1983 – An International Regatta is staged at Lake Casitas.

   The 1983 International Regatta

 
Courtesy Casitas Municipal Water District

      The idea of bringing Olympic races to the Ojai Valley originated in 1981 with Larry and Carolie Jensen, residents of the valley.  An official application was submitted in March of that year.  There were two other regional contenders:  Los Angeles and Riverside County.   Los Angeles proposed construction of a facility at the Sepulveda Dam in the San Fernando Valley.  Riverside County proposed using Lake Perris.

     Preliminary approval was given Lake Casitas in April 1981.  However, there is a rule which states that Olympic games cannot be conducted at a location where there has been no previous competition.  In order to satisfy this condition, an agreement was made to stage an International Regatta on the lake in the year before the 1984 Olympics, since no competitive races had ever previously been staged at the lake.

     Water District officials had three concerns: (1) The purity of the lake water must be preserved, (2) the recreational grounds must be restored to their original state after the races, and (3) the Water District should suffer no financial loss.  An agreement for the races was signed in June 1981.  Construction of facilities on the lake’s north shore began in May 1983.

      The lanes for the races were marked with floats and ropes on the surface of the water.  They ran from west to east across the northern section of the lake.  The finish line was located out in the water in front of the shore where special events are now staged at the lake.

     One of the concerns of the Water District was maintenance of water quality.  A rule at the lake is that persons are to have no bodily contact with the water.  The rule presented a problem, since Olympic rowing teams from various countries are accustomed to throwing their captains or coxswains into the water to celebrate a win!  Russian teams were known to celebrate by the entire team going for a swim.  The Water District insisted that such behavior would not be tolerated.

     Competitors began to arrive in the county in September 1983.  Some four hundred athletes represented 23 countries.  They “poured into Ventura,” where they were housed at the Holiday Inn at the beach.  Others were housed at the Casa Sirena Hotel  at the Channel Islands Marina and at dormitories on the campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara.  The competitors housed at Santa Barbara complained of being located too far away from the lake.

     The Soviet Union air force shot down a Korean airliner on September 1, 1983; and world-wide protest resulted in the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from competition at the lake.  Russian athletes did not show up for the Regatta, nor would they participate in the Olympic races the following year.

     Competition began on the lake on Thursday, September 22, and continued for four days, until Sunday, September 25.   Races were staged for “double sculls,” “pair without coxswain,” “single sculls,” “four with coxswain” and others.   The number of competitors for some of the races was limited, however, since this was only a test-run for the 1984 races.  Only U.S. athletes competed in “women four with coxswain,” since there were no athletes present from other nations to compete in this particular race.

     Two matters troubled the competitors: wind and wake.  Each afternoon, wind would rise on the lake, and the choppiness of the water troubled the athletes.  Races in 1984, therefore, were all scheduled for morning hours, when the air is calmer.  The problem of wake arose from passing fishing boats.  Athletes explained that they could tolerate wakes of no greater than one inch in height.  Presumably, this problem was solved in time for the Olympic races.

     Opening ceremonies were staged at Peninsula Park at the Channel Islands Marina.  Athletes marched onto a field to the recorded strains of Chariots of Fire and then took their seats.  They were greeted by Thomas Keller, president of the International Rowing Federation, and by Nao Takasugi, mayor of Oxnard.  Takasugi made a special hit, since he was able to greet the athletes in several languages.  At the conclusion of the low-key ceremonies, everyone enjoyed a table of refreshments, featuring carrot and celery sticks, thin crackers and green onions.  Note was made of the appetite that some of the athletes had for the onions.

     Local youth organizations helped with support and arrangements.  High school students carried signs introducing the competitors from each country in the procession at the opening ceremony.  The Santa Barbara Youth Foundation carried oars and assisted athletes during the races.

     Competitors from the United States took two of the nine gold medals awarded during the regatta.  The only other countries to win two gold medals were Norway and Romania.  The gold medals given to competitors from Norway were both for male teams.  The gold medals given for the competitors from Romania were for female teams.

     Peter Ueberroth, president of the Olympic Organizing Committee, was present for the races on Sunday.  “You are looking at the finest conditions for rowing,” was his judgment of the site.  He stated that the decision to hold the Olympic races at Lake Casitas was sound.  “I’m proud of this country and think it [the lake] will show well to the world.”  

     About 5,000 spectators attended the races over the four-day period.  The lowest attendance was 711 on the first day (Thursday).  The largest attendance was 2,374 on the final day (Sunday).

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by Richard Hoye

 

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