John Bennett Regatta

John Bennett Regatta
Sunday, May 5, 2019

West Side Row Club
One Rotary Row
Buffalo, NY 14201

The John Bennett Regatta is held in Buffalo, NY at West Side Row Club on the Black Rock Canal on Sun, May 5. It is an early day arrival, plan on being there ALL DAY. Expect to see quite a few good Canadian and Buffalo crews competing in this regatta.

Please see below for the latest schedule from the regatta organizers. Earlier this week there was some concern whether the races would take place as there was some lake ice in the Black Rock Canal. However, as of Wed. the canal is looking good and they fully intend to run the Bennett Regatta this Sunday. Please see Time Trials and Finals 5/1 First Draft under Heat Sheet/Draw or clicking the links under the Schedule section below.

At this time we want to plan on returning home after the regatta and unloading the trailer so we can have 3 full practices before States next week.

SCHEDULE

SUNDAY:

  • 7:30 am – Team Arrival
    • Plan accordingly for approximately 1 hr 30 min. travel time
    • Please Check In with the Coaches upon Arrival
  • 8:00 am – Coaches & Coxswains Meeting – Westside Boardroom
  • TIME TRIALS (beginning at 9:00 am)
    • 9:50 am – Event 6 – Womens JV8+ A (43) and B (51)
    • 10:20 am – Event 9 – Women’s Novice 8+ (80)
    • 11:10 am – Event 15 – Women’s JV 4+ (
    • 12:05 pm – Event 20 – Women’s Novice 4+ (219)
    • 12:20 pm – Event 21 – Women’s Varsity 4+ A (236) and B (249)
  • Lunch Break
FINALS
  • 2:12 pm – Event 6 – Women’s JV8+  FINAL
  • 2:38 pm – Event 9 – Women’s Novice 8+  FINAL
  • 3:28 pm – Event 15 – Women’s JV 4+  FINAL
  • 4:10 pm – Event 20 – Women’s Novice 4+  FINAL
  • 4:18 pm – Event 21 – Women’s Varsity 4+ FINAL
  • Time Trials will be held in the morning and Finals will be held after the lunch break in the afternoon.
  • All races will be 1,500-meters.
    • All events will be run as 1,500-meter TIME TRIALS.
    • Afternoon FINALS will be head to head races for the top 4 boats.  1 vs 2, and 3 vs 4
  • For 5/3 Final Time Trials and Finals schedules, please click on the highlighted links to view them on Regatta Central:
  • Anticipate trailer unloading on Sunday evening when we return to Rochester.
  • Everyone is expected to stay for the entirety of the event and to return to unload.
COXSWAINS
Prior to Race Day Please Review the Following (click on the links below):
– Rowers and Parents are encouraged to review these links as well

ATTIRE

  • The Mercy Crew uni is to be worn during the competition, along with the pink sports bra and Mercy Crew pink visor or hat.
  • Everyone should come dressed in warm clothing especially for the early morning, and be sure to have long sleeve tech shirt and leggings if needed and waterproof crew jacket. Waterproof boots are a good idea as there is a lot of grassy area near the tents that tends to get muddy with the heavy foot traffic. It’s always a good idea to have a light pair of gloves and winter hat with you and a warmer jacket if the temps change. It is always colder by the water than the normal temperature.
  • Have a plastic garbage bag with you to put your bag in to keep it dry if it rains or is wet near the trailer.

HOSPITALITY

  • We will be providing breakfast & lunch for Hospitality at our Hospitality tent.
  • Due to last week’s regatta being cancelled, we will just be using the signups from the Ithaca Icebreaker for this week’s SignUp. Please refer to last week’s Ithaca Icebreaker SignUp below and bring the food donations that you signed up for last week for the John Bennett on Sunday.
John Bennett Hospitality SignUp

Please contact Hospitality Chairs, Tina Trudeau with any questions at hospitality@mercycrew.org

MISC

  • Parents are encouraged to wear their fan wear and to bring your cow bells and noise makes to cheer the rowers on. Binoculars are helpful too to view down the course as the boats approach.
  • Bring chairs and maybe have a blanket on hand to keep warm as it is typically a little chillier by the water.
  • Bring waterproof boots as the grassy area where the tents and viewing area are tends to get muddy with the heavy foot traffic of the day.
  • Point of interest, you might enjoy checking out Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fontana Boathouse which is on the race site and where the return docks are located.

SPECTATORS

Spectating will be viewed on the WS Lawn but regatta organizers recommend to go on the new Observation Tower and Bike Path. From there the course is visible from start to finish. There is a lower path that is on the last 500 meters and an upper path that leads to the tower.  The path is accessible from Porter Ave and the view is great!  See Regatta site map below.

PARKING

Parking is located at Front Park, La Salle Park, Busti Ave and 4th Street. Beginning at 6AM and concluding after the last race a Shuttle Bus will be driving around Front Park and a 4th Street Pick-up will be on the corner of 4th and Porter. A second bus will be around LaSalle Park. If you park on Busti you can walk on the bike path directly to the Boathouse. It is probably the easiest place to park. Links are provided here:

WSRC Regatta Site Map
(Click on the map picture to open in Google Maps)

– Parking indicated in Light Blue
– WSRC Boathouse indicated by the WS Crest
– Boat Trailer Parking Area indicated in Yellow
– Hospitality Tent Area marked by Orange Food icon
– Finish Line marked by Red Flag icon
– Spectator Viewing spots marked with Green Binocular icons

MAP & DIRECTIONS
  • Take NYS THRUWAY (Route 90) West to Exit 51W – NY 33W Buffalo.
  • Use the right 2 lanes to take the NY-198 W Exit.
  • Continue onto NY-198 W. for about 3 mi.
  • Use the left lane to merge onto I-190 S toward Downtown.
  • Take Exit 9 for Porter Ave toward Peace Bridge/Ft Erie Canada
  • Continue on to Porter Avenue and then follow directions from there to the parking area of your choice as noted in the regatta site map and parking information above.

Please Note: At the foot of the Peace Bridge, please be aware if you turn the wrong way you will end up on the road to cross the Peace Bridge to Canada, so please follow the signs carefully.

Click on the map below for link to Google Maps: