Image Credit: Rowing New South Wales
The 2024 NSW All Schools Championships scheduled for 16 November will be the first opportunity of this domestic season for many schoolgirl crews to demonstrate the results of their pre-season efforts and early 2024-25 season training. This regatta will provide a fantastic opportunity to reveal the early front runners, giving crews an indication of where they sit in the pack and what they can improve on as we approach the halfway point of the season. The Schoolgirl Eight is the pinnacle event of the schoolgirl program and will hopefully be as competitive and exhilarating as previous years. With the early lineups released, we have good reason to be excited about the quality of schoolgirl racing we can expect this season.
St Catherine’s School
St Catherine’s School, the reigning Australian schoolgirl champions for the last two years, will look to defend their Schoolgirl Eight title this season. This top-notch technical crew from Iron Cove will undoubtedly be the most experienced in the field, with not only domestic success but also having excelled on the world stage, with back-to-back appearances at Henley Royal Regatta in the The Prince Philip Challenge Trophy. The first of three St Catherine’s crews entered in this event will benefit from the leadership and international racing experience of Baker, Yardley, Stigter and Steed, while Poulos, Hall, Connell, Borthwick, and Parkes will be valued additions, having all gained podium results in their respective eight divisions last season. The second and third eights from St Catherine’s should also be competitive, highlighting the depth and strength of the St Catherine’s program. Early indicators suggest that, once again, St Catherine’s looks to be the front-running schoolgirl rowing program in the country, and it would be surprising to see them anywhere but the front of the pack this regatta. Prediction: First (Crew stroked by Chelsea Baker).
Pymble Ladies College
Pymble Ladies College will return to this event as seasoned contenders and will look to go one better after a second-place finish to rivals, the crew from St Catherine’s at both the Head of the River and Australian National Championships in the Schoolgirl Eight earlier this year. Unlike most other schools contesting this event, Pymble will boat just one crew, which will certainly have a strong impact from the looks of the line-up. Like St Catherine’s, Pymble will have four returners from last year’s first eight: Naito, Porter, Cullinane and Olesen. They will provide renewed confidence and determination to this talented crew. Alongside them will be Shanahan, Stalley, Gibson and Goddard, who replicated the silver medal in the Schoolgirl Second Eight at the Head of the River. Under the guidance and with the expertise of coach Harry Randell, these girls will have their sights set on rewriting last year’s narrative. The college last won the Schoolgirl Eight Head of the River title in 2018, so are well overdue to have their name carved into the trophy once again. It will be thrilling to see their standing at this early stage of the season. Prediction: Second.
Kinross Wolaroi School
Kinross Wolaroi School, hailing from the west of the Blue Mountains are renowned for their high-calibre rowing program. Traditionally producing fast Schoolgirl Quads, Kinross made history in 2021 and 2022 by claiming their first ever Schoolgirl First Eight titles at the Head of the River. More recently, Kinross have enjoyed success in the Schoolgirl Quad; however, they are set to field two quality eights this weekend. The distinctive blue boats from Spring Creek in Orange are expected to remain a formidable challenge to local crews, led by National Champions in the Schoolgirl Quad, Wong, Searle, and Wilkin, whose racing and technical experience will greatly strengthen Kinross’s top crew. Alongside them will be Leigo and Reidy, two athletes seasoned in this boat class on the SIRC course, taking out both the Schoolgirl Head of the River and National Championship title in the Schoolgirl Year Ten Eight last season. The second Kinross crew, made up of predominately year 11 rowers, are also expected to perform well, showcasing the depth of another impressive schoolgirl program. With coach Andrew Gannon at the helm, these two crews will be worth watching over the weekend and beyond. Saturday will be a good measure of their speeds in the eight and will indicate solidly what boat they will prioritise this season. Prediction: Third (Crew stroked by Lucy Reidy).
Queenwood School
The Balmoral-born Queenwood School will also look to regain their dominance displayed in this event in 2019. Known for their consistently strong and fiercely competitive schoolgirl eights, Queenwood have shone in other events more recently. This includes a first-place finish in the Schoolgirl Coxed Four at the Australian National Championships earlier this year. Mclaren and Taylor will be the only athletes from that four to take to the course this time around, joined by last season’s Third Eight Head of the River Champions in Kennedy, Strydom, Shirvington and Kay in one of two Queenwood crews. It looks as if the returners from last year’s first eight will be split across both crews, with Bennett and Tompson racing in the other Queenwood boat. With this distribution of talent and Queenwood’s traditional strength in this boat class, particularly in the early stages of the race, we can expect that the two eights will be close together, and certainly towards the front of the field. Prediction: Fourth/Fifth.
Notable Mentions
This race will be anything but a walk in the park for St Catherine’s, Pymble, Kinross, and Queenwood. Canberra Grammar, like Kinross, have traditionally focused on fielding competitive quads and fours, but could emerge as a dark horse in this event, coached by Australian Men’s Eight coxswain Kendall Brodie, fresh from the Paris Olympic Games. Fellow Australian Team coxswain Hannah Cowap, who competed at the Paralympic Games earlier this year, has returned from Paris looking to create history with her first eight at Loreto Normanhurst, who should also be on the radar of their competitors. Though quieter in recent years, Roseville will also compete in this event and should not be underestimated. Finally, with three eights expected to take to SIRC in the blue of Loreto Kirribilli, you would be naïve to count LK out of the race, especially after a Second Eight win at the Head of the River last season. Therefore, there is plenty to look forward to this weekend, and we can expect to be treated to a very high standard of racing. Who will be victorious, however, is still yet to be decided.
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