USRowing announced that the EMU course at Ford Lake will be the site for its 2025 national championship races.
The event will be held from July 12-20 at the course on Ford Lake in Ypsilanti Township, where the Eastern Michigan University rowing team has trained for years. The announcement from USRowing, which manages competitions among all age groups, came just months after the university and Ypsilanti Township unveiled a brand new, submersible, rowing course at Ford Lake.
The National Championship was put together by a collaboration of U.S. Rowing, the Ann Arbor Sports Commission, Eastern and Ypsilanti Township. USRowing, a nonprofit organization recognized by the Olympic and Paralympic Committee, is the national governing body of rowing in the United States. USRowing is home to more than 77,000 athletes and 1,430 organizations.
The newly built Ypsilanti Township course — turning Ford Lake into a championship-level venue — includes eight racing lanes stretching for about 2,000 meters.
This national championship will include competition categories for under 17, under 23, an open section, and a master's group.
The sport of rowing is a race between boats using oars to row. With the oars having limited range of motion, the rowers use the techniques known as sculling and sweeping to propel themselves as a team across the water. Originally the practice began as a means of transportation across bodies of water, but by the 16th century, it began as a competition later blooming in the 18th century with what was known as the “Doggett's Coat and Badge," a race that has been held annually since 1715 in London.
Eastern Michigan rowing prepares for new era in the MAC
The course at Ford Lake is the home of Eastern Michigan University's Women's Rowing program. The new course is allowing the program to become a host for larger college-level competitions as well.
The women rowers have been competing in the Coastal Athletic Association conference, where they have been for about a decade, but will switch soon to the Mic-America Conference, in which most Eastern sports teams compete.
When the new course was unveiled earlier this year, rowing Head Coach Kemp Savage said he believed the upgrades would put Ypsilanti and Ford Lake on the national rowing map, attracting more attention to the area and boosting local pride.
"It’s huge to show off Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan, and Southeast Michigan," he said.
In addition to the economic impact, the rowing program has a strong tradition of community service. The team regularly participates in local events including hosting the Special Olympics of Michigan’s kayaking tournament. Looking ahead, the program plans to collaborate with local schools to introduce students to rowing and STEM education through the STEM to Stern program, further strengthening ties with the community.
Eastern Echo staff contributed to this report.
