“Encouraging Excellence on the River”

On Saturday, October 20, 2012 the Great Miami Rowing Center will host over 300 competitors, many of whom will bring their families, on the river for the 4th Annual Double Dam Regatta. Rowers will race in teams of 8, 4, or 2 people and as single competitors over a distance of 3.8 kilometers from the lower dam to Black Street.  Please take a moment to learn more about our event and consider becoming a part of the excitement as a vendor!

The Double Dam Regatta in the fall and the Blue & Burgundy Regatta in the spring make up our yearly event series.  We are in our 4th year of running events that have developed from small intersquad scrimmages to drawing nationally competitive crews! 

Every year, the competition brings their equipment and supportive fans and travel from as far as Toledo, Michigan, and Indianapolis to row on our water. Considering most competitors and their families must stay close to the competition site, as they may row several times throughout the day, vendor areas at rowing regattas tend to be very successful. Parents, rowers, coaches, and spectators are in a constant state of “hurry up and wait.”

The GMRC regattas are a fun interactive way to connect the community to our river. With all of this out of town traffic, we want to showcase all the really wonderful things that Hamilton has to offer to our in-town folks as well as the out-of-town guests.  The Great Miami Rowing Center’s youth team draws from schools all across Butler and Warren counties including Badin, Fairfield, Middletown, Talawanda, Hamilton, Lakota, Mason, Home School, and Ross. 

GMRC is an initiative rooted in the City of Hamilton’s Vision 2020 plan for economic development.  By using the sport of rowing as a cornerstone, GMRC encourages use of the river for daily sport, yearly events and recreation.  We are a not for-profit rowing community devoted to the growth and prosperity of Hamilton’s Historic downtown.
Please peruse the attached documents to learn more about rowing events and what participation in this year’s Double Dam Regatta can offer your business.

Sincerely,
Emilie Graham
Vendor Coordinator

Also occurring the same day is the first annual Wheel & Heel Duathlon.  The event will occur just north of the regatta at River’s Edge Park and expects to draw an additional 200 competitors plus their families!

There are two events that day, the 5K Run & Duathlon (5K Run - 19K Bike - 5K Run), which will begin at 8 AM.  The 5K running course will travel along the High/Main Bridge in the lane next to all of the vendors and continue on City roads with lanes closed to traffic.  This guarantees that every competitor must pass the vendor area at some point during the event.  The 19K Bike will begin at the park and continue on City and Fairfield Township roads with lanes closed to traffic.

Where does your money go?
The proceeds from the Duathlon will benefit YMCA programming in the Hamilton area.  All proceeds from the Regatta and the Vendor Fees will directly support the outreach efforts of the Great Miami Rowing Center.
 

ABOUT OUR REGATTAS

A regatta is a tournament for teams of various ages, genders and boat sizes. Crews will begin at a designated start and finish line on the river and follow a published traffic pattern or course. All crews will launch and land from the GMRC dock near the west side of Main High Bridge.  The regatta day is guided by a predetermined schedule of events.

What is different about the two events?
Our fall regatta is a head race style event much like a cross-country or bike race and the competitors are all ages (youth, collegiate, and adult). All teams row the same course, times are compiled and the crews with the fastest time down the course is considered the winner. While not a head to head competition, fall racing is exciting and involves strategy in overtaking the crews ahead of you and vying for the inside of each turn.
 
The spring regatta is focused on youth rowers that are in high school. To match the rowing calendars from around the Midwest this is a sprint race where teams row against each other head to head. During the spring season youth teams from around the Midwest prepare for their regional qualifying regatta, the Midwest Youth Rowing Championships in hopes to earn a bid the USRowing Youth National Championships in June.

Who participates?
The competing teams come from far and wide with their own equipment and supportive fans. In 2011 our regatta entries represented participants from five states.

GMRC’s own home team hosts students from high schools all across Butler County: Hamilton High, Lakota East, Lakota West, Fairfield, Mason, Middletown, Talawanda and Ross. Any student is welcome to participate in our programming regardless of which school they attend. Statistics show that youth events bring 1.5 adults per youth participant.

What is involved with planning of a regatta?
Planning for the regattas starts months in advance and is handled by a group of dedicated volunteers, which make up the Regatta Planning Committee. Each volunteer is responsible for one aspect of the regatta such as land set up, race course installment, incoming competition liaison, timing, vendor relations, and a Regatta Director who oversees the entire project.

Set-up begins in the days before the regatta with the majority of set-up taking place the day before and after the regatta. Trailers and equipment for out of town teams start arriving the day before the regatta and teams will practice on the course the day before the event.

What about inclement weather?
Rowing is an outdoor sport and rowers are used to carrying on despite the weather conditions. There are a few things that will prevent events from taking place; thunderstorms, extreme cold and high water in the river.

We do have a back-up location established at Hueston Woods. Should we be forced to move to our back-up location we would still welcome your participation but will understand if the move prevents you from participating. You will be notified by email as soon as that call is made no later than 48 hours before the event.
 

NEW TO OUR 2012 REGATTA SERIES

The River, Regattas, and Rowing
Watch the racing from the comforts of an indoor space while learning about the way our river shaped our community. Local historians will be presenting a lecture series in preparations for next year’s 100th anniversary of the 1913 flood. Come join our area seniors from Colonial communities and our sponsors for our lecture series scheduled each regatta day in the Vista Room and riverside pavilion of the Fitton Center. Watch the racing live while learning about the way our river shaped our community. Make history come alive by betting river stones on the races taking shape before you.

High Profile Vendor Location
The best viewing will take place on the Main High Bridge’s broad sidewalks. Our volunteer regatta committee has been hard at work identifying a high profile vendor location near the bridge that provides the best place for spectating and will be hub of activity on regatta day.

Expanded Venue
We’ve grown out of our digs on the west side of the river so we will be staging on both sides. Team rowing equipment and the dock will stay on the west bank, while the busy team tents will move to the RiversEdge site and Courtyard by Marriott patio on the east side. This puts the vendors near bridge right in the middle of the action.

Geocaching
Come join the latest is letterboxing.  It’s a digital treasure hunt. GMRC places a collection of new caches within in walking distance of our regatta venue. Find them and cache in!

Historic Walking Tours
Stop by the regatta site or the Hamilton welcome center for maps and directions to two nearby walking tours. Take a Ghost Tour of Dayton Lane or German Village on the east side of the river. Take in the stunning Stick/Eastlake and Federal architectures of the homes in Rossvile’s Historic District on the west side.

Please consider being a sponsor or vendor.
 

ROWING IN HAMILTON

Come join the Great Miami Rowing Center in Hamilton, Ohio for the Blue and Burgundy — or any of our wonderful regattas in 2012. Located in Southwest Ohio, the City of Hamilton is centrally located between the Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan areas.

The Course
The Great Miami River in downtown Hamilton provides a superb venue for rowing. The area between the Hamilton Low Dam (lower dam) and the Two-Mile Low Dam (upper dam) is an untapped rowing resource with limited power boat access. The river has high man-made levy walls that are soft and can easily absorb wakes.

Unparalleled Spectating
The levy also provides a very sheltered canal-like river. Leave your binoculars at home — the view of the race course is perfect here in Hamilton. Additionally, the levy shelters the water so that the course only gets rough or unrowable when the wind conditions are very severe.

Housing Options
We can offer a variety of housing options for incoming teams. Stay at Hamilton's new Courtyard Marriott and watch the races from your hotel window! Or let us help you find cheap or free housing at local churches or YMCA camps.

Welcoming Community
Hamilton is designated as 'The City of Sculpture' and is home to a brilliant inventory of sculptures reflecting the community's commitment to the arts. If you enjoy outdoor art exhibitions, Hamilton is the place to be.

Comfortable Racing
Our entry fees are competitive and we encourage early registration to help our volunteers plan properly for great racing. Bring your bike!  With it you can follow the races from the Great Miami River Recreational Trail. Trailer parking and access is easy. While we do operate in a city center, we are centrally located adjacent to State Route 129. No trailer ballet is required here!
 

EVENT SPONSORSHIP FORM

The Great Miami Rowing Center (GMRC) is devoted to educating Butler County’s citizen in the sport of Rowing.  The GMRC is an initiative rooted in the City of Hamilton’s Vision 2020 plan for economic development.  We are a not for-profit rowing community devoted to the growth and prosperity of Hamilton’s Historic downtown.  While the youth team is our initial focus, they have provided inspiration for collegiate, post collegiate, masters rowing programs and our annual event series.

In-kind donations of goods and services and monetary contributions will be used to cover regatta expenses; remaining funds will be used to support club programs and equipment needs.

Levels of Sponsorship

Bronze
•    In-kind donation of goods or services
•    Monetary donations of $50- $250

Silver
•    In-kind donation of goods or services?
•    Monetary donations between $250- $500

Gold
•    In-kind donation of goods or services
•    Monetary donations between $500- $3,000

Platinum
•    In-kind donation of goods or services
•    Monetary donations of $3,000 or more.
 

VENDOR DETAILS

You may also complete this application online by visiting www.greatmiamirowing.com/
 

1. Complete the application and postmark by September 1, 2012. Vendors will be evaluated and notified by the Regatta Committee.  Spaces at the venue are awarded on a first come-first served basis.
2. Once your application is approved, all fees are due by September 20, 2012, a failure in payment by this date will result in loss of booth at the event.
3. Cancellations received before 5:00 p.m. on October 1, 2012 will result in a 75% refund of the entry fee. No refund will be made for cancellations made after that date except in the case of venue change. 
4. The Great Miami Rowing Center is the only business/vendor permitted to sell official Regatta souvenirs representing the festival. We do, however, encourage the use of the team’s colors (all home and visiting teams) as well as oar designs to personalize your merchandise. Closer to the event, we will provide detailed information on the incoming teams.
5. Exhibitor agrees to comply with all laws, orders and regulation of Federal, State, County and Municipal authorities and comply with the direction of any public officer. 
6. Food vendors are responsible for obtaining their own Mobile Vending License, please find information on the Butler County Health Department’s website.
7. Vendors must keep the inside and outside of their booth space neat and trash free and agree to keep their booth operating until the designated vendor tear down time.
8. This event will take place rain or shine. In case of unsafe water conditions (river flooding), the regatta and vendor area will move to our alternate location at Hueston Woods. We will provide change of venue information as soon as that call is made.

Fees

Competition Schedule
The incoming teams have until one week before the regatta to register for the event.  The exact schedule of events including the lunch break cannot be determined until all the entries are in.  This will not affect the general start time, however, the end of the day may change slightly based on number of entries.

Tentative Schedule

Set Up
Since the 5K portion of the Duathlon will begin at 8:00AM, vendors will not be able to park or unload any goods between 7:30 and the end of the duathlon (approximately noon). 

Vendors may not park in the lane next to the vending area between 7:30am and 12:00pm (or when the Duathlon is completed, whichever comes first).  We ask that all vendors are finished unloading by 7:30 and open for business by 9:30am (or earlier).  Vendors must also agree to stay for the duration of the rowing event.