Rowing – St Catherine’s Rowers selected on the Australian Junior Team

The 2021 Rowing Season was history making for our St Catherine’s Rowers, winning the Schoolgirl 1st VIII and the Schoolgirl 2nd VIII Events at the Head of the School Girls Regatta. However, since the conclusion of the school rowing season, four of our senior rowers have gone on to reach new heights. In April, four St Catherine’s Senior Rowers – Chloe Cooper, Zara Bongiorno, Sarah Marriott and Bronte Cullen combined with five Melbourne Girls Grammar students to form a Victorian eight, to trial for the Australian Junior Rowing Team. These girls travelled to Canberra during the Term 1 holidays and raced at the Australian Junior Team Selection trials. Following some outstanding performances, these girls were named as the Australian Junior Women’s Eight 2021.

In years gone by, this crew would have travelled overseas to compete in the Junior World Rowing Championships, however, due to COVID and the travel restrictions this was not able to happen in 2021. Instead, Rowing Australia planned that all of the Junior, Under 21, Under 23 and Olympic Rowing Teams would travel to Adelaide in June to complete at a World Cup Simulation Regatta. This would be the culmination of the campaigns for the Underage Teams and a final competitive opportunity for the Olympic Team before travelling to Tokyo. However, devastatingly with the latest lockdown in Victoria, the Victorian Rowers were unable to travel to Adelaide to compete due to the boarder closure. So, although not the end that these girls had hoped for, they culminated the campaign with a Victorian World Cup Simulation Regatta at Carrum on Saturday, racing against all of the Victorian Australian Team Representatives.

To be selected on the Australian Rowing Team is an enormous accomplishment. These girls have trained so hard and have remained dedicated and committed throughout. Never before has St Catherine’s School had any girls selected on the Australian Rowing Team whilst still at School. This is an absolutely tremendous achievement and we are so proud of what our St Catherine’s Rowers have achieved this year.

Miss Brigette Carlile, Head of Rowing