Occoquan Boat Club (OBC) welcomes you to the 2025 Occoquan Memorial Sprints Regatta (OMS)

Update 6/28 - 

• The Final Race Sheet is posted under Heat Sheet / Draw
• Coxswain briefing - Abbreviated briefing race day 6:30 AM. Full briefing posted OMS 2025 Coxswain briefing  Please note the race day traffic pattern.

Important Date Change for 2025 - OMS is two weeks earlier than typical.  Historically OMS has been held the week after the Independence Day regatta.   USRowing Rowfest is a week earlier this year so we have adjusted the OMS date to avoid conflicts for teams traveling to that event.   For 2025 OMS (and Capital Sprints) are in the gap week between Diamond States Regatta and Independence Day Regatta.

About OMS - Net proceeds from OMS go to the Julia Shew Scholarship Fund administered by OBC.  Over the years this fund has awarded over $117,000 to several hundred deserving rowers/coxes that practice on the Occoquan Reservoir. If you are unable to participate in this year’s regatta and would like to be a part of this worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a tax deductible donation to the fund. Click here to donate.

Race Format and schedule - All races will be 1000 meters on the fully buoyed 6 lane course. We will be using a start platform and start tower. Timing results will be immediately available on-line. Enjoy a complimentary ice cream treat after your race.

The schedule is designed to allow athletes to race multiple times if they so chose with adequate time for relaxed logistics.  The timeframe/race schedule for will be similar to past years, with a start time for the first race at 7:30 AM and the finish time likely between 2 and 3 PM to avoid afternoon thunderstorms.  Under the Heat Sheet/Draw area is a Sample Race Sheet that shows estimated race event times.  Note - For 2025 the Mens Open 1x time will be moved to be adjacent to the Mens Masters 1x events.  New for 2025 - Some events have initial entry caps to allow us to better manage waitlists and scratches.

OMS has always tried to avoid handicapping events and will continue to group Masters entries in a way to minimize it. We will not group Junior or Open events with Masters. We may separate younger and older Masters into separate races to avoid large handicap spreads. In order for an event to be held there must be a minimum of two entries before the registration closes. All Masters races will have one winner even if there are multiple age groups in the race. US Rowing age handicap standards will be used.  To optimize schedule and lane usage, multiple events with low entries may be run on the course concurrently (e.g. Event x with 2 entries and Event y with 2 entries) but will be ranked an awarded separately.  Races will be officiated by local coaches who are familiar with the site.

Lineups – Lineups are required for all entries. Masters lineups are required to enable race assignments and accurate handicapping. Additionally, we pay the park a usage fee per event participant so please make sure your lineups reflect the actual participants.

Waivers - Every competitor (or guardian of minor competitor) must have executed the OBC 2025 Release of Liability (the “Waiver”) to row in OMS. During registration, you will get a prompt and link to the OBC Regatta Central waiver portal.  If you are registering team members, be sure to forward the portal link message to them.  The waiver portal can be also be accessed directly here https://waivers.regattacentral.com/OBC2025 .  Important - on the portal, the athlete's name and DOB must match exactly how they were registered (e.g. by your coach). 

Parking - All parking for OMS is on-site and costs $10 per car, cash only, exact change greatly appreciated.  There will be a limited shuttle to the grandstand for this event (prioritized for those needing assistance).

Practice time, trailer drop off - The course will be available for practice the day before OMS with the parking lots open for trailers and cartoppers as well until 8PM when the park is locked.

Trailers - We had more than double the usual trailers in 2024.  There should be adequate space for trailers if they are parked efficiently so please follow park staff instructions.  New for 2025 - Please register your trailer so we know what's arriving and when using this form  https://tinyurl.com/OMS-Trailers

Payment - All payments are due at registration.  Waitlisted registrations are not charged until we accept your registration. There will be no refunds for event cancellation for events outside of OBC's control.  There wil be no refunds for scratches received after the registration deadline. All refunds are processed by Regatta Central the week after the regatta.