18 July 2023

After three successful Zoom events, the Committee of the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta (HOSR) invites those interested in rowing history to a fourth Zoom event on Thursday, 20 July, “Crying Foul: The Rise of the Schuylkill Navy”.

The Committee writes in an invitation:

Join the HOSR Committee 50 in 2023 as we focus our Story Hours on the historic events that allowed for the origins and shaping of Boathouse Row. Our next “story” will speak to the rise of professional rowing and the establishment of the Schuylkill Navy in 1858 by nine Philadelphia rowing clubs seeking a governing body to prevent fixed races. As the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States, the Schuylkill Navy has seen its challenges through the years.

William “Bill” Lanouette, author of The Triumph of the Amateurs: The Rise, Ruin, and Banishment of Professional Rowing in the Gilded Age, which was published by Lyons Press in 2021, will set the stage as Committee members, as well as past and present Schuylkill Navy Commodores, share stories that demonstrate this important part of the history of the sport of rowing.

Register here in advance. After registering, you will be sent an email with Zoom credentials. Everyone is welcome!

Be sure to check out recordings of prior Story Hours on the 50 Stories webpage!