By Sharon Salyer
Herald Writer
LAKE STEVENS — Coaches with the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference, which held its annual championship for the first time this year in Snohomish County, have voted to return to Lake Stevens.
The April 27 regatta involved some 750 athletes from Division II and III schools. At the end of the event, coaches voted unanimously to return to the venue, said Bob Cummins, who helped organize the event.
"They liked it a lot," Cummins said.
"We’re going to talk to the city," he said of holding future events there. "All indications are they would like it, too."
Male and female crews from 11 schools participated: Humboldt State University in California; Willamette University, Lewis &Clark College and University of Portland in Oregon; and Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, Western Washington University, Everett Community College and The Evergreen State College.
As many as 2,000 spectators watched the races.
Karen Alessi, who worked with Cummins to organize the event, said that Lake Stevens residents went out of their way to make visitors feel welcome.
"They invited people onto their docks and up onto their decks to watch the race," she said.
Mayor Lynn Walty said he wants to talk to the city council about holding the event in future years.
"I don’t anticipate any reason why we would not," Walty said.
"I believe it was the perfect use for the lake," he said. "It was well received by the participants. They loved the lake and the water."
Mike Willy, head rowing coach for the University of Puget Sound, said: "If it’s up to us, we’ll be back there for several years. We’re pretty excited about the venue there."
The last half of the course is sheltered, he explained, which "makes it really nice in terms of racing. The athletes feel they can row competitively for the last section" of the race.
In addition, spectators can watch the finish of races from three directions, he said.
Rick Nolan, president of the Lake Stevens Downtown Association, said that of all the events held in the city in the past year, "That’s at the top of the list.
"It was a huge success, so well organized," he said.
In future years, area businesses should probably market the downtown area better to participants and spectators, he said, letting them know where they can eat lunch or sit and relax.
Co-organizer Alessi said two more collegiate rowing events will be held on the lake this fall: the Bull Trout and the James M. Gardner regattas.
"We want to be the premier rowing venue on the West Coast," she added.
You can call Herald Writer Sharon Salyer at 425-339-3486 or send e-mail to salyer@heraldnet.com.
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