DATE: 3/17/05

CONTACT/WRITER: Pamela Bryant, (803) 553-7705

Rowing Teams Migrate South for Spring Training

SUMMERTON – Rowing teams from around the nation are descending on South Carolina this month for spring training. Cold weather, crowded practice areas and expensive locations up North are among the reasons many college and high school rowing clubs and teams choose to visit Lake Marion ’s R.M. Cooper 4-H Leadership Center (Camp Bob Cooper) each spring.

Ample space for rowing right on Wyboo Creek section of the lake, matched with convenient facilities for sleeping and eating just yards from the docks, makes Camp Bob Cooper a favorite site for scores of rowing teams. This week the camp will host hundreds of rowers, including teams from Johns Hopkins, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and West Point .

“The combination of warm southern weather, a rustic—yet beautiful—setting, and a complete range of modern amenities make the Camp Bob Cooper facility unmatched in this area,” said Beau Mongold, crew coordinator for Camp Bob Cooper. While in the state, many of the teams take time out to visit historic cities such as Charleston .

In addition to spring crew training, Camp Bob Cooper hosts rental groups, year-round environmental education classes, summer camp programs and more. Clemson University ’s Youth Learning Institute operates the facility. For more information on the Camp Bob Cooper Crew program, call 803-478-2105 or visit online at http://w ww.clemson.edu/yli/crew.

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