Onondaga Lake to host Masters Regatta; county to purchase rowing course for event

GEDDES — The Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club will host the 2nd annual USRowing Northeast/Mid-Atlantic (NEMA) Masters regional championships on June 28 on Onondaga Lake.

In support of the event, Onondaga County has committed to purchasing a new, seven-lane, 2,000-meter course it hopes will also attract future rowing competitions to the area.

The Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club joined Visit Syracuse and Onondaga County officials to announce the event in early March.

The regional championships will provide a “full slate of racing opportunities” for competitors in all boat classes on a new, seven-lane, 2,000-meter course, according to a news release posted at the website of VisitSyracuse.

“We applied for the regatta,” says Joe Bufano, president of the Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club. 

Bufano spoke with CNYBJ on April 20.

Beyond his role as president of the rowing club, Bufano is also an attorney with the DeWitt law firm of Ferrara, Fiorenza, Larrison, Barrett & Reitz, P.C.

The Onondaga Lake venue is a “great fit” for the event, A.J. Dominique, events manager for USRowing, said in the news release.

“Its central location in the region makes it easy to get to from the New England states, New York, and New Jersey,” said Dominique.

The competition

The Masters competitions are broken up by age groups from “age 23 and beyond,” according to Bufano. 

“There’s a boat average that’s calculated and that determines what particular class you’re competing in,” he adds.

The competitors are generally members of USRowing, Bufano notes.

Participants will compete in the new course that Onondaga County lawmakers have committed to purchase.

“The course itself is approximately $60,000,” says Bufano. “That’s a prerequisite for any regatta that you’re going to apply for … that you have that course.”

The Chargers will locate the course on the eastern shore of Onondaga Lake with the anticipated starting line located in Willow Bay.

It’s possible to break the course into varying lengths, according to Bufano. 

International, collegiate, and junior-national competitions use the entire 2,000-meter length. High-school races use a 1,500-meter course, and masters races are 1,000 meters, he says.

“We’re buying a 2,000-meter course so that we have the ability, long term, to attract multiple types of regattas,” Bufano adds. 

The course, which has seven lanes, includes anchors, wires, and bouys.

Economic impact

The Masters event has the “potential to distribute millions of dollars” into the Syracuse economy, Nikita Jankowski, communications manager for VisitSyracuse, said.

In 2014, the Masters National Championships brought an estimated $2.2 million to the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan over four days (300 competing crews and 500 competitors). 

In addition, the Northeast Junior District Championships brought in more than $550,000 to the Lowell, Massachusetts area, Jankowski added.

VisitSyracuse is an affiliate of CenterState CEO and “Onondaga County’s official marketing organization for tourism-related economic development.”

VisitSyracuse was formerly known as the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau.

History, partners

Rowing on Onondaga Lake dates back to the 1870s, when the Boating Association of Syracuse University was founded and began hosting collegiate races, according to the March 6 news release from VisitSyracuse. 

It served as the site of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships from 1952 to 1992, as well as 1994. 

From 1995 to 2000, the Syracuse Chargers hosted the USRowing Club National Championships, as well as the 1996 USRowing Masters National Championships.

“Syracuse has a rich history of hosting regattas,” Bufano notes.

In addition to the Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club, Onondaga Lake is home to Syracuse University men’s and women’s varsity rowing programs and Liverpool High School crew. Each spring, the Syracuse Chargers Junior Invitational Regatta consistently draws more than 1,000 New York state high-school athletes and their families to the area.

The Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club is a nonprofit organization that Bill Sanford, former Syracuse University men’s rowing coach and Onondaga County legislator, formed in 1972.

USRowing is a Princeton, N.J.–based nonprofit organization that the U.S. Olympic Committee recognizes as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the U.S. 

USRowing has 75,000 individual members and 1,200 member organizations, offering rowing programs for all, according to its website.

Onondaga County Parks, which is among the partners that helped secure the rowing event, maintains more than 6,500 acres of park land, including a zoo, nature center, trails, beaches, shelters/lodges, museums, and special events.                         

GEDDES — The Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club will host the 2nd annual USRowing Northeast/Mid-Atlantic (NEMA) Masters regional championships on June 28 on Onondaga Lake.

In support of the event, Onondaga County has committed to purchasing a new, seven-lane, 2,000-meter course it hopes will also attract future rowing competitions to the area.

The Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club joined Visit Syracuse and Onondaga County officials to announce the event in early March.

The regional championships will provide a “full slate of racing opportunities” for competitors in all boat classes on a new, seven-lane, 2,000-meter course, according to a news release posted at the website of VisitSyracuse.

“We applied for the regatta,” says Joe Bufano, president of the Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club. 

Bufano spoke with CNYBJ on April 20.

Beyond his role as president of the rowing club, Bufano is also an attorney with the DeWitt law firm of Ferrara, Fiorenza, Larrison, Barrett & Reitz, P.C.

The Onondaga Lake venue is a “great fit” for the event, A.J. Dominique, events manager for USRowing, said in the news release.

“Its central location in the region makes it easy to get to from the New England states, New York, and New Jersey,” said Dominique.

The competition

The Masters competitions are broken up by age groups from “age 23 and beyond,” according to Bufano. 

“There’s a boat average that’s calculated and that determines what particular class you’re competing in,” he adds.

The competitors are generally members of USRowing, Bufano notes.

Participants will compete in the new course that Onondaga County lawmakers have committed to purchase.

“The course itself is approximately $60,000,” says Bufano. “That’s a prerequisite for any regatta that you’re going to apply for … that you have that course.”

The Chargers will locate the course on the eastern shore of Onondaga Lake with the anticipated starting line located in Willow Bay.

It’s possible to break the course into varying lengths, according to Bufano. 

International, collegiate, and junior-national competitions use the entire 2,000-meter length. High-school races use a 1,500-meter course, and masters races are 1,000 meters, he says.

“We’re buying a 2,000-meter course so that we have the ability, long term, to attract multiple types of regattas,” Bufano adds. 

The course, which has seven lanes, includes anchors, wires, and bouys.

Economic impact

The Masters event has the “potential to distribute millions of dollars” into the Syracuse economy, Nikita Jankowski, communications manager for VisitSyracuse, said.

In 2014, the Masters National Championships brought an estimated $2.2 million to the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan over four days (300 competing crews and 500 competitors). 

In addition, the Northeast Junior District Championships brought in more than $550,000 to the Lowell, Massachusetts area, Jankowski added.

VisitSyracuse is an affiliate of CenterState CEO and “Onondaga County’s official marketing organization for tourism-related economic development.”

VisitSyracuse was formerly known as the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau.

History, partners

Rowing on Onondaga Lake dates back to the 1870s, when the Boating Association of Syracuse University was founded and began hosting collegiate races, according to the March 6 news release from VisitSyracuse. 

It served as the site of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships from 1952 to 1992, as well as 1994. 

From 1995 to 2000, the Syracuse Chargers hosted the USRowing Club National Championships, as well as the 1996 USRowing Masters National Championships.

“Syracuse has a rich history of hosting regattas,” Bufano notes.

In addition to the Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club, Onondaga Lake is home to Syracuse University men’s and women’s varsity rowing programs and Liverpool High School crew. Each spring, the Syracuse Chargers Junior Invitational Regatta consistently draws more than 1,000 New York state high-school athletes and their families to the area.

The Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club is a nonprofit organization that Bill Sanford, former Syracuse University men’s rowing coach and Onondaga County legislator, formed in 1972.

USRowing is a Princeton, N.J.–based nonprofit organization that the U.S. Olympic Committee recognizes as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the U.S. 

USRowing has 75,000 individual members and 1,200 member organizations, offering rowing programs for all, according to its website.

Onondaga County Parks, which is among the partners that helped secure the rowing event, maintains more than 6,500 acres of park land, including a zoo, nature center, trails, beaches, shelters/lodges, museums, and special events.