Over the weekend, the men's and women's rowing teams honored a Cornell athletics tradition that has been in effect since the late 1800s: Schwartz Cup. 

Every Cornell rower hit the water on Saturday morning at the annual Schwartz Cup, one of the many reasons that the tradition is so special to the rowing program.

On the women’s side, the junior/senior lineup won the race. The lightweight men’s race was taken by the sophomore crew, flashing its potential for the future. In the heavyweight race, the seniors took advantage of their experience to claim the win. The Schwartz Cup awarded for best skit went to the sophomore heavyweights for their parody of the story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. The wolf was played by sophomore Jim Voter, imitating heavyweight coach Todd Kennett ’91. The event, however, is as much about the tradition as it is the competition.

Usually, team traditions are carried out because they are simply that: traditions. Sometimes a modern amendment to the tradition may be long overdue, and other times it represents something better than simply an inherited occurrence. For the Cornell rowing program, the annual Schwartz Cup is one of those golden rituals that make the fall crew season shine.

Every autumn, Cornell rowing enthusiasts Dick and Jean Schwartz fund a crew race on the Cayuga Inlet. But unlike typical regattas, only Cornell crews compete. And unlike typical competitions, the rowers must perform both on and off the water, by class and against alumni. The day begins at the Collyer Boathouse with a skit performance and finishes with a 5,000 meter head race out onto Cayuga Lake.