Mercer County is not often associated with international locales such as Munich, Vienna and Seville until now.
By: Ken Weingartner
Mercer County is not often associated with international locales such as Munich, Vienna and Seville until now.
Mercer County Park in West Windsor will host a Zurich Rowing World Cup series event April 27-28, marking the first time a World Cup regatta will be held in the United States. Organizers said the international competition will bring hundreds of rowing champions to Mercer Lake.
The event is one of four World Cup competitions in 2001. The schedule includes stops in Seville, Spain, Vienna, Austria, and Munich, Germany. Teams compete for prize money and the World Cup trophy by accumulating points in the four series events.
Course preparation for the Mercer County regatta started Friday with a press conference at the park’s marina.
"We’d like to host this premier event not only this year, but for many years to come," Mercer County Executive Robert Prunetti said. "We’re very proud of what we have here in Mercer County. We’re going to try to make sure everyone who comes here has a good time. We may not have that kind of worldwide notoriety yet, but we’re going to try to get there."
Entries are not due until mid-April, but event director Jack Weir said representatives from Great Britain, Germany, Canada, Chile, Brazil, Switzerland, Lithuania and Spain already have requested forms and hotel information.
In addition to the international regatta, there will be competition among some of the top colleges and prep schools in the nation.
Boston University, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Dowling, Harvard, Northeastern, Penn, Princeton, Radcliffe, Rutgers and Wisconsin have confirmed attendance for the event.
Hun, Lawrenceville and Peddie are among the prep schools expected to participate.
"Rowing is beginning to gain more exposure," said Aquil Abdullah, a member of the U.S. National Rowing Team who lives in Princeton. "More people are beginning to realize what a wonderful sport it is.
"It’s pretty exciting to have this regatta here. Being able to host an event of this caliber shows we’re active participants in the sport. It will bring more visibility to the sport, which hopefully will bring more people to the sport."
Mr. Abdullah has been active in the sport for nine years. He started rowing while at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., as a way to stay in shape for football. He continued while at George Washington University.
"I liked it right away," Mr. Abdullah said. "I don’t know how to explain it. I enjoyed being out on the water, I enjoyed the people I was rowing with. I like the outdoors."
Mr. Abdullah, a silver medalist at the 1999 Pan-Am Games, said regatta spectators should expect "a good time."
"It’s a very entertaining sport," the 27-year-old said.
Also attending last week’s press conference were West Windsor Mayor Carole Carson, title sponsor Zurich Financial Services representative Greg Heath and members of the Princeton International Regatta Association.
Those in attendance thanked the efforts of businessman and rowing enthusiast Finn Caspersen for his role in bring the event to Mercer County. Mr. Caspersen, a Peddie graduate, is chairman of the organizing committee and first conceived of the idea of bringing the regatta to New Jersey.
There is no admission charge for Friday, April 27, when event heats and semifinals will be held. Admission is $5 for the following day’s finals.
For more information visit www.worldcuprowing.org on the Web or call (908) 532-0463.