Beijing Olympic gold medalist Anna Mickelson Cummins and silver medalist Michelle Guerette, along with World Champion gold medalist Will Daly will be among those participating in Mystic’s sixth annual Weekend of Rowing.
The medalists, among other rowers, will compete in the Battle of the Bridges Invitational Regatta Saturday, September 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 500-meter race course begins north of the Amtrak railroad bridge and ends at the historic bascule drawbridge in downtown Mystic.
Visitors are invited to watch a succession of individual races from Mystic River Park and the Mystic Arts Center lawn. Yale University men’s crew lightweight coach, Andy Card, will introduce the athletes and call the races. An awards ceremony will be held at 3 p.m.
Olympic medalist Cummins will also be on hand to greet visitors as the rowing continues at Mystic Seaport’s seventeenth annual Coastweeks Regatta Sunday, September 14, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mickelson Cummins will show a presentation of slides and speak about her journey through the ranks of collegiate rowing to her silver medal win in Athens and her gold medal win in Beijing. The Olympian rower will bring her gold medal and be available to sign autographs.
Signaling the start of the fall head racing season in New England, the Regatta offers a range of masters, open, collegiate and junior categories and includes local and regional rowers in both racing and recreational shells. Singles, doubles and fours will race the 2,000-meter course along the Mystic River, beginning north of the I-95 overpass and finishing at the Museum’s Lighthouse Point.
Visitors are invited to watch the Regatta from Mystic Seaport’s north end lawn, located behind Seamen’s Inne. Those who wish to discover the roots of competitive rowing are welcome to explore the National Rowing Hall of Fame, located adjacent to the racing area in the Museum’s G.W. Blunt White Building. General admission is required for those entering Museum grounds.
For more information on the Mystic Weekend of Rowing, visit www.mwor.org or call 860.514.8716.