Mid West Scholastic Rowing Championship

For the fourth year, Dillon State Park is hosting the Mid West Scholastic Rowing Championships.

Students from 44 schools in seven states are competing in the tournament this weekend. Over 55-hundred people lined the lake to support their schools. Operations manager, Cliff Hecker.

"Being our championships, this is actually a qualifier to go to the national championships. Everybody that makes it through the semifinals will race for the top two spots tomorrow which will then qualify them to go to nationals, and national this year are currently held in Camden New Jersey."

Naturally, making it to nationals is a huge experience for the teams. Hecker says it brings recognition for themselves as college recruiters look for the top rowers in the country. But, Hecker adds that not many schools are able to afford a rowing team.

"The sport is very financially straining. Just to give you an idea you’ll see some of these 8’s, an 8 man boat is 40,000 dollars plus, and that is just for the boat itself, doesn’t count anything that goes with it, just the boat. A single right now is runnin about 12,000 dollars. You know so it’s very cost effective to get in, but once you get in it’s very rewarding."

If you’d like to catch more rowing… The finals of the competition start tomorrow morning on Dillon Lake.