Dad Vail

Just off Kelly Drive, Frank McCloskey held up a hand Thursday afternoon, stopping a boat trailer from running over any rowers from St. Joseph's or Florida State or Purdue. Mission accomplished, McCloskey took a moment to reminisce about his first Dad Vail final, when he sat in the No. 6 seat for La Salle College in 1956. "I switched side from starboard to port with one week's preparation," McCloskey said Thursday. "When the race was over, somebody could have hit my arm with a brick and I would have had no idea at all. " Three years running, from 1956-58, La Salle won the Dad Vail heavyweight eight.

THE LOSS OF the Dad Vail regatta for 2010 to Rumson, N.J., is, for some, an outrage - as bad as closing library branches to cope with the financial crisis. Those crushed by the defection of the rowing regatta claim that the mayor and the city blew it by not acting fast enough to keep the tradition and the economic benefits in the city. And that's a convenient story, but it's not the whole story. In fact, the more we find out about the circumstances leading up to the defection, the more we have to marvel that the regatta managed to stay here as long as it did. The details of the communication between Dad Vail and the city bears repeating: The Oct. 26 letter from organizers which in its entirety reads: "Dad Vail has an important matter of special urgency to address with you or your representative in the near future.

Drexel director of rowing Paul Savell appreciates the support his men's and women's crews receive - from the student body to the alumni to the athletic administration - and doesn't mind if all that enthusiasm creates some pressure on his Dragons. "We like that pressure," Savell said Friday on the banks of the Schuylkill. "You wouldn't have any diamonds if you didn't have pressure. No, we like that. " The Dragons thrived in Friday's day-long heats at the 74th Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, advancing eight boats - equally divided between men and women - into the semifinals.

The severe winds that whipped up and down the Schuylkill on Saturday afternoon made it a hold-on-tight adventure for most crews in the 72d Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta and, in several cases, swayed the balance of power. In the men's varsity heavyweight eight final, No. 12 seed Brock, from St. Catherines, Ontario, claimed the Richard O'Brien Trophy with a clocking of 6 minutes, 28.35 seconds. The Badgers became the event's first Canadian champion. Brock's regular season runs from September to November.

The Saint Joseph's and Temple men's and women's teams have advanced to the semifinals of the Dad Vail regatta. The Saint Joseph's men's varsity heavyweight eight won their heat in 5 minutes, 49.40 seconds in rainy and damp conditions on the Schuylkill yesterday. The Temple men's varsity heavyweight eight had a winning heat time of 5:46.34. The two join Florida Tech, George Mason, Lehigh and San Diego in one semifinal. In another are Boston College, Delaware, defending champion Purdue, Colgate, Minnesota and Florida, while the third has Santa Clara, Jacksonville, Grand Valley, Drexel and Michigan.

The 72d Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, hailed by organizers as the largest collegiate rowing regatta in the United States, is scheduled to be held Friday and Saturday on the Schuylkill. Last year's winners included Michigan in the men's varsity eight and Grand Valley State in the women's varsity eight. The teams from Delaware and Buffalo tied for the overall points title. Delaware and Michigan tied for the men's points title, and Buffalo won the women's points title. Regatta officials expect more than 100 schools to attend the event, which almost was not held in Philadelphia this year.

The Dad Vail Regatta nearly took the low road to a new home in Rumson, N.J. But now the rowing race is on the high road - meaning that the 75-year-old event will remain on the Schuylkill - thanks to generous corporate sponsors who hail from Scotland. Kudos to Aberdeen Asset Management, the Scottish investment firm with its U.S. headquarters in Center City. In signing a four-year deal worth "six figures" to become the name sponsor of the rowing competition, Aberdeen put the regatta on the firm financial footing that Dad Vail officials sought with a possible move to North Jersey.

The Dad Vail rowers will be back on the Schuylkill in 2010, after regatta organizers realized that problems at the proposed new site in Rumson, N.J., outweighed any benefits of going there. The return of the country's largest intercollegiate rowing competition to Philadelphia is a public-relations win for the city, which had struggled with the perception that it failed to support one of its most cherished institutions. But even as the city yesterday announced its victory, questions remained about how regatta officials would fill the $250,000 funding shortfall that had prompted Dad Vail organizers to seek out sugar daddies in Rumson in the first place.

It is quiet out here on the river at 5:30 in the morning. The sun is just beginning to rise above the trees, above the old mills in East Falls, above Liberty Place in downtown Philly. All that can be heard is the rhythmic slicing of oars in and out of the water from magna-cum-serious rowers in sleek shells. I am on the Schuylkill with Temple University's crew team as it prepares for today's Dad Vail, the biggest intercollegiate regatta in the country. Each year on the second Saturday in May, the east banks of the Schuylkill for two miles turn into one big amphitheater, with more than 100,000 people partying and pulling for their school to win the Dad Vail.

The Dad Vail regatta's departure from Philadelphia next year became almost official last night, when local leaders tentatively agreed to host the collegiate rowing event in May. In a letter approved by the Borough Council last night, the town made a number of stipulations to the organizers before final approval is granted, including a clause stating that $250,000 in local fund-raising is not guaranteed. "We'll probably raise it. People here are very excited," said Mayor John Ekdahl.

During two days of competing in the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, Purdue had to endure "a lot of hiccups," in the words of its coach. The Boilermakers sat their No. 3 seat on the men's varsity eight boat because of illness. They brought up a substitute from the junior varsity, which affected the JV. And in the varsity eight race, their boat struck a log in the river, knocking off the rudder and forcing the coxswain to stick his arm into the Schuylkill to make the turn at the Strawberry Mansion Bridge.

During two days of competing in the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, Purdue had to endure "a lot of hiccups," in the words of its coach. The Boilermakers sat their No. 3 seat on the men's varsity eight boat because of illness. They brought up a substitute from the junior varsity, which affected the JV. And in the varsity eight race, their boat struck a log in the river, knocking off the rudder and forcing the coxswain to stick his arm into the Schuylkill to make the turn at the Strawberry Mansion Bridge.

Just off Kelly Drive, Frank McCloskey held up a hand Thursday afternoon, stopping a boat trailer from running over any rowers from St. Joseph's or Florida State or Purdue. Mission accomplished, McCloskey took a moment to reminisce about his first Dad Vail final, when he sat in the No. 6 seat for La Salle College in 1956. "I switched side from starboard to port with one week's preparation," McCloskey said Thursday. "When the race was over, somebody could have hit my arm with a brick and I would have had no idea at all. " Three years running, from 1956-58, La Salle won the Dad Vail heavyweight eight.

Gavin White likes the idea of staying busy, especially at this time of year, when he can again take part in the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta wearing the Temple colors - this year for the 38th time as an Owls rower, assistant coach or head coach. White, who has led the Owls to 19 heavyweight eight titles at the Dad Vail, is in his 34th season as Temple's crew boss and still enjoys coaching. But health issues have raised the possibility that the 74th regatta, which begins Friday on the Schuylkill, could be his last as coach.

Drexel director of rowing Paul Savell appreciates the support his men's and women's crews receive - from the student body to the alumni to the athletic administration - and doesn't mind if all that enthusiasm creates some pressure on his Dragons. "We like that pressure," Savell said Friday on the banks of the Schuylkill. "You wouldn't have any diamonds if you didn't have pressure. No, we like that. " The Dragons thrived in Friday's day-long heats at the 74th Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, advancing eight boats - equally divided between men and women - into the semifinals.

Sean Gibel knows by heart his father's advice on rowing, that he must have the will to keep pressing and never slow down, regardless of how tired he is or his boat's standing in a race. "Whenever I faltered, he was there to say, 'Keep going,' " said Gibel, the senior stroke for Georgia Tech's heavyweight eight boat. Sadly, Gibel won't be hearing those words from his father when the Yellow Jackets compete this weekend in the 74th Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta. Paul Gibel, 46, a star oarsman for Temple in the mid-1980s, died on April 6 after a three-year battle with cancer.

The return of single sculling to the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta last year after a 45-year absence was so well-received that officials had to cut off the number of entries in the men's division for this weekend's competition. "We were oversubscribed," said Jim Hanna, president of the Dad Vail Regatta Organizing Committee. The 74th Dad Vail, the largest collegiate rowing event in the United States with a record 127 schools this year, begins Friday on the Schuylkill. Of the 167 races scheduled through Saturday afternoon, 10 will consist of qualifying and finals in the college men's and women's single sculls.

Temple announced the hiring of Jason "JR" Read as rowing coach for the school's women's team. Read rowed for the Temple men's team from 1997 to 2000, leading the Varsity 8 to four Murphy Cup, Big East and Dad Vail championships. He also had a standout career with the U.S. National Team, winning a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. "JR is one of the most respected rowers in the country and has a true passion for his alma mater," said Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw.

Richard Walter O'Brien, 82, formerly of St. David's, a retired manufacturer's representative and sportsman, died of prostate cancer Tuesday, June 21, at Tranquility Hospice in Austell, Ga. Mr. O'Brien cofounded Sunday-O'Brien, a manufacturer's representative firm. For 30 years, he supplied electronic components and semiconductors to clients, including General Electric's aerospace division and Unisys. He retired in 1995. A native of Germantown, Mr. O'Brien graduated from La Salle College High School and served two years in the Marine Corps in Virginia.

Michigan and Purdue took the men's and women's varsity heavyweight eight titles and left the annual event on the Schuylkill River as the big winners at the Dad Vail Regatta. The Michigan men covered the 2,000-meter course in 5:48.05, followed by Florida Tech (5:50.97) and Delaware (5:51.66) for its third men's varsity heavyweight title in program history. The Purdue women finished in 6:38.49, ahead of Old Dominion (6:38.82) and Grand Valley (6:43.43). Purdue led overall with a total of 41 points, followed by Michigan (33)