The 2024 NSW All Schools Championships saw a new format that attracted record entry numbers, with over 1400 junior athletes contesting the regatta. Whilst it was certainly a long day and not one without a few teething issues, we were treated to an incredibly high standard of racing in quick conditions for the first hit-out of the 2025 school season.
Kinross Wolaroi pick up right where they left off
For the past decade, the iconic blue shells of Kinross Wolaroi athletes have been a common sight at the head of the field at NSW regattas. The past two seasons, however, have been extraordinary for the central-west school. Last year’s national championships saw five gold medals head back to Orange, and it seems the squad has managed to find another gear over the winter. Saturday’s regatta concluded with Kinross named champion school, having won 14 races of a possible 20. Kinross dominated the quad events, winning the senior and year 10 running of both genders. Of particular note was the SG4x+, with three of last year’s national champions on board; they posted a blistering 7:12.70, five seconds quicker than the effort that secured them gold in March in admittedly quick conditions.
Head coach Ben Watt told JRN, “I’m really proud of the way they raced; we haven’t really touched much high-rate work yet, so I’m excited to see what we can do when we do that speed work a bit later in the season”.
If this is what Kinross are capable of without any race-prep, I’d hate to be their competition later in the season. Either way, whatever’s in the water at Spring Creek Reservoir seems to be working wonders.
Schools rowing in NSW is booming
This year’s event saw record entries, with over 200 more athletes attending than last year’s running. This is in line with wider trends in Australian rowing after we saw record entry numbers once again for last year’s state and national championships. However, the question that has been asked by many around the boat park this weekend; is this regatta too big?
The first race of the day kicked off at 7:50am, and, save for a lunch break that was shortened due to delays, continued until 5pm. With races running on five-minute intervals, volunteer resources were stretched to their limits, and racing was at one point half an hour behind schedule, impacting many schools’ ability to share boats between crews. Further, from a commentator’s perspective, it’s very difficult to give crews the credit they deserve with such little time for each race.
The format of this regatta is quite unique, and the racing we saw was of an extremely high standard, producing a fantastic spectacle, so capping entry numbers further wouldn’t necessarily be the best solution. Going forward, though, some thought needs to be given as to how many different boat classes are offered and if the regatta should be run over two days to ease the burden on athletes, coaches, parents, and volunteers alike.
A status-quo shakeup in the schoolgirl eight
St Catherine’s School have been the dominant force in the schoolgirl eight for the past year, and with four returners from last year’s all-conquering outfit, everyone expected an easy win for the girls from Waverly. Pymble Ladies College had other ideas, though, taking three seconds out of the field in the first 500m and stretching out to a nearly seven-second lead at the buzzer. New head coach Harry Randell has undoubtedly made an instant impression on his girls, positioning them as the ones to chase for the 2025 season.
It must be noted that Kinross, St Catherines, and Queenwood raced at least one other contest earlier in the day, although it’s rumoured the Pymble crew were training on the Nepean river. Regardless of fresh legs or not, Pymble looked imposing in their length and rate and will certainly have a target on their backs as they look toward a first Head of the River win since 2018.
Canberra Grammar mean business in the Schoolboy Eight
Last year saw a much-hyped campaign from Canberra Grammar fizzle out in the eight when they failed to reach the final at the NSW State Championships. Opting to race the four at nationals, fourth place in a hotly contested field demonstrated that there was indeed some promise. With two from that four returning for another tilt at the eight, it appears the Territorians have stepped up a gear for the 2025 season. Their performance relative to St Augustine’s puts them in the tightly-spaced pack of AAGPS eights that raced at the St Josephs College regatta a week prior. However, the professionalism they displayed around the boat park struck me as significant when rating their chances later in the season.
Should CGS build from here and avoid complacency over early-season results, it’ll be very interesting to see if they can compete amongst the top-tier schools later in the season.
Loreto Normanhurst are back
It’s hard to believe that next year will be ten years since Loreto Normanhurst last won the Schoolgirl Head of the River in the eight and nine since they took home the Betty Deer Rosebowl Overall Point score under the guidance of then head coach David Gely. Since then, there have been a handful of podium appearances in years where fewer schools fielded eights, but Normo have never looked like having a genuine chance since. This year’s combination, featuring 2024 Nationals silver medallists Patricia Boland and Stella Moore, looks to be genuinely in the (very tight) battle for a podium spot. If that tight battle encroaches on the margin to Pymble, the crew coached by 2024 Paralympic cox Hannah Cowap could find themselves battling for the odd win later in the season.
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