ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell rowing program held the 148th running of the Schwartz Cup at the Cornell Rowing Center on Saturday morning, and like the previous 147, the event exceeded expectations.
Hundreds of parents, friends of the Cornell rowing programs, and numerous alums showed up for the Big Red's highly-anticipated annual fall regatta.
Saturday's racing format featured all three Big Red rowing programs participating in two events each. The first event was a three-mile race beginning at the rowing center and rowing northward to the outer lighthouse near Cayuga Lake and back. After returning to the rowing center, the boats participated in a 500-meter sprint. Times from both events were added together, and the boat with the lowest time from all three programs was crowned the winner. Each crew member of the victorious boats received their own miniature Schwartz Cup.
Senior class members from the heavyweight program came away victorious. As customary with the Schwartz Cup, each boat that participated in Saturday's event donned coordinated outfits. The heavyweight's winning boat was dressed as older people with hair curlers and walking sticks.
The lightweight junior class members were victorious, as their costume of choice was golf apparel.
The winning class for the women's program was the freshmen class, whose costumes were Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The ending result for the women's winners was flipped due to the timing of the junior class in the 500-meter sprint.
In the annual costume contest, there was a tie for third place between a pair of heavyweight men's rowing programs. The first group wore Barbie costumes, while the others wore green singlets and orange bucket hats with pinned-on Gatorade decals, replicating the look of a Gatorade water bottle. Thanks to their Spartan costumes, the freshman lightweight men's team finished second. Prevailing in the costume contest was the women's sophomore class, who wore green wigs, brown shirts, and white pants, portraying the famous look of Oompa Loompas.
Following the announcement of the winners,
Todd Kennett '91, the Spirit of '57 Director of Rowing and Head Coach of Men's Heavyweight Rowing, presented Jean Schwartz, the widow of Dick Schwartz '60, with a red boat with Dick's name emblazoned on the side in white text. Dick passed away this past December and was a mainstay at the Schwartz Cup, which he endowed with his wife a couple of years ago.
Kennett presented Jean with the trophy, which was presented at the inaugural running of the Cornell fall regatta in 1874 in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and asked her to anoint the boat by pouring water up and down the bow.
LOOKING UPSTREAM
All three Cornell rowing programs will train for most of October before they all travel to the Head of the Charles, scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 22, in suburban Boston.
