WACO, Texas (KXXV) — The Texas Rowing Championships return to Waco this weekend, bringing around 600 athletes and hundreds of spectators to the city.
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Waco is becoming a popular Texas destination for rowing events, creating an economic impact for the local community. Matt Scheuritzel, head coach of the Waco Rowing Center, expects the championship to bring in more than 1,000 athletes and spectators combined.
"I think it just brings another big thing into Waco that's, you know, a little different, you know, just another thing that, taking advantage of that central location and just really bringing people who otherwise maybe wouldn't be here at this time of year, here," Scheuritzel said.
This is Waco's third time hosting the championship. Scheuritzel noted they have started hosting three events per year, with one in the spring and two larger events taking place in the fall.
Melissa, a rowing parent who traveled from The Woodlands for the competition, said her family frequently visits for these events.
"This is our 3rd time this year to Waco for a rowing regatta and so it's, we enjoy it," Melissa said.
"It's a lot of fun and the only time we do come to Waco is for sporting events, but we always enjoy the food and the hotels and everything that we do here and it's a fun family tradition that we've kind of started," Melissa said.
"We also always go out as a family or with the teams to eat and stay, of course we stay in a hotel or an Airbnb, and, um, I've heard that, uh, Magnolia Market is a great place to go, so that's a new place that we wanna try out," Melissa said.
The city of Waco sent me a statement about the event.
“At this time, the weekend is pacing in line with typical seasonal performance, and we are not seeing a significant change in hotel occupancy or average daily rate compared to a standard weekend. Hotel performance data lags by about a month, so final, reportable figures for this event will not be available for several weeks.
That said, events like the Texas Rowing Championship provide meaningful value to the community. They bring in visitors who support local hotels, restaurants, and attractions, while showcasing Waco as a destination for future sporting events. We could provide a more complete picture of the economic impact once post-event data becomes available.”
I reached out to the Greater Waco Hotel Lodging Association for more information on the economic impact but did not hear back.
While athletes weren't out on the water on Saturday because of the weather, the rowing championship events will kick off at 8 a.m. on Sunday at the Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir.
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