Blake Haxton Fall Invitational
- Oct 24, 2015
- head
- Griggs Reservoir
- Columbus, OH (USA)
- Hosted By: Upper Arlington Crew, Inc.
Greeting – Chris Swartz
Please join with me and the rest of our tremendous parent group and make the Blake Haxton Fall Invitational Regatta as special as its namesake.
– Chris Swartz
On behalf of the Haxton family and UA Crew, I would like to welcome you to the 6th annual Blake Haxton Invitational Regatta. I have been in the rowing business for 46 years, coached for 38 years and was a coach at Upper Arlington High School for 23 years. In all that time, I have never coached an athlete that has as much ability or drive as Blake Haxton. He is one in a million and holds a very special place in my heart.
Because of that, I wanted to honor his rowing tenure at Upper Arlington High School with a race dedicated in his honor. I also wanted to make sure that this would be different from other regattas. It would focus on the true spirit of competition. Getting the fastest crews together to push each other is the essence of this sport. Blake knows that and so do I.
So, once again, we want to highlight the best crews in the Midwest. This event is focused on the very heart of competitive rowing – great competition. You and your teams are here because you are the best and we look forward to an amazing day of rowing!
Having recently retired from teaching and coaching at Upper Arlington, I have had a bit more time to work on the regatta and I hope you will enjoy this year’s version of our event. As I told Blake many years ago, whenever he was ready to compete again, I would be there to help him in any way I can. I was with him again last summer in France as he qualified the Men’s AS1x for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. He has returned to competition with the same focus and determination he showed as a high school athlete. Please work with Blake and me in our efforts to help rowing make a difference in the lives of young people in the Midwest and throughout the world.
I am asking for your help as sponsors, participants, volunteers and spectators to make this one of the finest racing experiences you have attended. I am also asking for your indulgence in allowing this to be about the kids racing fast crews, and hopefully being among that special group. Please join me, the Upper Arlington coaching staff and our tremendous parent group in making the 6th annual Blake Haxton Invitational Regatta as special as its namesake.
More information can be found at the links below: