Sarasota Rowing Club hosts Sarasota Invitational

More than 1,300 competitors headed to the waters of Nathan Benderson Park Saturday and Sunday to compete in the Sarasota County Rowing Club’s sixth annual Sarasota Invitational Regatta.

Regatta Director Jeff Koehler said this year the event earned the status of a nationally recognized regatta, making it one of only a handful in the nation.

“It recognizes being well run and having a certain number of competitors, safety and fairness,” Koehler says, adding most regattas with the designation have been around for 20 years or so. “It’s limited to a small number of regattas in the nation. We were thrilled.”

At the Sarasota Invitational, youth rowers competed Saturday, while Masters rowers competed Sunday. Adaptive rowers also participated. 

“It’s about competition,” Koehler says. “It’s about excitement. It’s about giving people an opportunity to race (events) they wouldn’t normally race.”

Several teams from out of state entered the competition to have practice races at Nathan Benderson Park, which will host the Youth Nationals regatta in June, Koehler says.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].