Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/260020
Rowers from as far as Seattle will compete in the fifth annual Sarasota Invitational Regatta at Nathan Benderson Park, set for Feb. 22 and 23, organizers have announced. The two-day event will feature 61 sprint races for youth, masters and adaptive rowers, a news release says. This year's regatta is expected to draw more than 1,000 individual competitors and more than 700 race entries, the release adds. In addition to a team from Seattle, competi- tors are coming from New York, Texas and Indiana, as well as from throughout Florida. Rowers will sprint side-by-side on Benderson Park's world-class rowing course, which "features a one-of-a-kind wave attenuation system [that] creates flat water for ideal rac- ing conditions," the release points out. Races will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, for junior events and at 9 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, for masters and adaptive events. The regatta is free and open to the public. Parking on the regatta island costs $5. The Sarasota Invitational is managed by the Sarasota County Rowing Club in conjunction with the Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Association, the nonprofit overseeing the day- to-day operations of Nathan Benderson Park, the release adds. SARASOTA INVITATIONAL ATTRACTS ROWERS FROM AROUND THE NATION Sarasota County Commissioners Joe Barbetta and Carolyn Mason present a trophy to a winning regatta team during a 2012 event at Benderson Park. Photo by Norman Schimmel Sarasota News Leader February 14, 2014 Page 82