Oakland
Strokes
The men's eight races past a freight train on the Estuary shore at Head of the Estuary

Calendar / Racing and season dates

The race calendar

What’s happening when in the fall and spring.

What happens at a regatta

Racing

Regatta dates

Fall races are head races: time trials of about 5,000 meters. Spring races are 2,000 meter sprints building to the Southwest Regional Championships. Crews that qualify go on to the USRowing Youth Nationals.

Fall head season

RegattaWhen
Head of the EstuaryOakland Estuary, Oakland / All high school squadsHome race.Sun Oct 4, 2026
Head of the CharlesCharles River, Boston, Massachusetts / Selected crewsFri Oct 16 to Sun Oct 18, 2026
Head of the AmericanLake Natoma, Sacramento / All high school squadsSat Oct 24, 2026
Head of the LagoonFoster City / All high school squadsSun Nov 8, 2026

Spring sprints and championships

RegattaWhen
Pacific Novice/U17 InvitationalLake Merced, San Francisco / All first-year high school rowers and the U16 and U17 squadsSat Feb 20, 2027
Pacific InviteLake Merced, San Francisco / All high school squadsSun Mar 7, 2027
San Diego Crew ClassicMission Bay, San Diego / Selected crewsThu Mar 18 to Sun Mar 21, 2027
Southwest Regional ChampionshipsLake Natoma, Sacramento / All high school squadsFri Apr 30 to Sun May 2, 2027
USRowing Youth National ChampionshipsNathan Benderson Park, Sarasota, Florida / Qualified crewsThu Jun 10 to Sun Jun 13, 2027

The spring schedule is still being finalized. Regatta dates will be updated as they become available.

Never been to one? What happens at a regatta walks through a race day start to finish, written for parents who have never seen this sport before.

The season

Key dates

Practice dates and free trial windows for high school and middle school rowers.

High school

Fall 2026

  • Mon Aug 17 to Sat Aug 29First-year first practice and free two week trial
  • Mon Aug 31Returning athletes first practice
  • Mon Nov 9 to Sat Nov 21November late start and free two week trial
  • Sat Dec 19Last fall practice

Spring 2027

  • Mon Jan 4First practice
  • Mon Jan 4 to Sat Jan 16First-year two week trial
  • Fri Apr 30 to Sun May 2Southwest Regional Championships
  • Thu Jun 10 to Sun Jun 13USRowing Youth Nationals (qualified crews)

Middle school

Fall 2026

  • Sep 14 to Oct 18Club session 1
  • Oct 19 to Nov 22Club session 2
  • Sep 20 to Oct 18Sunday Sculling session 1
  • Oct 25 to Nov 22Sunday Sculling session 2
  • Sep 14 to Dec 19Competitive Development

Dates are kept current here and on the program pages. Questions: information@oaklandstrokes.org.

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