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Big Investment Drawing Rowers To Cooper River In Camden

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As crew teams face off this weekend for the Atlantic 10 Rowing Championships, competitors will show off their hard work at the oars, and Camden County will show off its hard work on the course.

"The Cooper is one of the best courses that we have out this way and honestly on the East Coast I think it's just one of the best courses," said Jenn Langzetell, the rowing coach at Duquesne University.

With relatively no current and wide banks, the Cooper River has been practically perfect for rowing for decades.

"There's a lot of bodies of water out there but to find 2,000 meters straight," said Gerry Quinlan, St. Joseph's University women's rowing coach.

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However, there was always one set back nobody wanted to get stuck racing in the shallow outside lane. Now that's changed.

Two and a half years ago, Camden County began a dredging project to deepen and level off the rowing portion of the Cooper River. The project required the removal of more than 100,000 cubic yards of mud and cost $11 million. But county officials say with a full slate of regatta events this summer, the investment is starting to pay off.

Big Investment Drawing Rowers To Cooper River In Camden
Credit: CBS3

"One of Camden County's biggest economic drivers is the Cooper River and when we have families and teams from around the nation coming to Cooper for regattas we realized this was something that was going to pay dividends for decades to come" said Camden County Freeholder Bill Moen.

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In fact, the county is having to turn away requests for regattas, making rowing on the Cooper something of a privilege.

"Collegiate Division 1 racing you want to make sure everything is as fair as possible," said Langzetell.

"And now with all the dredging done all the lanes are fair now and it's just a great venue," Quinlan said.

 

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