2014 Gay Games Washington Bid

[glrfcentral]

We started this topic after sifting through the three bids presented for the 2014 Gay Games. All three bids have included rowing as one of the featured sports. See the GLRF story here. A decision on the selection won't be made until 29 Sep 2009.

 

We would like to develop input from the GLRF community on all aspects of the general Washington rowing bid: cost to participate, site location, entry categories, event categories, and projected length of the regatta.

 

The DC Strokes Rowing Club prepared the bid on behalf of the Washington DC bidding organization. So they have a tremendous amount of experience in organizing a regatta and an extensive knowledge of all local rowing venues. The decision to select the Potomac river as the rowing venue as opposed to the Anacostia river came from two pressure points: the first is that the Anacostia boathouse is scheduled for demolition and the Strokes may be homeless for a time, and second, as is usual in the politics of the Gay Games, the Washington bidding organizers put a tremendous amount of pressure on the Strokes to host the regatta on the Potomac for 'show and glory' purposes.

 

The one alternate location which from a purely rowing perspective may be a better venue, is the Occoquan Reservoir. [location]

 

The disadvantages to hosting a regatta at the reservoir are the distance outside Washington, approximately 35 minutes, and the park fees can be hefty for hosting a regatta. DC Strokes prez Jason Beagle indicated they have a letter of agreement with George Washington University to use the concrete buoy holders for their course in the Potomac so that would ensure the course in the Potomac is well buoyed. The main disadvantages are the river current, the possibility of debris in the water from recent storms, and in a minor way, the lack of hand held starts.