Schuylkill Navy
[1] The member clubs are all on the Schuylkill River where it flows through Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, mostly on the historic Boathouse Row.
[5] The Schuylkill Navy was founded by nine Philadelphia rowing clubs seeking a governing body to prevent fixed races.
[6] These clubs were present at the founding of the society in October 1858: America, Camilla, Chebucto, Falcon, Independent, Keystone (the 1st), Neptune (the 1st), Pennsylvania (the 1st), and University.
[3] On April 27, 1878, crews from various clubs of the Navy staged a demonstration to honor President Rutherford B. Hayes's visit to Philadelphia.
[13] World War II dramatically reduced the membership rolls of the clubs of the Schuylkill Navy.
[14] As a result, Crescent Boat Club resigned and leased its boathouse to LaSalle Rowing Association from 1951 until 1960.
It is built on a tradition that launched November 12, 1835, with the first organized regatta on Philadelphia's historic Schuylkill River (a full eight years before the start of the rowing program at Harvard University).
[18] In 2010, USRowing, the national governing body for rowing, announced the launch of a new Training Center Partner Program in order to create partnerships with clubs across the country interested in collaborating in the development of athletes who could potentially represent the United States in international races.
[19] In 2016, the composite crew racing as Schuylkill Navy won the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.
The Navy also sponsors other athletic endeavors including a basketball league and an annual cross country race.
It begins at Malta Boat Club on Kelly Drive, and continues over 5 5/8 miles of hilly terrain.
Just past Sweetbriar Cutoff, the course turns right and starts the true “cross country” segment across grassy surfaces.
Runners go to the General Meade Monument, then follow to the Pagoda entrance gate to Belmont Plateau, up the hill to Belmont Mansion, and return by way of Brewery Hill down Kelly Drive back to Malta Boat Club.
Any and all members of The Schuylkill Navy clubs and its affiliates are eligible to compete, as well as friend and family guest runners.
[28][29][30] The club is currently coached by Ahsan Iqbal and is affiliated with La Salle University and Episcopal Academy.
[31] It is alleged that painter Thomas Eakins was a member of the Pennsylvania Barge Club as he frequently painted rowers, and one of his close friends, Max Schmitt, is known to have rowed for the club and won the single sculls national championship 6 times.
[33] In 1955, due to World War II the boathouse suffered a severe decrease in membership and turned its facility over to the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen, which would later become USRowing, to serve as their headquarters.
[45] More recently Bachelors sent Cody Lowry to the World Rowing Championships in 2009 in the lightweight men's single sculls.
[51] Established in 1854 by 10 members of the University of Pennsylvania's freshman rowing class, UBC founded the Schuylkill Navy in 1858.
[53][54] UBC is known as "the upper-class rowing club", as when it opened to the public most of its members were aristocracy and upper class citizens of the city of Philadelphia.
"[60] This was most recently accomplished by Andrew Byrnes, Gold for Canada, and Josh Inman, Bronze for the United States, both in the Men's 8+ 2008 Summer Olympics.
College Boat Club houses the Men's, Women's and Lightweight squads, and its constituency is entirely made up of past rowers.
[15][63] The club is currently affiliated with the Shipley School boys' and girls' rowing teams and the Monsignor Bonner High School boys' team, both of which have brought Stotesbury Cup wins back to the club in recent years.
[60] Built in 1860, it is the oldest structure on Boathouse Row, and was originally constructed for the purpose of housing the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society.
[51][68] Although not formally established until 1938, PGRC was formed by 17 women (mainly wives of rowers at other clubs who wished to partake in the activity of rowing).
[16][60] PGRC was formally admitted into the Schuylkill Navy in 1967, and currently hosts the girls' rowing team from the Agnes Irwin School.
Admitted into the Schuylkill Navy in 2004, Gillin hosts the St. Joseph's University and St. Joe's Prep rowing teams.
