No Scotland, no party: How the Scots have assimilated with the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta

Fergus Mainland caught up with Scotland’s Team Manager, Cara O’Donnell, to hear all about how the team is preparing for this year’s JIRR

In 2024, a little bit of history was made as Scotland raced in the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta for the very first time. Since that first stroke, Scotland has been a force to be reckoned with. In their first year racing, the team was third in the Girls Victor Ludorum, and last year they took 76 athletes to Nottingham and returned north of the border with the Margaret Marshall Cup, while strong single sculling results secured the Barbara Wilson Cup.

Across last year’s regatta, Team Scotland earned nine medals (four gold, two silver, and three bronze) won across six clubs, reflecting the depth of talent throughout Scottish junior rowing.

Now looking forward to the team’s third year of competition, Co-Team Manager Cara O’Donnell is excited about what 2026 holds for Scotland’s juniors.

“I’m really looking forward to the atmosphere,” said O’Donnell, who works as Scottish Rowing’s Sports Programme Co-ordinator.

“All teams go to Nottingham with the hopes of winning trophies and doing really well, but from my perspective, it’s about the experience for the young athletes and letting them enjoy it.

“It’s about the atmosphere; it’s about seeing everybody come together, which is really good. It’s nice to see the athletes from different clubs come together and develop those relationships and the same can be said for the parents. The reality is that all of them will be rowing together for the next couple of years and will get to know each other even more. We enjoy getting trophies, winning races and racking up points, but at the end of the day, it’s the experience that is the more important side of things.”

Scottish Rowing plays a vital part in the development of athletes and coaches. Throughout everything the organisation does, there is a real ‘Team Scotland’ mantra, and this all kicks off when the J14s, J15s, and J16s go and compete for their region at the National Water Sports Centre.

“It’s been really good for us to kick-start our Pathways. We have our Junior Academy, and we’ve just opened up our Junior Beach Sprint Academy, so it helps us see the younger athletes as they come through and help them develop.

“Quite a few of the ones we are working with at the Junior Academy level have raced JIRR as J15s and J16s. There are a few of them racing at HORR this weekend who did JIRR as J14s so it’s really given them that boost up into our Performance Pathways.

“The mantra is across our Pathways and everything that we do. That’s from our work with beginners right the way through to HIR and Commonwealth selections. It’s a really good first Team Scotland experience for a lot of the juniors when they race JIRR,” explained O’Donnell.

Like all regions, preparation starts well in advance of the regatta in April. For O’Donnell and Scottish Rowing’s Head of Performance, Tom Young, the major selection race takes place at the beginning of March.

“We spoke with Inverness RC and partially commandeered some of Winter Head. We gather people’s interest and registration for the event, and we use it as a basis for selections. We can’t see everyone in all boat types but it allows us to see where everyone sits.

“Once the event has happened, Tom, Mike Martin, and I will sit down and look at who we’ve got for a provisional team, create a plan and send it off to club coaches for their thoughts and opinions because they know the athletes better than we do. We’ll work with the coaches to figure out who’s best to put where, and we’ll go from there.”

For O’Donnell and everyone involved across Scottish Rowing, one of the best things that has shone through from JIRR is the sense of community. As has been alluded to, it’s a brilliant opportunity for athletes to come together and bond, be that in composite crews or off the water.

“The coaches that we have in clubs and schools at the moment are fantastic. They are really keen to get people involved and to give them an opportunity to race with people across Scotland. Having the support from the coaches and clubs has been really important.

“Across the board, we’re seeing a lot of success for Scottish clubs at JIRR, the British Rowing Club Championships, Marlow Regatta, as well as Henley Women’s and Henley Royal. I think seeing all these successes has also helped drive our junior athletes. As Team Manager, it’s great to see, but I can’t take any praise for that!

“It’s a very proud moment seeing them race, but it’s got absolutely nothing to do with me! It’s all very much on the coaches and the athletes; they’re the ones putting the work in, and I’ve just done some admin in the background. It’s very much their success and their performances, and it’s their hard graft throughout the year.”

Team Scotland and the 15 other regions will be in action at the 2026 Junior In-Regional Regatta taking place Saturday 25 April at the National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham.

Learn more about this year’s event here.