contracted with eight hotels in the Gainesville-Hall area for team and officials’ accommodations. We expect that the remainder of our Gainesville hotels will be filled with families and spectators.”
Live music 6-8 p.m. May 27-30 on the Gainesville Square is expected to boost downtown business with out-of-town guests and locals catching regatta fever.
The venue that hosted the Olympics has blossomed from a temporary boat house and bleachers into a $24 million boat house/event center, permanent stone grandstands and plaza, and modern finish tower. Ongoing upgrades include completion of walking paths, enhanced picnic areas and a pavilion.
Regatta director Buot said the championship serves as a “testament to the strength of the community and the (Olympic) legacy,” with numerous entities collaborating to make it happen. The local rowing club, canoe/kayak club, city of Gainesville, CVB, University of North Georgia, and Lake Lanier Foundation all put oars in the water. “The wide support of a municipality, university and non-profits … is pretty rare,” Buot said. He and others expect a wave of regional, national and international events will follow.
What you need to know about NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships
- When/Where: May 29-31, Lake Lanier Olympic Park, 3100 Clarks Bridge Bridge Rd., Gainesville.
- Who is competing: As of Lakeside’s May deadline in April, the college rowing season had just hit the water. Teams will be announced in May. Crews from 36 colleges will compete in eight- and four-person boats on the 2000-meter Olympic course. In Div. I, Texas and Stanford have dominated since 2021. Div. II crews have no pattern of domination. In Div. III, Tufts University and Wellesley Women’s College have taken first or second since 2022.
- Schedule: 8 a.m. until about 6:30 p.m. May 29, all division heats and repechage (races allowing a second chance for teams to make finals); 8 a.m. until noon May 30, Div. I semi-finals, Div. II & III finals; 8 a.m. until about 10:30 a.m. May 31, Div. I finals. Events run 12 minutes apart.
- Award ceremonies: Div. III 12:45 p.m. May 30; Div. II 1 p.m. May 30; Div. I 11 a.m. May 31, stage at LLOP lower plaza.
- Tickets: Single ticket cost ranges from $31 for single day senior/children pass to $56 for 3-day adult pass; VIP packages are available at $151/$201; parking $11. events.hometownticketing.com.
- Downtown Gainesville live music: 6-8 p.m. All Talk Band May 27; Jason Gardner May 28; Craver-The Band May 29; Ben Dunlap May 30.
- Volunteer opportunities: eventeny.com.
