Philadelphia high school crew teams compete in Manny Flicks City Championship

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Hundreds of high school athletes converged on the Schuylkill River on Sunday for the Manny Flicks City Championship.

The regatta, which dates back to the 1950s, begins with a series of five races throughout the spring.

Around 800 athletes representing their high school teams had the chance to compete and participate all season for their spot in the championship regatta.

"Philadelphia and Boathouse Row is the best place to row, so to have this race out here is just amazing, and to see all these high schools and all these kids who have worked so hard all year to get to this weekend, it's a very exciting weekend," said Allison Boehm, the head rowing coach at Holy Ghost Prep High School.

"We're all here for the kids. We want the kids to compete, stay safe, have fun, and get bragging rights if they win," said Anne Miller, the secretary for the Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association.

Athletes on the winning boats will get more than a trophy; they'll win a chance to go to scholastic nationals.

Jenn Petka hopes this is just the beginning of her daughter's racing career.

"It's amazing. She's a junior so she's hoping to grow in college, this is a very big deal today and they're hoping that they all do well," said Petka, whose daughter goes to Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School.

The competition wasn't the only thing participants enjoyed, as the weather was near perfect for racing.

"We deserve this. We just love this weather," said Miller.

Coaches, athletes, and parents all endured cold and rainy weekends on their way to the championship. Their payoff was a perfect spring day.

"I think it's amazing, because a lot of the teams, their camps will be set up over there all nice. There's food cooking everywhere. It's a nice day," said Juan McLaughlin, one of the athletes.