Rowing on the Other Schuylkill River

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ED MORAN

There was a time when most of the rowing done in the Philadelphia area was centered on the Schuylkill River in Fairmount Park, along Kelly Drive and Boat House Row. But in recent years rowing has blossomed on the Upper Schuylkill and with the development of the Conshohocken Rowing Center (CRC) and the 2014 opening of the new boathouse, the upper Schuylkill can some mornings rival the number of boats along Kelly Drive.

That has been especially true since pandemic related restrictions went into place in the spring and CRC responded by beginning sculling programs during the summer that attracted over 100 scullers of all developmental levels from novice to U23. As restrictions began to lift, the sculling group was joined by master and scholastic crews rowing in team boats, including some well know programs like Malvern Prep, Haverford School, and Mount St. Joseph Academy that have traditionally made the Upper Schuylkill their home. Here is a gallery from the scene on a Saturday morning in early October.