USRowing Bringing Olympic Team Trials to Sarasota County

With Covid-19 forcing the postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 until later this summer, Nathan Benderson Park and Princeton National Rowing Association have been selected to host the three re-scheduled 2020 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials – Rowing, with the first event slated to start one month from today.

"USRowing has been fortunate to have great partners in Nathan Benderson Park and PNRA that have been working with us to hold and support our Olympic and Paralympic Trials in 2021," said Matt Imes, USRowing High Performance Director. "These events are critical points towards our process to the Games, and in these complicated times, NBP and PNRA have been tremendous to work with."

Located in Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla., Nathan Benderson Park, in conjunction with Visit Sarasota County and Bradenton Area CVB, will host the first set of U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Rowing from February 22-26 and will feature racing in the women's single sculls, men's single sculls, men's double sculls, lightweight women's double sculls and lightweight men's double sculls. The venue previously hosted the 2016 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials, as well as the 2017 World Rowing Championships and the 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships.

"We are proud and excited to welcome these outstanding athletes to Nathan Benderson Park and the Sarasota-Bradenton area," said Stephen V. Rodriguez, COO of SANCA, the non-profit that operates Nathan Benderson Park. "We recognize the time and hard work these fine athletes dedicate to training for this moment and are committed to providing a world-class stage on which to perform."

Hosted by Princeton National Rowing Association, the second 2020 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials – Rowing will be held April 12-16 at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. The event will feature racing in the three Olympic boat classes – the women's double sculls, men's pair, and men's quadruple sculls, as well as three Paralympic boat classes – the PR1 men's single sculls, PR1 women's single sculls, and PR2 mixed double sculls. PNRA previously has hosted numerous Olympic Trials including the men's pair trials in 2016.

PNRA also will host the third set of U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Rowing for the women's pair from June 4-6, if necessary.

"PNRA is proud to be able to play a role in the selection of Team USA for the Tokyo Games," said Kristopher Grudt, Executive Director of PNRA. "Since 1988, Mercer Lake has played an important role in the training and selection of our national teams, and we are honored to continue that tradition. As a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site, we are grateful to be a part of the journey of these incredible athletes and look forward to seeing them compete in the Tokyo Games."

The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will run July 23-August 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. The 2020 Paralympic Games are scheduled for August 24-September 5, 2021.

Click here for a complete overview on how rowing's Olympic and Paralympic teams are selected.Click here to request media credentials for the 2020 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials – Rowing. Click here for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Rowing News Access Guidelines.

United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. The USOPC is focused on protecting, supporting and empowering America's athletes, and is responsible for fielding U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, and serving as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic movements in the U.S. A federally chartered nonprofit corporation, the USOPC does not receive federal financial support (other than for select Paralympic military veteran programs) and is one of only four NOCs in the world that also manages Paralympic activities. More information is available at TeamUSA.org.

Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates Inc.
Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates Inc. (SANCA) is a not-for-profit 501c3 business created to manage Nathan Benderson Park (NBP), a community/public asset and world-class, multi-use sports venue. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for our community and be an economic generator for our region. SANCA's primary purpose is to develop and promote NBP as a world class event center, team training site and Sarasota County park, while providing outreach programs through recreation, safety training, education and volunteering as a service to our community. For more information, go to nathanbendersonpark.org/about-us/sanca-mission.

About Princeton National Rowing Association
The Princeton National Rowing Association (PNRA), a 501(c)3 organization, operates the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center located on the shores of Mercer Lake, Mercer County Park in West Windsor, N.J. PNRA is dedicated to providing a venue where athletes of all ages, talents and backgrounds have the opportunity to develop their rowing abilities to their highest potential.  As a United States Olympic Training Site, PNRA is home to the USRowing National Team, as well as scholastic and community rowing programs. PNRA runs the Mercer Junior and Masters Rowing Programs and conducts outreach activities seeking to expand the involvement in rowing in the greater Mercer County, N.J., region.

About USRowing
USRowing is a nonprofit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. USRowing has 83,000 individual members and 1,350 member organizations, offering rowing programs for all. USRowing receives generous support from the National Rowing Foundation and its corporate sponsors and partners.