The Launch: Rowing stories by custom rowing clothing founder, Joline Esparza and the JL Team

“Rowing on the Distaff Side”: A Brief History of the National Women’s Rowing Association (Part I)

Elizabeth Manley writes about the history of the National Women's Rowing Association. While still rare, the few existing rowing clubs that welcomed women came together from the East and West Coasts to increase their influence through this newly formed National Women’s Rowing Association (NWRA). While women’s rowing was not yet an Olympic sport, a number of countries were already sending women competitors to international regattas and the NWRA hoped to ensure the U.S. did not get left behind. In addition to promoting women’s competitive rowing at the international level, though, the group sought to “give direction, control, and coaching to the women involved” in member clubs. The group hoped to make sure, according to co-founder and Rowing Director for Mills College Ed Lickiss, that competition for women grew and developed in the U.S. and internationally but also that “the interests of existing women’s rowing groups” would be incorporated as part of that growth.

April 08, 2025 — Natalie Dee

Tags: Coach Coxing Coxswain Crew Crew Team Elite Rower Erg Erging Fall Rowing Female Athletes Female Rowers JL Racing Novice Rowing Philadelphia Regatta Row Rowers Rowing Rowing Club Rowing Community Summer Rowing Women Athletes Women Rowers Women's History Month Youth Rowing

National Girls and Women in Sports Day 2025

We're celebrating the 39th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day, a day that honors not just the champions and record-breakers, but also the grassroots efforts of communities, schools, and organizations that ensure sports are accessible for all girls and women. We’re proud to amplify the voices of women athletes, and celebrate the boundless opportunities that sports create. Why do sports matter? Hear directly from some of The Boat Race athletes who inspire us to dream big and break boundaries.

February 03, 2025 — Kristin Foster

Tags: AIO Athlete Spotlight Cambridge University Boat Club CHANEL J12 Boat Race Collegiate Rowing Crew Crew Team CUBC Custom Rowing Kit DEI Female Athletes Female Rowers Inclusion JL Racing JL Rowing JLRowing National Girls and Women in Sports Day NGWSD OUBC Oxford University Boat Club Partnership Regatta River Thames Row Rowers Rowing Rowing AIO Rowing Club Rowing Community Rowing Kit Rowing Team Team Spotlight The Boat Race Unisuit United Kingdom Rowing Women Athletes Women in Sports Women Rowers Women's History Month

“The Boat Race is older than New Zealand as a country” – a Kiwi in Oxford

Tom Mackintosh, the Oxford University Boat Club President for 2025, is a rarity. A President who has never rowed a Boat Race; a man who took Olympic gold in the eight, then moved into the single and won World Championship bronze in the slowest and loneliest of boats. Not many people have sat on an Olympic start line in the biggest and smallest boats. Tom was Olympic champion in the New Zealand eight in Tokyo 2020, before taking some time away from rowing. He returned in the single scull, won World Championship bronze in 2023, and finished fifth in Paris 2024. This unique blend of experiences, Tom believes, sets him up well to lead the athletes at Oxford.

January 08, 2025 — Kristin Foster

Tags: Athlete Spotlight CHANEL CHANEL J12 Boat Race Crew Crew Team JL Racing JL Rowing JLRowing Olympics Oxford University Boat Club Partnership Regatta River Thames Row Rowers Rowing Rowing Club Rowing Community Rowing Team The Boat Race Tokyo Olympics UK Rowing United Kingdom Rowing

Presidents’ Challenge Launches 2025 Boat Race Season

The 2025 Boat Race season is officially underway following the annual Presidents’ Challenge, held this year at London’s iconic Somerset House. Marking the renewal of the legendary rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge, the event featured the formal challenge ceremony and introduced a season of exciting milestones, including CHANEL’s debut as the new title sponsor. With an increasingly diverse roster of athletes, including Olympians and rowers from 18 nationalities, the stage is set for the 79th Women’s and 170th Men’s Boat Races on April 13, 2025.

December 02, 2024 — Kristin Foster

Tags: Cambridge University Boat Club CHANEL CHANEL J12 Boat Race Collegiate Rowing Crew Custom Rowing Kit JL Racing JL Rowing JLRowing Oxford University Boat Club Partnership Regatta River Thames Row Rowers Rowing Rowing AIO Rowing Clothes Rowing Club Rowing Community Rowing Gear Rowing Kit Rowing Team Rowing Uni Rowing Unisuit The Boat Race United Kingdom Rowing

CHANEL and The Boat Race Announce Long-Term Partnership

CHANEL and The Boat Race Company Ltd have announced the signing of a long-term partnership with CHANEL as Title Sponsor and official Timekeeping Partner. The 2025 event will become The CHANEL J12 Boat Race. The historic race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities was established nearly 200 years ago in 1829. It is the oldest major sporting event in the UK, with the dark and light ‘Blues’ crews of eight rowers pitted against each other on the River Thames every year in the Spring.

October 25, 2024 — Kristin Foster

Tags: Cambridge University Boat Club CHANEL CHANEL J12 Boat Race Crew Crew Team Custom Rowing Kit JL Racing JL Rowing JLRowing Oxford University Boat Club Partnership Regatta River Thames Row Rowers Rowing Rowing Club Rowing Community Rowing Kit Sponsorship The Boat Race United Kingdom Rowing

The Boat Race Signs JL Racing as Official Kit Supplier

JL Racing has been appointed the official performance wear sponsor by The Boat Race Company. The partnership will see Oxford University Boat Club and Cambridge University Boat Club outfitted with JL Racing’s custom performance rowing apparel for training and racing.

September 19, 2024 — Hannah Abbott

Tags: Cambridge University Boat Club Collegiate Rowing Crew Crew Team Custom Custom Rowing Kit High Quality Custom Gear JL Racing JL Rowing JLRowing Oxford University Boat Club Partnership Regatta River Thames Row Rowers Rowing Rowing Clothes Rowing Club Rowing Community Rowing Gear Rowing Kit Rowing Team Rowing Uni Rowing Unisuit The Boat Race UK Rowing United Kingdom Rowing

Steering Toward Success: Coxswain’s Fall Season Essentials

Head race season is just around the corner! As coxswains swap side-by-side strategy and start sequences for course maps, 5k plans and perfecting their best “YIELD!”, now is the perfect time to open up those dry bags and double check that you have everything you need to be successful this fall.

August 05, 2024 — Amelia Simpson

Tags: Cold Weather Collegiate Rowing Crew Crew Team Fall Rowing Favorite Gear Gift Guide JL Racing JL Rowing JLRowing Novice Rowing Regatta Row Rowers Rowing Rowing Accessories Rowing Clothes Rowing Gear Rowing Jacket Rowing Kit Rowing Tights Rowing Uni Rowing Unisuit Rowing Vest Shirts Splash Jacket Uni Rowing Unisuit Warm Rowing Clothes Winter Rowing

Two Passions on a Single: Charlie, the Rowing Chestnut

I have some rather niche passions. The first one might not seem so niche to you, since you are currently reading “The Launch” a rowing blog made by a rowing gear company, but for many, it seems quite odd to have a wake up before 5 am to go sit on a tippy boat, narrower than your butt, to move backwards on a river…My second passion is the Castanea dentata tree (I told you it was rather niche…), the American Chestnut tree!

February 08, 2024 — Kristin Foster

Tags: Ambassador Athlete Spotlight Crew Head of the Charles HOCR JL Racing JL Rowing JLRowing Masters Rowing Regatta Row Rowers Rowing Rowing Community Team JL Team JL 2024 Team JL Spotlight

How To Design Custom Rowing Kit

With our sublimation printing method, the possibilities really are endless for your design! Read about the simple process of getting custom gear for your team, as well as common FAQs about the design process.

August 30, 2022 — Kristin Foster

Tags: Crew Custom Custom Rowing Kit High Quality Custom Gear JL Racing JL Rowing JLRowing Regatta Row Rowers Rowing Rowing Clothes Rowing Club Rowing Kit Rowing Team Rowing Tech SHirt Rowing Tights Sublimation

~The Launch~