Too soon to tell if Dad Vail Regatta could return to the Schuylkill next year, officials say

Could Philly’s Dad Vail Regatta return to the Schuylkill River next year?

It depends on a lot, but first, it will largely depend on meetings that haven’t even occurred yet. This year, the Cooper River in Pennsauken became the site of the regatta. Even though it’s just seven miles from the Schuylkill, it gave a new feel to the event.

“The board of directors votes every year to explore alternate venues,” said Jim Hanna, president of the Dad Vail Organizing Committee. “[This year] we had an issue with the Schuylkill dredging project, so we were concerned that we wouldn’t be able to hold a fair race course if we held it there again.”

As for a timeline for getting back to the Schuylkill, Hanna said the board had not yet met to discuss plans for next year’s 85th-anniversary regatta.

“We vote each year on where to stage the regatta, and we have to take into account all variables. There is so much tradition associated with Philly, but the transition to the Cooper River was made very easy and welcoming by the camp and county officials.”

So what made the Cooper River, which was also home to the NCAA rowing championships last month, such an attractive spot? It was a decision based on several factors, Hanna said.

“The main factors we considered were the location and the dates,” Hanna said “Holding the Dad Vail at the Cooper River allowed us to keep the event on the same dates as planned, and be only [a few] miles away from the Schuylkill.”

According to Hanna, many of the rowers shared that sentiment, especially when it came to Dad Vail’s new location.

“We conducted a survey with the schools that attended, and they gave us very good feedback,” said Hanna, who noted that any changes to the format or venue will be discussed with the board. “We were overwhelmed by positive comments, but as always, there are some things to improve upon.”

Although things ran smoothly, a lot of preparation went into making the event a hit with rowers and fans.

“There was a lot of work to establish relationships with new vendors at the Cooper, as not everyone from Philly was able to come over,” Hanna explained. “There is always a lot of preparation for staging, but they were done flawlessly.”

One of the only things that needed changing was the location of the food tent, which athletes asked to be moved closer to the course itself.

“It was a big success,” Hanna said of the regatta. “We had full use of the camp and the [Camden County] boathouse, and their hospitality was exemplary. We were warmly greeted, and every time we asked for assistance we couldn’t have been more pleased.”