This weekend kicks off the regatta season with the Junior Sculling Regatta on Sunday, so here's a brief look back at last season and the standout results from it.
Following on from the SHORR dress rehearsal in Hammersmith Head last week, crews racing at Reading will see this as their last chance to see where they stand in comparison to their rivals. This head will be held in the last weekend before Schools’ Head, and the competition has well and truly started to heat up with many J16 frontrunners jockeying for positions.
Two weeks today the biggest Junior event of the season will hit the Tideway as School's Head will bring more than 300 crews to one of the most challenging courses in the world. Hammersmith Head is an invaluable race for senior crews looking to perform as it's a perfect opportunity to test combinations or gain experience for a set crew. The telemetry and timings will be scrutinised by coaches as the smallest of changes can make a huge difference across the championship course. Last year Hammersmith was cancelled while crews were boating due to deteriorating conditions, so let's hope this year remains calm and rowable.
The regatta season is officially underway after this weekend at BASHER, and with Wallingford Regatta coming up soon, thoughts are swiftly moving to National School’s Regatta. With only 4 weeks left to go before the biggest race of the year for most J15 crews, the big questions are starting to be asked. Who will be this year’s J15 8+ Champion?
Perhaps a little under the radar and less well understood by non-particiating schools, yesterday's private regatta saw the summer of racing for junior boys from Bedford, Abingdon, St. Paul’s, Hampton, Eton and Radley really getting underway.