Cooper River Park in Pennsauken is home to many prestigious rowing events and boasts a world-class, Olympic-distance, 2,000-meter narrow and sheltered straightaway. Now, in May 2023, it will host the 84th Annual Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta, moving from its typical venue at the Schuylkill River National Racecourse.
Organizers in a recent release said the move was due to an ongoing dredging project along the Schuylkill that might impact the competition.
“The board of directors of the Dad Vail Regatta Organizing Committee, which stages the annual Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta, has voted unanimously to move the regatta from the traditional site of the Schuylkill River National Racecourse to the Cooper River for the 2023 event to ensure successful production of the regatta,” Jim Hanna, president of the Dad Vail Regatta Organizing Committee, stated.
It’s the biggest collegiate regatta in the nation. It hosts thousands of world class athletes and thousands of fans.
“Hosting the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta is a great honor for us and our internationally recognized racecourse at Cooper River Park,” Commissioner Jeff Nash, liaison to the Camden County Parks Department, said.
Cooper River Park encompasses 346 acres through Pennsauken, Cherry Hill, Collingswood and Haddon Township. In addition to the boathouse, the park’s amenities include: a children’s playground with pavilions, a softball field, a cross country course, the Camden County Golf Academy, the Cooper River Yacht Club, two bike trails, Jack Curtis Stadium, a track, picnic areas, a bocce court and more.
