Athlete Village & Waterfront Improvement Project
Training space and housing are limiting factors for SRA programs and camps. An Athlete Village in our own “backyard” will resolve those challenges. The project consists of 1) renovating the existing stand-alone structure on the property to add flexible space to meet demand, 2) installation of a permanent outdoor enclosure adding space for training and regatta logistics 3) building three to five small cabins and creating a park-like space to be enjoyed by SRA families and rowers, visiting athletes and the Saratoga Community.
Summer 2018's matching gift drive has gotten us off to a great start! We are looking forward to seeing all that is possible as fundraising and construction continues. Thank you again for your support!
The Athlete Village will be located next to the Saratoga Regatta & Training Center and will include a large enclosure (40 x 80) providing additional training space as well as logistical regatta space. The smaller existing structure will be renovated to provide overnight accommodations for out of town athletes and teams. In addition, simple cabins will be added to provide additional sleeping space to meet the needs of the growing popularity of SRA camps and summer programs. This space will be available to the community when not in use by SRA programs. The plans allow for room for growth as needs dictate, with future plans even including a potential outdoor fitness course, creating value for SRA programs as well as the Saratoga community.
Questions?
Contact Katherine Smith, Director of Development
Enhancing the Spectator Experience - Waterfront Improvements
A generous donation from an SRA family kick-started plans in 2017 for improvements to the waterfront at the boathouse. A stone platform was added for coaches to work from, a wall of boulders bolstered the shoreline and provides some seating for spectators while improving the aesthetics of the property. The next phases will include additional patio and viewing areas for regattas, flag pole, bleachers and additional landscaping. The shoreline is going from a place to avoid getting scratched by the brush... to a place to linger and watch the excitement out on the water!
The Vision, The Need, & The Timeline
The Vision
Training space and housing are the limiting factors in the management and growth of SRA programs and camps. Especially being in Saratoga, summer housing is difficult, if not impossible to find. This problem has led to a vision for using current resources from SRA properties as well as utilizing the natural resources and beauty of the water and shoreline of Fish Creek to create a type of Athlete Village in our own “backyard”.
Plans are underway for the installation of a 40x80 foot enclosure to increase training space capacity and create a park-like space for an Athlete Village. This structure would fulfill the continuously increasing need for additional training space during winter months, provide more logistical and spectator space during regatta season and community space when not in use by SRA programs. Rowing teams may choose to rent the space for team trips and traveling teams from other sports may also have an interest in a field house type space with potential athlete housing available onsite.
The second part of this project consists of renovating the existing stand-alone structure on the property, currently in need of significant repairs to make it habitable. In addition, adding small cabins on the property will be another alternative for sleep space. The building and the cabins could potentially provide 12-20 additional sleeping spaces at an affordable cost.
Maximizing the impact of this project, both the large enclosure and the space for accommodations would be used in a variety of ways during regattas season, resulting in cost savings and increased efficiencies for those events as well. Furthermore, the third part of this project is enhancing the spectator experience with improvements to the waterfront area at the SRA Boathouse. This area also includes the launching docks used by athletes and coaches from all SRA programs.
The Need
Over 200 young athletes ages 11-18 come through the doors of Saratoga Rowing five to six times a week for 46 weeks of the year. That, combined with athletes in Pre-elite, Kindersculls, Adaptive, U23, and adult programs, is why space continues to be SRA’s biggest need. When Saratoga Lake and Fish Creek are frozen, indoor training space is especially in high demand. Currently, in addition to both SRA’s Boathouse and Regatta & Training Center, additional space is borrowed from BOCES to meet the needs of athlete indoor training during the winter months.
Space for overnight accommodations is a second need that has been partially yet still not fully met. In concurrence with the athlete programs offered above, SRA also hosts numerous rowing camps each year. Each summer SRA brings additional high caliber coaches and camps to the area which draw athletes from across the country for Development Camps, U23 Camps, and potentially USRowing National team camps. While these athletes venture to Saratoga during June and July for high-end training, many then take those skills and head to Club Nationals in July and the Royal Canadian Henley in St Catharines Ontario in early August, to test their newly improved racing skills at these highly competitive regattas. The athletes then bring those skills back to their home clubs or off to international waters on a US National team.
The Timeline
In 2016, an SRA alumni family, and owner of Old Saratoga Restoration, generously donated the exterior renovation of the stand-alone building including a new roof, windows, and paint. The building has remained vacant ever since. We now have several skilled volunteers in our SRA community that are anxiously awaiting the go-ahead to begin interior work. There are a few steps that need to be hired out first but once funds are secured to complete those steps and purchase materials, SRA can gratefully accept the additional donation of skilled labor to further the project.
As additional funds are raised, project work will continue simultaneously for all three parts of the project: increased training space, overnight accommodation options, and waterfront improvements. We are currently projecting a 3-5 year plan for completion, each step building on the next and resulting in incremental impact along the way to the programs and regattas hosted by SRA. The final completion of the project will result in a far greater impact than the sum of its parts. An “athlete village” will offer numerous benefits to the youth and families in Saratoga as well as to aspiring young athletes traveling to Saratoga to train and race. The project is well aligned with SRA’s mission to strengthen our community by promoting the sport and culture of rowing, foster excellence, and integrity in our athletes, and grow Saratoga as a premier rowing destination.
