If it’s almost New Year’s Day and there’s snow on the ground, then it must be time for rowers to start talking about spring racing season. A big story in the news this week was the revival of the Philadelphia Challenge Cup, set for May 14 on the Schuylkill. According to the Philadelphia Daily News, eight single scullers (four men and four women) will vie for the gold trophy (or at least a nice replica) and a prize purse of anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000.
The story of how the original Philadelphia Challenge Cup trophy went missing — it disappeared after the 1966 win by world champion Don Spero, was rediscovered by U.S. rowing judge Joan Scholl in an antique store, and eventually purchased by businessman Herb Lotman (who is planning a first-class inner-city rowing program) — is a Hollywood-worthy tale. The Philadelphia Daily News has the details, plus a photo of the cup.