by Pat Nemeth ’14, special contributor to the Eye
Students in search of great racing on the Cuyahoga, cheap food and a way to show school spirit this Friday night should look no further than the first ever Friday Night Lights, a series of late night sprint races under the lights on the Cuyahoga River. Over 250 scholastic rowers will compete in 500 meter sprint races on Friday, September 20, from 8 – 10:30 pm.
Friday Night Lights will be a high school only competition of fast sprint races between Saint Ignatius Crew and multiple other teams from various states. St. Edward High School’s varsity rowing team will make its debut Friday night. The ladies of the Saint Joseph Academy rowing team will also be racing against other high school girls’ teams from multiple states. The event is sponsored by the Saint Ignatius Crew and the Cleveland Rowing Foundation.
The brilliantly lit up course will run from Center Street to the new Rivergate Park next to the CRF boathouse (1003 British St, Cleveland, OH) . The event will be DJ’d with food and entertainment. Dollar dogs will be abundant.
Head coach Pat Conner ’94 said, “We expect to attract a diverse mix of spectators by having rowing races both at night and during the day. The illuminated course will add another dimension of excitement to the atmosphere.”
The free event in the flats will be jammed packed with fast moving 400 meter races. It is a great way to kick off the Head of the Cuyahoga, the largest ever rowing regatta in Cleveland with over 2,000 athletes from 50 teams across 36 cities in 7 states (and 2 countries) attending, which will be held on Saturday.
