Youth National Championships in Rowing Coming to Florida

More than 1,700 youth rowers from 163 teams and 30 states will be in Sarasota-Bradenton to participate in the USRowing Youth National Championships. As USRowing’s 19th annual championship, this is the largest competition ever and the first time it has been held in Florida. All events will take place at Nathan Benderson Park, 5852 Nathan Benderson Park Circle, Sarasota, FL, June 12-14, 2015

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Graduation Recognition Ceremony – June 11 
6:30 p.m., VIP tent
To honor all senior student-athletes competing at the USRowing Youth National Championships, many who have had to skip their graduation to race. Guest speakers include two-time Olympic women’s eight gold medalist Susan Francia, CEO Glenn Merry, and Carolyn Mason, Sarasota County Commission chair.

Media Day – June 12
12 p.m. press conference and special Row to Rio announcement from USRowing CEO Glenn Merry, VIP tent/Awards dock
?    Paul Blackketter, president, SANCA
?    Glenn Merry, CEO, USRowing
?    Tom Harmer, county administrator, Sarasota
?    Carolyn Brown, general manager, Parks & Recreation, Sarasota
?    Carolyn Mason, Sarasota County Commission chair
?    John Chappie, commissioner, Manatee County
?    Joe Barbetta, board member, Nathan Benderson Park Foundation

12:30 – 1:15 Interview opportunities with coaches, athletes, local officials

1:30 Boat launches available to take media on the water to capture racing footage (other launch opportunities may can be scheduled upon request)

Tentative Race Schedule – June 12-14
Friday, June 12, Heats: 8:00 a.m. – 5:54 p.m., Races run every eight minutes with an hour break at 12:16 p.m.
Saturday, June 13, Repechages and Semifinals: 8:00 a.m. – 6:35 p.m., Races run every seven minutes with an hour break at 1:29 p.m.
Sunday, June 14, A, B and C Finals: 8:00 a.m. – 2:29 p.m., Races run every seven-eight minutes

Continental Breakfast – June 13 at 8:30 a.m.
Event Garden, located at the north parking lot

Award Ceremonies – June 14, 11:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and after the last race (around 2:45 p.m.)

Olympic Day – June 14, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Meet Beijing and London Olympic gold medalist in the women's eight, Susan Francia, as well as Youth Olympic athletes and 2014 U.S. National Team medalists Marlee Blue and Dana Moffat, who will be signing autographs at the USRowing tent. Free posters and Row to Rio stickers.

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 75,000 individual members and 1,300 member organizations, offering rowing programs for all. USRowing receives generous support from the National Rowing Foundation and its corporate sponsors and partners: ANXeBusiness Corp, Boathouse Sports, Bucket List Events, Connect-A-Dock, EMCVenues, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Rudy Project and Shimano. USRowing’s official suppliers include Concept 2, Croker Oars, JanSport, Nielsen Kellerman, Vespoli and WinTech.  USRowing relies on strong partnerships to enable continued success. America Rows, which supports diversity in rowing and provides opportunities for those with disabilities, also benefits from corporate support.

Additional information may be found at www.usrowing.org | Twitter: @usrowing | YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/usrowingorg | Facebook: www.facebook.com/usrowing | Tumblr: http://usrowing.tumblr.com/ | Instagram: usrowingngb.