John XXIII Rowing Club 

Dear Rowing Families

Crews are busy training for the Bunbury Regatta, which is only two weeks away. Please get to as many of your training sessions as you can! Remember, if you can’t make a session, please email Claire.woolfitt@johnxxiii.edu.au, or jimmy.oregan@johnxxiii.edu.au for the Girls Squad or lauren.strong@johnxxiii.edu.au for the Boys Squad. Starting this week, an email will be sent to parents of rowers who did not attend the session without explanation. 

Remember the bus leaves the College bus shelter at 5:05am. See you at the boatshed!

April Holidays Camp Dates 

We will be holding a combined Years 9 to 12 Rowing Camp during the first week of the April School holidays.

Please note: This camp will be an additional $300 and will be added to Rowing Fees. 

Please register here by 30 March: Rowing Camp 2026 – Fill out form

Year 8 Learn to Row Registrations now open

This year, the Year 8 Learn to Row program commences with morning sessions in Week 2 of Term 2. This allows the Year 8s to train alongside the Years 9 to 12 rowers; the water conditions are generally better in the morning than in the afternoon, and students are not returning from the boatshed at 6pm.

Students participate in one water session at our Canning Bridge boatshed (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning. (An afternoon session will be considered if there is interest.)

Students also attend one land session at school in the afternoon, using the rowing ergometer or doing rowing-specific circuit training.

Rowing sessions:

• Tuesday morning 5:30am (bus departs school at 5:05am)
• Wednesday morning 5:30am (bus departs school at 5:05am)
• Thursday morning 5:30am (bus departs school at 5:05am)

There is a bus from school departing at 5:05am and all rowers return on the bus to school at approximately 8:10am. If it is more convenient, rowers can be dropped at the boatshed and catch the bus back to school. Morning sessions are mixed with both boys and girls in the same boats. 

For the land session, these are held from 3:30pm to 4:30pm at the school, combined with the rowers from Years 9 to 12, with a mixture of rowing ergometer and circuit exercises. 

• Girls land session at school is on Monday afternoons at 3:30pm - 4:30pm.
• Boys land session at school is on Thursday afternoons at 3:30pm - 4:30pm. 

Sessions commence in Week 2 of Term 2, and this year will go for nine weeks. Year 8s will have the opportunity to race in two regattas at Champion Lakes on Sunday, 14 June, and Saturday, 27 June. Year 8s are also encouraged to participate in the House Regatta on 29 August in Term 3. 

The cost of this program is $375. Please complete this form to register: 

Year 8 Learn to Row Registration Form 2026 – Fill out form

Please contact me at: claire.woolfitt@johnxxiii.edu.au if you have any queries. 

South West Head of the River 

28 March 2026

Crews have been nominated and will begin more focused training. 

Please RSVP to the parent WhatsApp chat if you plan to attend the dinner. 

The South West Head of the River is fast approaching! This regatta is held at the Bunbury Rowing Club, Cobblestone Drive, Bunbury (map: https://goo.gl/maps/r8rFoZTXgH92) on Saturday, 28 March, and is a lot of fun as students compete throughout the day. 

Rowers and their families traditionally head down on Friday and stay overnight in Bunbury. There are many accommodation options in Bunbury; most families stay at The Lighthouse or the Lord Forrest. If you haven’t made your accommodation arrangements yet, I would make them soon. Families from other schools also stay overnight in Bunbury.

A booking has been made for dinner at the Rose Hotel, and details will be sent via the Year group chats and the Stack Team App. 

Uniforms

The new zootsuit is now in stock at the Uniform Shop. There is also a training top that can be worn under the zootsuit, and a ¼-zip fleece. The only compulsory item is the Zootsuit for racing at regattas.  There is a stock of the old zootsuits which can be worn for training. 

Stack Team App

This App is one of our main avenues for communication with rowers and their parents. Please download the ‘Stack Team App’ on your phone, as this is the central place for training schedules, training updates, access to the rowing handbook, to name a few. It is important that all rowers and parents have access.

To get this app please go to the App Store or Google Play and download the Stack Team App onto your mobile device, then follow these simple steps:

• Sign-up to Stack Team App. You’ll be sent an email to confirm your registration.
• Log-in and search for JTCRC, then request to become a member.

Buses

• Pick up: 5:05am at College Bus shelter
• Return: 7:30am from Boatshed

2026 Rowing Club Registrations are open for Years 9 to 12 

It's never too late to register; the John XXIII Rowing Club welcomes existing and new members for our 2026 season.

Registrations are still open. Please complete the online Registration form by clicking on the link: JTC Rowing Registration for 2026 – Fill out form

Those who have not rowed before, or who would like to be a coxswain and represent the College, are also encouraged to join. 

 2026 (Term 1) Rowing Training Schedule  

2026 (Term 2) Rowing Training Schedule  

Key Rowing Events 2026

Absent from training procedure 

Asthma and Allergies

All rowers with asthma or allergies, please remember to bring your asthma puffers, EpiPens, or required medication to all sessions. 

Claire Woolfitt

John XXIII Rowing Coordinator