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.
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.