Youth Regional Championships

2025 USRowing Northeast Youth Championships - Lowell, MA

May 17-18, 2025

USRowing and Lowell Regattas, Inc. are excited to present the 2025 USRowing Northeast Youth Championships! This event provides crews from the region with the opportunity to qualify for the 2025 USRowing Youth National Championships.

Monday, May 19 Statement Re: USRowing Youth National Championships Bids to Northeast Crews

Coaches & Athletes,

Below are updates from USRowing and the Youth National Championships Coaches' Council regarding the 2025 USRowing Northeast Youth Championships.

Youth Nationals Bids

Due to the weather-related cancellation of the 2025 USRowing Northeast Youth Championships, bids for the 2025 USRowing Youth National Championships will now be awarded through the petition process as outlined in the regatta’s entry packet:

“In instances where qualification events are canceled without completing any rounds, those crews will be required to submit a petition that includes results from the current season to demonstrate their placement within their district. These petitions will be given an expedited review, and the bids originally allotted for that regatta will be awarded based on the determinations of the committee.”

The Youth National Championships Coaches’ Council will review and vote on petitions and will communicate their decisions with USRowing. The petition process summary and timeline are as follows:

Petition Submission Deadline. All petitions must be submitted using THIS FORM no later than Wednesday, May 21 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
One Petition Form per Team. Each team may submit only one petition form, which must include all of the boats for which they would like to petition. Additional petition forms from the same team will not be accepted.
- Note: this form is intentionally different from the typical petition form, as it aggregates all petition submissions per team to streamline review by the Youth National Championships Coaches’ Council.
Review & Notification Timeline. The Youth National Championships Coaches’ Council will review all petitions by Monday, May 26, 2025. USRowing will communicate all bid decisions that day via bid offer emails. Teams must accept bids by Thursday, May 29 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Appeals Process. Teams wishing to appeal a Council decision may do so by emailing Competition@usrowing.org with the subject line: “APPEAL - XX Team - [Youth National Championships Event]. All appeals must be received by Wednesday, May 28 at 11:59 p.m. ET, and USRowing will respond to all appeals by Friday, May 30.

Petition Review Criteria

The Council will evaluate petitions based on the following guiding principles:

Prioritizing Championship Boats. While four bids will be available per event as a general guideline, the total number is flexible, with additional bids available at the Council’s discretion in appropriate circumstances. The Council will lean toward acceptance while upholding the Youth National Championship performance standard. Petitions must provide evidence that the crew meets this standard.
- Note that only crews that were entered to compete at the 2025 USRowing Northeast Youth Championships are eligible to submit for a petition to the 2025 USRowing Youth National Championships.
Past Results. Teams should submit current-season race results, highlighting head-to-head performances and comparisons with both in-region and out-of-region crews.
Typical Bid Volume. The Council will consider a team’s typical historical participation when reviewing petitions. For example, if a team has consistently qualified around four boats in the past years, the Council will aim to maintain a similar level of participation in 2025. This approach helps manage significant increases from teams that already have a strong competitive presence, ensuring fair and balanced representation across the field.
Coaches’ Boat Ranking. Petitioning teams will be asked to rank their submitted crews in order of priority, to help the Council assess which boats are the team’s top contenders for Youth Nationals. The priority system works as stated below:
- Tier 1 – These crews were expected to make the top 3 in the grand final at the USRowing Northeast Youth Championships
- Tier 2- These crews would have been on the “bubble” and were expected to make top 4/5 in the grand final at the USRowing Northeast Youth Championships.
- Tier 3 – These crews have shown speed in practice but probably would not have been in the top 5 in the grand final at the USRowing Northeast Youth Championships.

USRowing Northeast Youth Entry Fees

As outlined in our refund policy, once the standard entry period closes, we are unable to offer full refunds due to the non-recoverable costs already committed to the event.

Most of the weekend’s costs are non-recoverable — from venue rentals and equipment to staffing and safety services — and those expenses remain regardless of whether the regatta took place. We are finalizing the full scope of these costs and will assess whether we have savings to offer partial reimbursements. We will provide an update on entry fees by Friday, May 23. All entry fees will need to be paid by each team prior to a petition being accepted.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this process, and we remain committed to being fair and transparent in this decision.

Please let us know if you have questions, please email us at Competition@usrowing.org.

Entry Packet

The 2025 USRowing domestic regatta entry packets were posted for a comment period to all members from December 1 to December 31, 2024. The final entry packet for the 2025 USRowing Northeast Youth Championships has now been published.

Athletes & Coaches Pre-Regatta Meeting

Athletes & Coaches Pre-Regatta Meeting - Slides(opens in new window)

Register

Click Here to Register on RegattaCentral(opens in new window)

Venue Information

Merrimack River - Lowell, MA

UMass Lowell Bellegarde Boat House - 500 Pawtucket Blvd, Lowell, MA 01854

For more information about the venue, parking, team tents, and more, please refer to the entry packet linked above.

Click Here for Team Tent Rentals(opens in new window)

Disability Accommodation Request

USRowing requests you complete the form below to indicate what area of accommodation you would like to bring to our attention.

Submit Request

Volunteer Policy

Volunteers are a critical component of all regattas. Our sport’s sustainability and success rely heavily on these dedicated supporters, who help ensure that our rowers, teams, coaches, spectators, and more have a safe, fair, and rewarding experience. The purpose of this policy is to provide additional volunteer support at USRowing-owned regattas to Local Organizing Committees (LOCs).