USRowing Announces U19 and U23 High Performance Winter Camps and Fall Race ID

USRowing is excited to announce the return of its High Performance (HP) Winter Camps, the first major step on the road to representing Team USA at the 2026 U19 and U23 World Rowing Championships.

Hosted at the world-class Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, California, these immersive camps will bring together the nation’s top young rowers for four days of high-level training, testing, and racing. Athletes will not only sharpen their skills and build speed in small boats, but also experience the culture, standards, and expectations of the U.S. National Team environment.

• U23 HP Winter Camp: December 18–22, 2025
• U19 HP Winter Camps: January 16–19 or January 23–26, 2026

Applications are now open in the USRowing Membership Portal. The deadline for U23 camp applications is Friday, November 14, 2025. The U19 deadline for camp applications is Monday, November 24, 2025. Additional information can be found on the U19 and U23 camp pages.

Why Winter Camp Matters

The HP Winter Camps are more than training opportunities — they are launch pads for the athletes who will go on to represent the U.S. at the 2026 U19 and U23 World Championships. For U23 athletes, Winter Camp will also reunite returners from the 2025 U23 National Team, providing a head start on crew development for Duisburg. For U19 athletes, the camps provide early exposure to national team methodology and set the stage for Selection Camp and Selection Development Camp in the summer.

“Winter Camp is where our journey to 2026 begins,” said Brett Gorman, USRowing Head Coach of HP Pathways. “It’s the first time we bring athletes together in a true high-performance environment, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. Whether it’s a returning national team member or a new athlete breaking through in a small boat, the work done in Chula Vista will directly shape our speed next summer. We’re excited to see the best young rowers in the country take this step and commit themselves to the process of representing Team USA.”

Pathways from Fall Racing to Winter Camp

USRowing is also proud to connect the HP Winter Camps with existing fall racing opportunities.

• U23 athletes can earn automatic Winter Camp invitations by placing in the top two of the men’s and women’s single sculls or pair at either the Head of the American or the Princeton Chase.
   
• U19 athletes can qualify the same way by placing in the top two of the single sculls or pair at the Head of the American.

These partnerships underscore the significance of fall racing while offering clear and exciting avenues for athletes to secure a spot in the HP Winter Camps. 

Brett Gorman said about the racing opportunities, “I want to thank the Head of the American and the Princeton Chase for partnering with us in athlete identification. These races are long-standing, high-quality events on the youth and collegiate calendars, and their support allows us to identify top athletes while working within an already competitive and crowded racing framework. We’re grateful for their leadership in helping us launch this initiative, and we hope to expand partnerships with additional regattas in the fall of 2026. By working hand-in-hand with existing programs, USRowing can best support athletes on their journeys while respecting and celebrating the strength of our youth and collegiate racing calendars.”