Australian school rowing is now in full swing, with most schools preparing for the first of many regattas on the School rowing calendar. For the numerous athletes and coaches heading to the Sydney International Regatta Centre this Saturday, this is a testament to the late nights, early mornings, and holiday time they’ve sacrificed over the past few weeks. In particular, the schoolgirl coxed four race is looking to be a tight competition of five crews thundering down the course, battling for first blood of the 2025/26 season.
Kinross Wolaroi
Kinross Wolaroi boasts a reputation as one of the most competitive programs in the country, notching numerous wins at the Schoolgirl Head of the River earlier this year. Across the crew, all have podiumed at Head of the River, including Kaiti Smith, who was a part of the school’s dominant second eight last season. With a plethora of strong results backing this crew up, expect Kinross to be a hot contender for the gold medal this weekend.
Queenwood School Two
The first of three entries for Queenwood, this crew displays the strongest past results out of the three Queenwood crews, with Elsie Hood, Charlotte Garner and Gemma Wyrill all winning the third eight together and Claudia Gassmann, who obtained a bronze medal in the second eight at Head of the River, as well as another bronze in the under-17 eight at nationals. With their sharp racing mentality and aggressive rhythm sending them down the course, this Queenwood crew is expected to be another front-runner.
Queenwood School One
This Queenwood crew isn’t to be left out with an impressive lineup, including Flo Veitch and Scout Ferguson, who finished fourth in the hotly contested under-17 quad at nationals this year. One of the most notable rowers in the crew is Lucinda Doku, who represented not only Queenwood, where she obtained a silver medal in the U19 women’s eight at Lake Barrington, but also a national title for Sydney University in the club eight. With a strong set of results backing up this crew, expect this top Queenwood combination to be leading the pack on Saturday.
Loreto Kirribilli
The girls from Kirribilli have had a rather rough time converting their form and rhythm into success at regattas last season. However, with a fresh start on the rowing calendar, this regatta presents the perfect opportunity for these girls to show their potential for the season to come this weekend. With the crew perfecting their technique and holding their composure as the legs burn down the course, these girls will be holding up the rear, challenging Queenwood three and Kinross Wolaroi for a hotly contested third place.
Queenwood School Three
The last entry for Queenwood, this crew shares the same theme of strong past results, with all crew members exhibiting numerous strong results last season at both Head of the River and Nationals. Notably, Tessa Calveley, a member of the bronze-medallist under-17 eight in Tasmania, was part of this crew. It’s always a tough slog to come up against two higher-ranked crews from within your own program, so Queenwood three will likely have their eyes on competing for a top-three finish in this race.
Prediction
The calibre of this event appears to have significantly increased this year, with many crews doubling up in eights or just missing out on their program’s first boat. With the depth on display, the front of this race will likely be dominated by Queenwood, with their first crew emerging victorious over their second. For third place, it should be a tight battle between Kinross and Queenwood’s third crew; however, I predict it to go the way of the girls from Orange.
