Oklahoma City Boathouse District
Central Rowing’s new home, The Central CHK Boathouse, is located in the Oklahoma City Boathouse District. Home to 3 modern boathouses and the 4-story tall Finish Line Tower, the Boathouse District has grown into a thriving rowing mecca drawing national and international acclaim. A recently completed canal connects the river to the heart of Downtown OKC, creating a direct link between rowing and the greater downtown community. In 2009, Oklahoma City was designated a US Olympic training site and as such includes the National High Performance Training Center, home to the US Lightweight National team operating out of the Devon Boathouse. The river includes a top of the line fully buoyed 8 lane 2,000m race course, electronic timing system, and the same system that was used at the 2012 London Olympics. With three different sections, each 5km of row-able water, the Oklahoma River provides a great practice and race venue for the UCO Rowing team.
The OKC Boathouse district has hosted numerous championship regattas, including the World Rowing Challenge, the ACRA National Championship, and the USRowing Central Youth and Masters National Championships. In addition, every October the Boathouse District hosts the Head of the Oklahoma, a 4k head race followed by 500m night sprints under the stadium lights in front of 20,000 fans. This marks the Oklahoma River as the first artificially lit race course in the world allowing for racing at night. The event has attracted international teams from Australia, China, Germany, and Romania as well as traditionally strong collegiate programs from Cal Berkeley, Clemson, Harvard, Louisville, Princeton, Texas, Washington, and Washington State. All these components come together to create a rowing experience that rivals the best in the world, with the Central’s student-athletes calling it “home” as they utilize it for daily practice.
