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Bayada Regatta Hosts International Disabled Rowers for the First Time

Philadelphia- The Philadelphia Rowing Program for the Disabled (PRPD) and Bayada Nurses, Home Care Specialists are proud to announce that the 19^th Annual All Disabled Bayada Regatta, taking place September 9, on East River Drive, will welcome international participants for the first time.

“The 2000 Bayada Regatta has the distinction of becoming an international event for competitive adaptive rowing,” say Jack Campbell and Mary Ellen Canaboy of PRPD, the Regatta’s host rowing club.  “This promises to be a momentous occasion for our program and for the sport of disabled rowing.”

Over 60 participants, classified according to their abilities, age and experience, will compete in approximately 15 mixed and single events designed for novice, veteran and youth rowers.  Rowers may have a number of disabilities including blindness, visual impairment, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, post polio problems or being paraplegic or quadriplegic.

“The strong determination, energy, endurance, pride and self esteem of all of the rowers make for a triumphant day,” says Mark Baiada, president of Bayada Nurses, the sole sponsor for the Regatta. “We are committed to celebrating, supporting and promoting the Philadelphia Rowing Program for the Disabled.”

Each year the Bayada Regatta, which is the oldest all-disabled regatta in the world, takes place on the Schuylkill River on Kelly Drive (East River Drive).  Sanctioned by the United States Rowing Association as the Bayada National Adaptive Rowing Championships, this year the Regatta welcomes international participants from countries including Holland, Greece, Portugal, France, England, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand.

This year the Bayada Regatta serves as the conclusion of the PRPD 4^th FISA “Rowing for All” international symposium.  The conference focused on awareness and competition within the sport of adaptive rowing with aspirations to establish adaptive rowing as a Paralympic sport in the future.