Diamond State Regatta returns to St. Andrew’s

More than 440 athletes have registered for fast-paced competition at one of Delaware’s most picturesque spots.

Participants are coming for the Diamond State Masters Regatta this weekend on Noxontown Pond at St. Andrew’s School near Middletown.

Over its 24 years, the brainchild of Wilmington Rowing Center board members John R. Schoonover and the late Howard Smith has become one of the nation’s top competitions for adult rowers.

But the event also draws plenty of spectators – from families and friends of the athletes to newcomers curious about the sport – with free admission and parking.

Events begin at 9 a.m. both days, with sculling Saturday and sweep boats Sunday.

Arrival around 8 or 8:30 a.m. ensures time for spectators to get settled, check out vendors, walk around, talk to athletes and catch opening ceremonies. Competition typically wraps up about 5 p.m.

Many spectators pack picnics but vendors also have food for sale, said spokeswoman Diane McGrellis said.

By its own tradition, the regatta starts with a bagpiper piping over the lake, evoking an image from “Dead Poets Society,” which was filmed at St. Andrew’s.

The regatta, which grew to two days in 2011, now has two bagpipers, Gordon Brownlee and John Sagrati.

The movie theme continues in the regatta awards, with the Dead Poets Trophy awarded to the team with the most points earned throughout competition.

While the “Dead Poets” connection endures, the movie did not inspire the regatta.

Six years after the rowing center began, Smith and Schoonover came up with the idea of sponsoring a regional masters regatta.

“The most logical and local venue was John’s alma mater, St. Andrew’s School, built in 1929 on a hill overlooking tranquil Noxontontown Pond,” according to regatta materials. “In fact, John was a coxswain there in 1959 and 1960. With Howard’s experience as a collegiate rower, coach and knowledgeable referee, along with the school’s approval, plans moved quickly.”

Howard, who was the regatta’s original acting director, died before the 2000 event and his name was added to its formal title in tribute. Schoonover has been acting director since then, working with a dedicated committee and volunteer corps.

The expansion to two days eased a near-frantic pace of races and making a weekend of it for rowers, officials and fans.

In addition to competitors from throughout the country, McGrellis said, one club – Chinook Rowing – is national and international by nature. Its members are women from all over the country, she said, and they compete around the world.

But little could compete with one year’s unexpected highlight.

One year, a team out on the water held up placards to relay one member’s question to a special spectator on the shore: MARRY ME?

As McGrellis recalls, the answer was “yes.”

Contact robin brown at (302) 324-2856 or rbrown@delawareonline.com. Find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @rbrowndelaware.

DIAMOND STATE MASTERS REGATTA

The Diamond State Masters Regatta is next weekend at Noxontown Pond on the grounds of St. Andrew’s School near Middletown. For more information, visit diamondstatemasters.com.

WHAT’S A ‘MASTERS’ REGATTA?

What makes it a “Masters” regatta?

Glad you asked.

A “Master” is a competitor who is or will turn 21 during the current calendar year.

The age category of a Masters crew is determined by the average age of rowers, rounded down to the nearest whole number – and not counting the coxswain. (For the uninitiated, that’s pronounced like COXen, or cox for short, and is the person who sits facing rowers, commands the boat and coordinates rowers.)

Masters crews are classified by age categories: (AA) 21-26, (A) 27-35, (B) 36-42, (C) 43-49, (D) 50-54, (E) 55-59, (F) 60-64, (G) 65-69, (H) 70-74, (I) 75-80, (J) 80 and older.

And, yes, they do get rowers over 80.