John V. Schmitt - Regatta & Olympic Champion - Biography 2
1930 Peoples Regatta Winner -- John Schmitt & Crew
As a member of the Bachelor's Barge Club, John & his team won the four-oared shell crew at the 1930 Peoples Regatta. For their victory, the team was awarded a beautiful silver trophy (still maintained in the Bachelors Trophy Room). Each member also received a custom-inscribed 14k white gold Elgin wristwatch.
Oarsmen have been competing on Philadelphia's Schuylkill River since 1858 under the auspices of the Schuylkill Navy -- the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the U.S. The clubs are located in the famed Boathouse Row, near the Philadelphia Art Museum.
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The Schuylkill Navy first sponsored the annual July 4th Peoples Regatta in 1880. The Regatta was re-named Independence Day Regatta in 1958 in recognition of the Schuylkill Navy’s 100th anniversary.