Rowing on a boat, gliding along the shore as oarsman paddle back and forth invokes images of a pleasant summer day. Melton Hill Lake, located near Oak Ridge quarry, is nationally admired by rowers for its flat water and bucolic surroundings and is home to the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. The association has hosted a number of regattas over the years. ORRA members greeted the refurbishing of the paved parking facilities and walking path facilities by our ETN employees merrily. "An estimated 5,000 to 8,000 rowers compete in regattas here each spring that help to generate revenue for our city. The paving donation represents our belief that we are a partner in Oak Ridge's continued growth and success," said Scobey Asbury, Manager . Melton Hill Lake, known as one of the best rowing venues in the United States, has been the longtime home course for the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, LEXUS Mid-Central NCAA Qualifying Sprints, and the Southeast Region Juniors' Championship. The site is also used for a number of major championships including the U.S. Nationals, Women's Nationals and the Scholastic Rowing Association of America Championships. Oak Ridge is one of only three cities to host the U. S. Rowing National Championships in the last 15 years. In addition to being the premier rowing venue in the Southeast, the lake serves as a training area for rowing crews. The U.S. Women's Olympic Rowing teams and the Swiss National teams trained on Melton Hill Lake in preparation for the 1996 Olympic Games. The Swiss team also trained here before the 2001 World Championships in Canada.

Competitive events like rowing bring in revenue dollars for city of Oak Ridge.

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