Rowing Update: Strong Performances and Productive Training Camps

The Easter holidays began with a series of strong performances for the Royal Shrewsbury School Boat Club (RSSBC) as crews competed across several events and training camps.

The Senior Girls’ and J16 squads travelled to Dorney Lake for the Junior Sculling Head, racing the demanding 3.6km course. Four Shrewsbury crews competed across the WJ16 4x and W Junior 4x categories. The 1st J16 quad placed 25th of 51 crews, with the 2nd quad 37th, both producing impressive performances in a highly competitive field. In the senior category, the 1st quad finished 9th of 39, narrowly missing out on a higher placing by just one second, while the 2nd quad secured 16th, one of only two second crews to finish within the top 20.

Meanwhile, the Senior Boys competed at the North of England Head of the River Race, where both the 1st VIII (J18 8+) and 2nd VIII (J17 8+) secured victories in their respective categories, providing an encouraging benchmark as the squad transitions into the regatta season.

Over the break, the club also hosted a J15 training camp at Shrewsbury, with athletes making excellent progress in technique and crew cohesion across sessions on the River Severn and Bomere Pool.

The holiday concluded with a major Boat Club training camp at the Cerlac Rowing Training Centre in Spain, where Senior and J16 boys’ and girls’ squads completed an intensive programme of seat racing, technical development and side-by-side racing. The week allowed crews to refine line-ups, build race pace and strengthen cohesion ahead of the summer term.

Alongside these developments, three Shrewsbury athletes were selected for the GB U19 Spring Assessments, marking another encouraging milestone for the programme.

With preparations now well underway, the Boat Club looks ahead to the regatta season, including National Schools’ Regatta, Henley Women’s Regatta and the Henley Royal Regatta.

Mr Athol Hundermark, i/c rowing