Oklahoma City University's regatta keeps getting bigger

Fifty-two rowing clubs and university crews will compete in Oklahoma City University's largest athletic event, held in downtown Oklahoma City on the Oklahoma River.

Before the regatta and during it on Saturday, there will be the regatta festival. It kicks off Thursday night with the annual corporate and dragon boat racing as part of the OGE NightSprints.

There will be more corporate and dragon boat racing on Friday night. On Saturday night, the clubs and universities will participate in the sprints.

Festival activities both Thursday and Friday nights and on Saturday include fireworks, live music, food vendors and a beer and wine garden on the Oklahoma River.

Rowing clubs from across the United States and Winnipeg, Canada are entered this weekend, as well as one athlete from the Santiago Rowing Club in Monterrey, Mexico.

Powerhouse university programs such as the Harvard men and Stanford women always send crews to the Head of the Oklahoma regatta.

“We send the seniors rather than our fastest possible lineup,” said Harvard coach Bill Manning. “It's a terrific, fun trip for the seniors and they look forward to it every year.

“Obviously, they enjoy the night sprints. The regatta also allows some of the guys to see a part of the country that they might not otherwise ever travel to. It certainly gives them a greater appreciation for Oklahoma.

“Additionally, the regatta is very well run and the site is fast becoming a center of American rowing.”

Collegiate crews from LSU, Clemson and UMass will be rowing in the regatta for the first time.

The UMass women have one of the strongest sculling programs in the country and will be in Oklahoma City primarily to offer competition against OCU, which trains its athletes in both sculling and sweep rowing.