Philadelphia-Area Sports Mascots Help Promote This Week's 'Dad Vail' Regatta
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Local team mascots took oars into their furry hands today at Love Park (JFK Plaza), to promote this weekend's "Dad Vail" regatta.
The Phillie Phanatic, the Drexel Dragon, and the St. Joe's Hawk were among the mascots competing on ergometers -- fancy rowing machines -- to publicize the Dad Vail regatta, for college rowers, this Friday and Saturday.
"Rowing is a slightly niche event -- it's not up there with baseball and basketball," admits Jill Maxwell, with the title sponsor, Aberdeen Asset Management, "and so we have actually recruited some of the mascots that you might know from sports in Philadelphia."
The Dad Vail brings more than 100 college rowing teams to the Schuylkill River.
Marc Smith, varsity 8 coxswain for last year's champ, Drexel, says the mascots were entertaining -- even if they didn't perform well.
"It was a little bit difficult, just because they couldn't strap their feet in. But they did the best for what they came here for."
And if for some reason you were keeping score at home, the Drexel Dragon defeated the Phillie Phanatic to win today's contest.