Schuylkill Navy

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Schuylkill Navy logo

The Schuylkill Navy is an association of amateur rowing clubs of Philadelphia. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States.[1] The member clubs are all on the Schuylkill River where it flows through Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, mostly on the historic Boathouse Row.

By charter, the Schuylkill Navy’s object is "to secure united action among the several Clubs and to promote amateurism on the Schuylkill River."[2] Over the years, the group has had a role in certain ceremonial and state functions.[3] The success of the Schuylkill Navy and similar organizations contributed heavily to the extinction of professional rowing and the sport's current status as an amateur sport.[4]

At its founding, it had nine clubs; today, there are 16: Fairmount Rowing Association, Crescent Boat Club, Bachelors Barge Club, University Barge Club, Malta Boat Club, Vesper Boat Club, College Boat Club, Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association (Penn AC), Undine Barge Club (Undine), Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club (PGRC), Gillin Boat Club, Conshohocken Rowing Center, Pennsylvania Barge Club, Whitemarsh Boat Club, Sedgeldy, and Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports. At least 23 other clubs have belonged to the Navy at various times.[2] Many of the clubs have a rich history, and have produced a large number of Olympians and world-class competitors.[5]

Origins

Historical marker on Boathouse Row

The Schuylkill Navy was founded by nine Philadelphia rowing clubs seeking a governing body to prevent fixed races.[6] Once formed, the Navy enacted a code of conduct that prohibited wagering on races.[6]

These clubs were present at the founding of the society in October 1858: America,

Quaker City joined.[8] While not at that first meeting, Undine and Bachelors joined the Navy soon after its founding.[9] Bachelors absorbed member, Amateurs, in December 1858, and became a member in March 1859.[8] While Undine was not initially listed as a founder, it is considered a founder of the Navy because one of Undine's members was the Secretary Treasurer of the Navy at its inception.[10]

In March 1860, Union Boat Club and Atlantic Barge Club (the 1st) joined the Schuylkill Navy.

Excelsior, Union, Independent, and Keystone no longer existed.[10]

After the Civil War

Washington Boat Club (now known as Vesper) joined.[10]

West Philadelphia Barge Club and College Boat Club joined in 1873 and 1875 respectively.[12]

'Atalanta Boat Club crew (of NYC) in Philadelphia for the 1876 Centennial International Regatta
Atalanta Boat Club crew (of NYC) at the Centennial Exposition regatta

On November 11, 1872, the Navy composed the funeral solemnities of General George Meade.[3] In 1876, it held an international regatta in connection with the Centennial Exposition, the largest of its kind to that point.[3] On April 27, 1878, crews from various clubs of the Navy staged a demonstration to honor President Rutherford B. Hayes's visit to Philadelphia.[3]

A new

Philadelphia Barge Club closed their doors.[13]

After World War II

Pennsylvania turned its boathouse over to the Navy until its membership was reinstated in 2009.[15]

In 1968, Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club, a women-only club, became a member of the Schuylkill Navy.[16] Most recently, Gillin Boat Club was elected to the Navy by unanimous vote in 2004.[17]

21st century

The Schuylkill Navy is the organizer of the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series. With three of the largest regattas in the mid-Atlantic region on the schedule as well as two of the nation's oldest regattas, the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series connects the rowing competitors of today to the historic home of the international rowing elite. It is built on a tradition that launched November 12, 1835, with the first organized regatta on Philadelphia's historic Schuylkill River (a full eight years before the start of the rowing program at Harvard University).[18]

In 2010, USRowing, the national governing body for rowing, announced the launch of a new Training Center Partner Program in order to create partnerships with clubs across the country interested in collaborating in the development of athletes who could potentially represent the United States in international races. The partner program places an emphasis on training athletes in small boat development and incorporating athletes in senior and under-23 camps and trials. Partners include Schuylkill Navy's Penn AC and Vesper Boat Club. Partner programs will have access to national team training programs, and have the opportunity to consult with USRowing National Team staff and the Director of Coaching Education, Kris Korzeniowski.[19]

In 2016, the composite crew racing as Schuylkill Navy won the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.

Traditions

Regattas

Events

The Navy also sponsors other athletic endeavors including a basketball league and an annual cross country race.

Schuylkill Navy Run The Schuylkill Navy Run, also known as the Turkey Trot, began in 1899. Held on

Kelly Drive
to the traffic light in front of Lloyd Hall, turn left and go up Lemon Hill and over the Girard Avenue Bridge, then right onto Lansdowne Avenue. Just past Sweetbriar Cutoff, the course turns right and starts the true “cross country” segment across grassy surfaces. Runners go to the General Meade Monument, then follow to the Pagoda entrance gate to Belmont Plateau, up the hill to Belmont Mansion, and return by way of Brewery Hill down Kelly Drive back to Malta Boat Club.

Any and all members of The Schuylkill Navy clubs and its affiliates are eligible to compete, as well as friend and family guest runners. The classifications include the following categories: Open, Masters, Juniors, Guests, and Novices.[25]

Member clubs

Current members

Fairmount Rowing Association
Fairmount Rowing Association

Established in 1877 and located at No. 2 Boathouse Row, Fairmount is on the National Register of Historic Places.[26] Fairmount gained admission to the Schuylkill Navy in 1916 after it had been rejected for decades.[27] In 1945 the boathouse underwent a huge expansion in which it merged with what was No. 3 on Boathouse Row to create the current Fairmount Rowing Association boathouse.[27] Fairmount has called itself the "premiere club for Masters rowing in the mid-Atlantic region".[27] Recently the club has produced several world class rowers.[28][29][30] The club is currently coached by Ahsan Iqbal and is affiliated with La Salle University and Episcopal Academy.

Pennsylvania Barge Club
Pennsylvania Barge Club

Founded in 1861 and located at No. 4 Boathouse Row, the

Max Schmitt, is known to have rowed for the club and won the single sculls national championship 6 times.[32] Pennsylvania Barge Club represented the United States at the Summer Olympic Games in 1920 (coxed four), 1924 (coxed four), 1928 (coxed four and four without coxswain) and 1932 (pair with coxswain).[33] In 1955, due to World War II the boathouse suffered a severe decrease in membership and turned its facility over to the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen, which would later become USRowing, to serve as their headquarters.[14][34][35] In 2009 Pennsylvania Barge Club was reinstated as a member of the Schuylkill Navy; the club's current president is Michael Ragan, and it is affiliated with La Salle College High School.[15]

Crescent Boat Club
Crescent Boat Club

Established in 1867 and located at No. 5 Boathouse Row,

Philadelphia University's rowing team[43] and Roman Catholic High School rowing team, which supplies most of Crescent's summer rowing membership. Crescent has the smallest membership to the Schuylkill Navy on Boathouse Row.[44]

Bachelors Barge Club
Bachelors Barge Club

Located at No. 6 Boathouse Row, Bachelors was founded in 1853 and is the oldest continuously operating boathouse in the United States.[45] Founding members of Bachelors were members of a volunteer fire-fighting club called the Phoenix Engine Company. Israel Morris is credited with founding the club, and was elected as its second president.[46] As the name of the club suggests, membership was restricted to "Bachelors"; however shortly after its founding Bachelors opened its doors to married men.[42] Now the vast majority of the club's 150 members are women.[42] Bachelors medaled at the Summer Olympic Games in the single sculls and the coxed four in 1924, the single sculls in 1928, and the double sculls in 1932.[45] More recently Bachelors sent Cody Lowry to the World Rowing Championships in 2009 in the lightweight men's single sculls.[47] Bachelors is currently affiliated with the Conestoga High School, Lower Merion High School, and Radnor High School Men's and Women's teams,[48] along with the Drexel University Men's and Women's teams[49] and a number of smaller programs and independent high school scullers.

University Barge Club
University Barge Club

Commonly referred to as

Springside School
high school women's rowing team.

Malta Boat Club
Malta Boat Club

The Malta Boat Club is located at No. 9 Boathouse Row and joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1865, after its establishment in 1860 when it relocated from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River, occupying what was the Excelsior Club boathouse.[56][57] In 1901

The Shipley School
are stored there.

Vesper Boat Club
Vesper Boat Club

Established in 1865 and located at No. 10 Boathouse Row, Vesper joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1870. In 1873 Vesper built, in conjunction with Malta, a 1 1/2 story boathouse.[58] The boathouse has since been renovated, largely based ondesigns by Howard Egar in 1898.[59]

Men's 8+ 2008 Summer Olympics. Vesper, along with its national team and Olympic aspirations, is affiliated with several high schools including Archbishop Prendergast, Friends Select School, and Sacred Heart
.

Aerial view of Number 11 Boathouse Row, the home of the College Boat Club of the University of Pennsylvania.
College Boat Club (University of Pennsylvania)

Located at No. 11 Boathouse Row,

Center City to West City, and became a member of the Schuylkill Navy in 1875.[61] College Boat Club was admitted to the Schuylkill Navy in 1875.[62] It was initially founded to give University of Pennsylvania students an alternative to the school's original Boathouse, University Barge Club.[53][61] In 1877 University of Pennsylvania rowers from the club beat the University of Pennsylvania rowers from University Barge Club,[61] making College Boat Club the official hub for most University of Pennsylvania rowers by 1879.[61] By 1893 membership was opened to alumni and enrolled students.[61]

Penn Athletic Club
Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association

Otherwise known as

John B. Kelly Sr. joined the club after a falling out with his former club, Vesper.[15][63] The club is currently affiliated with the Shipley School boys' and girls' rowing teams and the Monsignor Bonner High School boys' team, both of which have brought Stotesbury Cup
wins back to the club in recent years.

Undine Barge Club
Undine Barge Club

Established in 1856 and located at No. 13 Boathouse Row,

Baldwin School
. The club is also known for its motto "Labor ipse voluptas" (in English: Labor itself is a pleasure).

Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club
Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club

Otherwise known as

PGRC, the club is located at No. 14 Boathouse Row and is the oldest all-female rowing club in the world.[60] Built in 1860, it is the oldest structure on Boathouse Row, and was originally constructed for the purpose of housing the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society.[51][68] Although not formally established until 1938, PGRC was formed by 17 women (mainly wives of rowers at other clubs who wished to partake in the activity of rowing).[16][60] PGRC was formally admitted into the Schuylkill Navy in 1967, and currently hosts the girls' rowing team from the Agnes Irwin School
.

St. Joe's Prep
)

Although not on historic Boathouse Row,

St. Joe's Prep rowing teams.[15][69][70] The boathouse was the first built on this up-river portion of the Schuylkill River in 98 years.[71]

A panorama of current members on Boathouse Row in 2010.

Membership history timeline

Gillin Boat ClubPhiladelphia Girls' Rowing ClubLaSalle Rowing AssociationPenn Athletic Club Rowing AssociationFairmount Rowing AssociationCollege Boat ClubWest Philadelphia Boat ClubVesper Boat ClubCrescent Boat ClubIona Boat ClubMalta Boat ClubPennsylvania Barge ClubWashington Boat ClubPhiladelphia Barge ClubExcelsior Boat ClubBachelors Barge ClubUndine Barge ClubQuaker City Barge ClubUniversity Barge ClubCamilla Boat Club
Notes

Photo gallery

  • Schuylkill River Rowing Courses (1872).
    Schuylkill River Rowing Courses (1872).
  • "Oarsmen on the Schuylkill" (aka "The Pennsylvania Barge Club Four") by Thomas Eakins (c. 1874).
    "Oarsmen on the Schuylkill" (aka "The Pennsylvania Barge Club Four") by Thomas Eakins (c. 1874).
  • A daytime photo of Boathouse Row (2006).
    A daytime photo of Boathouse Row (2006).
  • Schuylkill Grandstand
    Schuylkill Grandstand
  • Sculpture of John B. Kelly, 3 time Olympic Gold Medalist and a Commodore in the Schuylkill Navy
    Sculpture of John B. Kelly, 3 time Olympic Gold Medalist and a Commodore in the Schuylkill Navy
  • Boathouse Row lit up at night
    Boathouse Row lit up at night
  • Boathouse Row and Lemon Hill
    Boathouse Row and Lemon Hill
  • Schuylkill River Running through Philadelphia skyline
    Schuylkill River Running through Philadelphia skyline
  • Schuylkill bridge at night
    Schuylkill bridge at night

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Boathouse Row". Living Places. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Good, Megan. "Schuylkill Navy Records, 1859-2009" (PDF). Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d (Heiland 1938, p. 16)
  4. ^ Moak, Jefferson (November 27, 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form". NPS Focus, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. p. 669. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  5. ^ "Boathouse Row Clubs". Schuylkill Navy & Boathouse Row. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  6. ^ a b (Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta & 2009 Program, p. 11)
  7. ^ Crowther, Samuel; Arthur Brown Ruhl (1905). Rowing and Track Athletics. New York: MacMillan. p. 24. Sources are inconsistent about who was at the first meeting. For example, Neptune and Pennsylvania are listed as represented at the meeting on the Schuylkill Navy website. See "Schuylkill Navy Clubs". Schuylkill Navy. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c d e f (Heiland 1938, p. 57)
  9. ^ Crowther, Samuel; Arthur Brown Ruhl (1905). Rowing and Track Athletics. New York: MacMillan. p. 24. Again, sources are inconsistent about which clubs were founders. For example, some sources indicate that Undine and Bachelors were founding members. See (Janssen 1888, pp. 210–13)
  10. ^ a b c d (Heiland 1938, p. 58)
  11. ^ "Schuylkill Navy Clubs". Schuylkill Navy. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i (Heiland 1938, p. 59)
  13. ^ (Heiland 1938, p. 60)
  14. ^ a b "Program Pamphlet, Pennsylvania Barge Club, Album: Rowing and Regattas, Schuylkill Navy Records". Independence Seaport Museum. 1915. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  15. ^ a b c d (Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta & 2009 Program, p. 20)
  16. ^ a b Stillner, p. 105
  17. ^ "Facilities, Rober Gillin, Jr. Boathouse". Saint Joseph's University Hawks. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  18. ^ DeLorenzo, Jim. "Over 200 Runners Set for the 107th Schuylkill Navy Run in Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day". Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  19. ^ Imes, Matt. "USROWING TRAINING CENTER PARTNER PROGRAM". Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  20. ^ a b Bradley. "The Dad Vail True Story". Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  21. ^ "Head of the Schuylkill Regatta History and Growth". Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  22. ^ "History". independencedayregatta.com. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  23. ^ "History". navydayregatta.com. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  24. ^ "History". stotesburycupregatta.com. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  25. ^ DeLorenzo, Jim. "Over 200 Runners Set for the 107th Schuylkill Navy Run in Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day". Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  26. ^ NPS Focus, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior designating buildings 1-15 E. River Dr. (Boathouse Row) as Historic places. Search "Boat House Row" in the Resource Name box.
  27. ^ a b c Silverberg, Lee (May 19, 2008). "A Very Brief History of the Fairmount Rowing Association". Fairmount Rowing Association. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  28. ^ Teresa Z. Bell won an Olympic medal in the Lightweight Women’s Double. See Walker, Teresa M. (July 28, 1996). "U.S. Rowing Women Fall Short Of Gold". Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2010. Bell was rowing out of Fairmount. See "Schuylkill Navy Honors Philadelphia's National Teamers". Rowing News. Vol. 3, no. 22. December 15–29, 1996. p. 3. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  29. ^ James Castellan competed in the 1976 olympics. See Hood, Clifton R. (June 2006). "Penn in the Olympics: Penn Athletes Competing in the Olympic Games". University Archives and Records Center, University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 1, 2010. Castellan is a Fairmount rower. See Silverberg, Lee (May 19, 2008). "A Very Brief History of the Fairmount Rowing Association". Fairmount Rowing Association. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  30. Stan Cwiklinski, 1964 US Olympic gold medalist in the Men's Eight, rowed with Fairmount until joining Vesper Boat Club in 1963. See Stan Cwiklinski sports-reference.com
  31. ^ Stillner, p. 101–2
  32. .
  33. ^ a b Sweeney, Joe. "The History of the Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association: Part 2 - Beginning of the Clubs". Schuylkill Navy. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  34. ^ a b "Boathouse Row". Living Places. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  35. ^ "Program Pamphlet, Twenty sixth Annual Regatta of the NAAO, Album: Rowing and Regattas, Schuylkill Navy Records". Independence Seaport Museum. 1898. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  36. ^ Scharf, John Thomas; Westcott, Thompson (1884). "Public Squares, Parks, and Monuments". History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884. Vol. 3. L. H. Everts & Company. p. 1871.
  37. ^ Pickwick Barge Club was founded in 1865.Peverelly, Charles A. (1866). "Pickwick Barge Club". The Book of American Pastimes. New York: Author. p. 217.
  38. ^ Keyser, K. C. (1872). "Fairmount Park". Fairmount Park: Sketches of its Scenery, Waters, and History (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen, and Haffelfinger. p. 21.
  39. ^ "Crescent Boat Club, History". Crescent Boat Club. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  40. ^ Crowther, Samuel; Arthur Brown Ruhl (1905). "The Association of Amateur Oarsmen". Rowing and Track Athletics. New York: MacMillan. pp. 165–66.
  41. ^ Moak, Jefferson (November 27, 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form". NPS Focus, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. p. 661. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  42. ^ a b c (Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta & 2009 Program, p. 18)
  43. ^ "Women's rowing moves to Boathouse Row - Philadelphia University Rams Official Athletic Site - PHILAURAMS.COM". www.philaurams.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  44. ^ "Crescent Boat Club". Schuylkill Navy. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  45. ^ a b "The Stotesbury Cup Regatta". Stotesbury.com. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  46. ^ "Morris Family Papers, Collection 2000B, 1695-1965 (bulk 1772-1884)" (PDF). The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 2007. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 7, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  47. ^ "USRowing Announces 2009 World Championships Roster". United States Olympic Committee. August 10, 2009. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  48. ^ "About Us, History". Conestoga High School Crew. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  49. ^ "Drexel Crew to Row Out of Historic Bachelors Barge Club". Drexel University Athletics. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  50. ^ Thayer, John B. (June 1904). "The Early Years of the University Barge Club of Philadelphia". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. 29. Philadelphia: Historical Society of Pennsylvania. pp. 287–88.
  51. ^ a b "Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State" (PDF). National Historic Landmarks Survey, National Park Service. p. 81. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  52. ^ Crowther, Samuel; Arthur Brown Ruhl (1905). "The Beginning of Rowing". Rowing and Track Athletics. New York: MacMillan. p. 24. J. Ashurst Bowie, Horace G. Browne, Alexander B. Coxe, Pemberton S. Hutchinson, Chas. I. Macouen, J. Beauclerc Newman, James H. Peabody, Edmund A. Robinson, George H. Waring, and John W. Williams.
  53. ^ a b Tannenbaum, Seth S.; Hood, Clifton R.; McConaghy, Mary D. (April 2006). "University Barge Club founded 1854, Penn Crew in the 1800s". University Archives, University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  54. ^ Thayer, John B. (June 1904). "The Early Years of the University Barge Club of Philadelphia". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. 29. Philadelphia: Historical Society of Pennsylvania. p. 284.
  55. .
  56. ^ Peverelly, Charles A. (1866). "Malta Boat Club". The Book of American Pastimes. New York: Author. p. 213.
  57. ^ (Janssen 1888, pp. 211–12)
  58. ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form". NPS Focus, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. November 27, 1983. p. 663. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  59. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form". NPS Focus, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. November 27, 1983. p. 674. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  60. ^ a b c d (Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta & 2009 Program, p. 19)
  61. ^ a b c d e Tannenbaum, Seth S.; Hood, Clifton R.; McConaghy, Mary D. (April 2006). "College Boat Club, Penn Crew". Archives.upenn.edu. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  62. ^ (Janssen 1888, p. 211)
  63. ^ Sweeney, Joe. "The History of the Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association: Part 3 - Penn AC is Formed". Schuylkill Navy. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  64. ^ (Heiland 1938, pp. 57–58)
  65. ^ "Castle Ringstetten". Undine Barge Club. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  66. ^ "The Boat House". Undine Barge Club. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  67. ^ Beischer, Thomas G. (July 2006). "Control and Competition: The Architecture of Boathouse Row". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'. Vol. 130. Historical Society of Pennsylvania. p. 299.
  68. ^ Stillner, p. 5
  69. ^ Brendan F. Quinn, "A New Era of Rowing at St. Joseph's Prep", The Bulletin, May 15, 2009 Archived May 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  70. ^ Rober Gillin, Jr. Boathouse, sjuhawks.com Archived 2010-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
  71. ^ Dedication of St. Joseph's Boathouse, First New One on the Schuylkill in 98 Years, Set for June 15, thefreelibrary.com
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