The Grand River Challenge

  • Hosted By: Grand Rapids Rowing Club

10/22/09 - IMPORTANT UPDATES

Due to many of our high school competitors being kept from participating in the regatta on Saturday due to illness, we have been forced to dramatically scale back the scale of the event. Please note the following changes:

 

(1) The location of the regatta has changed. We will now be hosting the regatta from our boathouse, which is located at 291 North Park Dr. NW, Grand Rapids MI 49544. To get to the boathouse, please take Exit 91 - West River Drive from US-131, just north of the US-131/I-96 interchange. Turn right from the exit ramp on to West River Drive, continuing approximately 0.5 miles into the village of Comstock Park. The second light is the intersection of Mill Creek Avenue with West River. Turn left on Mill Creek. Follow Mill Creek to North Park Drive, and turn left. The boathouse drive entrance will be on the left just after you cross under the highway, sharing an entrance with Greenleaf Landscaping. Driving down the entrance drive you will see the boathouse ahead. Please follow the instructions of volunteers directing traffic for parking.

 

Obviously our course will change as well. The new head race course will be approximately 4 km in length, rowed upstream. The stake race will still take place, with many prizes available to win (we have also decided to re-open registration on Saturday for that race - flat fee of $10/shell will apply).

 

There are still several good viewpoints for spectators for watching the races. We will be able to direct your spectators to viewpoints during the regatta.

 

If you will need storage for shells overnight, please contact Mark Azkoul or Landon Bartley to arrange this (information on RegattaCentral "Contacts" page for the regatta.)

 

(2) As we announced earlier in the week, the regatta start time has changed. Our cox/coach meeting will be at 9 AM, in front of the Grand Rapids boathouse, with the first races planned to start at 10 AM.

 

(3) Due to a changing numbers of competitors and inconsistent lineups, we will no longer be distributing an event sequence prior to the regatta, but instead will put the event list together AT the regatta, immediately following the cox/coach meeting. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The Grand River Challenge is comprised of two main races: 

Head race
A 5-km head race, rowed upstream, from downtown Grand Rapids past the regatta tents in picturesque Riverside Park, to the historic North Park bridge at the north side of the city. The head race is available to singles, pairs, doubles, coxed fours, quads, and eights for junior, collegiate, masters and recreational crews.

Stake race
A less formal, 4 km race heading north from the launch area in Riverside Park, through the North Park bridge, and returning. The race will be open to all shells and all crews. Adding an extra level of excitement will be a large number of numbered rubber duckies, each corresponding to a prize, which will be dropped in the water for the return leg of the race.