
Through a promotional campaign, San Diego’s Crew Classic has grown in such size that it now has a waiting list for entry. The 39th annual rowing competition will have 421 boats on the water at Crown Point from March 30 through April 1 — an increase of 50 entries over last year. “It pays to advertise, which we did more this year,” said executive director Martha Schumaker. “But, we can only accommodate 444 entries. We only have seven lanes. We have 60 boats on a waiting list.” California Maritime Academy, Loyola Marymount, UC Irvine, Cal Berkeley lightweight and Boston College missed the cut in the second tier for the Cal Cup. The Copley Cup headliner again will be the University of Southern California, seeking its fourth straight victory, 11th overall. In the women’s competition for the Jessop-Whittier Cup, USC’s rowers will go after a repeat win. The men’s heavyweight division will include the Naval Academy, two-time winner Stanford, Gonzaga, UC San Diego, British Columbia, Michigan and a pair of Ivy Leaguers — Harvard and Cornell. The women’s field is highly competitive, featuring Stanford, California, USC, Virginia, Washington, Washington State, Clemson, Texas, UCLA, Tennessee and Purdue. The Copley Cup heats begin at 8:30 a.m. and the Jessop Whittier heats at 8:50 a.m. on March 31. The Jessop-Whitter Cup final is set for 9 a.m. and the Copley Cup final at 9:15 a.m. on April 1. Practice will be conducted throughout the day on March 30. The races begin near SeaWorld and the Ingraham Street bridge, heading north along Mission Bay for 2,000 meters, finishing at Crown Point Shores. There will be 4,000 athletes from universities, clubs and high school programs across the country, ranging in age from 14 to 84, competing in more than 100 races. “Cornell was a key to getting Harvard here,” said Schumaker. “They’ll race within a race, side by side, for a special cup.” Harvard comes in with strong credentials,finishing last year’s “heavyweight eight” season undefeated, winning the Eastern Sprints and finishing third behind Cal State Berkeley and Washington in the national championship. Interestingly, this will be the final season for Navy coach Rick Clothier, whose crews have won numerous titles, including the International Rowing Association’s national crown in 1980. The Crew Classic is more than just a competition on the water, offering a festival atmosphere with music, a trade show and alumni tents. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 on the day of the event. Admission is free for active military with ID and children under 12. Parking is $15 per car at Crown Point Shores. Parking is free at Ski Beach (off Ingraham Street and across from the entrance to Paradise Point Resort), with free shuttle service to the regatta. In addition, the Sun Run lot will offer free shuttle as an overflow lot from Ski Beach. Three full-time staff people and 20 members of the board of directors have done the event planning and there will be about 350 volunteers on duty during the weekend. “Mission Bay Yacht Club members are an important part of that,” said Schumaker. “We don’t close the bay but we have to control it on the course.” For more information on this year’s competition, visit www.crewclassic.org.








