The Best of School Rowing

Nineteen School Eights took to the waters of SIRC from the 26 - 28 April, 2 school boy 8s and 2 school girl 8s from Queensland, for a series of finals that provided intense competition and tight finishes.  The gap between first and second was not more than five seconds across any of the races.

Queensland claimed the honours in the Men's Eight final, with a two-second margin between first, second and third. It was a battle from the start but Queensland held strong from the start to finish. 

“It’s fabulous to have an opportunity for our young athletes to represent their states at a school level. This regatta provides the opportunity to build connections between the School Programs, the broader State-based Pathway Programs and Rowing Australia,” Fernandez said.

“To have every state and territory represented in the regatta is important as we look to the future and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Additionally, the sense of community we have seen over these three days has been fantastic.

“From the pride in racing for your state, to the connections made at the Interstate Pathways dinner on Thursday night, where we had the privilege of hearing Olympian and World Championship Bronze Medallist Tara Rigney speak, it has been an incredibly successful couple of days.”

The Pathways Program:

In Queensland, the Queensland Academy of Sport and Rowing Queensland join with Queensland clubs and schools to run the rowing Pathway to enhance the development of young athletes.

The aim of the Queensland Pathway system is to be a major contributor to the Underage National Team, by supporting and developing athletes onto National Underage Teams to compete at- U23 World Championships, U21 Trans-Tasman regatta, U19 World Championships and World University Games. Targeted athletes and coaches within the Pathway system are provided with elite training facilities, science, health and technical support both on and off the water. As athletes progress through the Queensland Pathway, they will be sufficiently prepared to be ready to transition to a National Training Centre.  More information HERE.

Final Results:

Women’s B Final: 

1st – NSW 

2nd – QLD 

3rd – SA 

4th – Mixed Reserves  

Men’s B Final: 

1st – SA 

2nd – NSW 

3rd – QLD  

Women’s A Final: 

Gold – VIC 

Silver – NSW 

Bronze – WA 

4th – ACT 

5th – TAS 

6th – QLD 

Men’s A Final: 

Gold – QLD 

Silver – WA 

Bronze – TAS 

4th – VIC 

5th – ACT 

6th – Mixed Reserves  

Women’s Quad Final: 

1st – Tasmania 

2nd – Mixed