Women's rowing is accustomed to being on a fast track from a championship point of view. After all, the sport has gone from emerging to a National Collegiate championship to separate championships in all three divisions in just over a five-year period.

And there may be more change to come. For the first time, and possibly the last, the Divisions I, II and III championships will be conducted on the same weekend -- Memorial Day weekend -- May 31-June 2, at the same site, Eagle Creek Reservoir in Indianapolis. While conducting the championships at one site on the same weekend seemingly would be a perfect fit, reality may dictate a change for 2003. Each division has unique needs, and although most everyone thinks this format is positive for rowing, the only solution may be to part the divisional waters, so to speak.

Having the championship at one location provides numerous benefits for the rowing community. And for the first time, each division will be competing separately.

Jody Mooradian, senior woman administrator at Northeastern University and chair of the Division I Women's Rowing Committee, said for Divisions II and III, such a format truly will offer an opportunity that wasn't there before.

"Instead of competing against Division I schools, Divisions II and III will be able to race against schools at their own competitive level," Mooradian said.

Another benefit to concurrent championships is that more spectators will attend. With more races being conducted each day, the format will produce an exciting environment that encourages fans to cheer and rowers to compete even harder.

With a limited number of venues capable of hosting a rowing championship -- only about five locations nationwide -- hosting all three championships at one site makes sense. Also, the exposure rowing gains from having large numbers of teams and competitors in a central location boosts the sport, something that a sport with a smaller than average field size can appreciate.

Indianapolis, site of the 2002 championships, also is where both the NCAA and the USRowing Association are headquartered.

"Indianapolis is one of the best venues, so it is nice to use this great facility (Eagle Creek Reservior), as well as be able to highlight the city where the NCAA and USRowing are," said Jody Pope, events director at USRowing. "Having all championships at one site is a positive thing, providing the same quality event to all competitive levels of rowing."

Different needs

With all divisions at one site -- a total of 544 competitors -- there is a regatta-like atmosphere, which produces more spectators and a better experience for the student-athletes. Since most regular-season competitions involve a large number of boats, splitting the field for the championship would reduce the numbers. For example, the Division II field consists of only 80 competitors, including spares, and only four teams. Division I boasts the largest field, with 344 participants, including spares; Division III has a slightly larger field than Division II, with 120 competitors, including spares.

The championship experience is supposed to be the culmination of a year of dedication -- and for some student-athletes, the last chance after a lifetime of hard work -- and to end it with only a handful of parents on the shore could seemingly diminish the goal.

But as with other sports and other facets of athletics, each division has different needs, and rowing is no different. That clouds the future from a championship point of view, and rowing administrators aren't sure whether the 2003 championships will be concurrent or three separate championships on separate weekends, or some combination of the two.

Division I would like to keep the championship as is, the last Friday in May, with the possibility of even pushing it into June.

"The coaches in Division I are inquiring about the dates that make the most sense for Division I," Mooradian said, "All these decisions are in the preliminary stages and we will have to see what each division decides."

Financial concern

With the championship falling on Memorial Day weekend, institutions may have problems hosting, so the question was posed whether the championship could be moved. Earlier would not work, especially for programs in the North that already have a shortened season due to inclement weather, so later in the year seems the only option for Division I, allowing coaches more time to develop their crews.

Another factor is the possibility of regionals, which would add another weekend of competition in May, pushing the championship back again.

Division II will most likely partner with either Division I or III, whichever competes earlier in the year, in the belief that a combined championship is better than competing for a national title with only four boats on the water.

Tom Box, athletics director at Seattle Pacific University, is concerned about pushing the championship back, and would be disappointed not to have a combined championship.

"The later in the year the championship goes, the harder it is to afford keeping the athletes on campus and sustaining the competitive level," he said. "Already, most schools are done with school two to three weeks before the championship. But anything we can do to elevate rowing will be great for the sport."

Division III, though thrilled with a combined championship, is hesitant about a later championship date, citing the cost ineffectiveness of keeping housing and food facilities available for a handful of student-athletes possibly weeks after most of the student body has left.

"With a considerably later championship, there is always the possibility that some athletes won't stick around after graduation because of jobs, internships or whatever," said Lynn Oberbillig, athletics director at Smith College and chair of the Division III Women's Rowing Committee.

If the championships are split, Division III realizes it will have to work harder to make its championship unique. Oberbillig knows if Division III has its own championship, a possibility would be to tie the host campus into the event, like other Division III championships, and provide a unique experience for the student-athletes.

"If we had our own championship, we would just have to create our own thunder," said Beth Emery, head rowing coach at Wesleyan University (Connecticut).

While all divisions seem to be torn on the issue of when to schedule the championship, one thing is the same -- they all like the idea of sharing a championship site and weekend. At this point, it seems the only solution is to sit tight and see what happens after this year's championship.

"The goal for all committees is to create the best possible championships experience for all the student-athletes," Mooradian said. "We hope that having all three divisions together will add to the excitement. If we could keep the three divisions together, I think it would be positive for everyone,"

While the definite future of the championship dates may be uncertain, the popularity of rowing is definitely headed in the right direction -- upstream.