RegattaCentral

The Toledo Rowing Club sponsors one regatta each year on the Maumee River and competes in many more throughout the Midwest. The hometown regatta is Frogtown (formerly known as the Toledo International Rowing Regatta). First held in 1985, as a head race from Rossford Marina to downtown Toledo, it was sponsored by Phil LeBoutillier’s college roommate, Bill Coors, of (you guessed it) Coors Brewery. Now that the regatta is centered at International Park, adult beverages are not an option. The regatta was a sprint race of 1850 meters for several years, but was not a favorite of rowers because of the dog leg in the course and the lack of buoyed lanes. The club wisely reverted to a head race of three miles. The starting line is close to the Norfolk & Southern Railroad Bridge, downstream from the boathouse; the finish line is close to the High Level Bridge.