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Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky, is consistently ranked one of the top private high schools in the state. For the 2025-2026 school year, St. X was ranked the 10th best high school athletics program in the country by MaxPreps and was the only all-boys school in the top 20.
The rowing team at St. X had its first full year of competition in the 25-26 school year and finished with a boat ranked 4th in the Midwest and qualified for the Scholastic National Championships.
“Saint Xavier, a Catholic secondary school sponsored by the Xaverian Brothers, has remained faithful to the Xaverian legacy since 1864. We empower young men with diverse learning styles and backgrounds to grow in faith and service, pursue unparalleled opportunities, build enduring personal relationships, and achieve their highest potential.”
Rowing at STX
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Anyone can start rowing as a freshman at STX. No experience is necessary, and most high school rowers in the US have not rowed before high school. Rowing practices year-round after school, with fall and spring competitive racing seasons, winter training, and summer club seasons offered through BRC and other options.
Practice takes place at the Louisville Community Boathouse in downtown Louisville on the Ohio, and occasionally at Guist Creek Marina during the spring. Races are held around the region in Nashville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Oak Ridge, Chattanooga, and more; the team occasionally travels to locations like Michigan and Philadelphia.
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No experience is required to start rowing at Saint Xavier. Freshmen are especially encouraged to come out in the fall of their first year and try out the program in August. No commitment is required until Labor Day.
Athletes can also begin in the spring of their freshman year, or the fall of their sophomore year. After that, it becomes difficult to get caught up with the other athletes in your class.
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Practices for STX Rowing are held downtown, at the Louisville Community Boathouse area. Practice is generally Monday - Thursday, soon after school, and Saturday mornings. Practices run 2.5 hours and may involve running and body-weight exercises as well as rowing on the water. All rowers must pass a swim test before geting in a boat.
Races are held around the region and generally last all day, and sometimes two days. Rowers usually compete by experience level: freshmen, novice (any rower in their first year of competing), junior varsity (any non-novice who isn’t varsity) and varsity. Some regattas have age or grade categories. Boat placements and categories change throughout the season after your novice year.
Races are long, timed pieces in the fall, and shorter sprints (1500m or 2000m) races from standing starts with 3-8 boats across in the season. At some races, called regattas, rowers may compete in multiple categories or advance through heat, semifinals, and finals.
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Bluegrass Rowing Club exists to provide Under-19 and Under-23 rowers in the Louisville area and beyond with summer rowing and racing opportunities, but is primarily a program for athletes and alumni of St. X. Anyone can join, but most of the rowers are affiliated with St. X.
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The Saint Xavier team was founded in 2023, and participated in fall rowing and some races in the fall seasons of 2023 and 2024. In the summer of 2025, Head Coach J. D. Bridges was hired, and the team moved to a year-round competitive training and racing schedule. They competed in their first regional championships in the spring of 2026 and qualified the Junior Quad for the National Championships.
FAQ
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Rowing is a varsity, competitive sport just like all others offered at STX The only difference is that Rowing is not recognized by the KHSAA, though we follow most of their rules anyway. You cannot participate in another varsity or significant club sport and rowing during the same season, though we have a number of two-sport athletes who do other varsity sports in fall or winter.
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Like any sport at STX, rowing requires commitment to be successful. Unlike many other sports, rowing is off-campus, requires a lot of extra equipment, and (almost) all of its competitions are in other cities or other states. In that sense, it does take a lot of time, though we think you’ll find it’s worth every minute.
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We have found over the years (and research into athletic and academic success bears out) that getting involved in a sport teaches discipline and time managment from day one. If you build your daily high school schedule knowing you have practice in the afternoons, you are more likely to budget your time well and more likely to stay on track.
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In short, maybe - you have a better chance of getting recruited to row than you do most sports at STX. College coaches look for extremely fit, often tall and strong, but most of all dedicated athletes. STX coaches have decades of experience walking athletes through the recruitment process.
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No. You do, however, have to row in at least spring. That’s our main season and has our regional and national championships. You may row in ONLY spring (if you are able to keep up with your technique and fitness), or both fall and spring, but you may not row in only the fall.
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Rowing offers a trial period in the fall, from the first practice (usually starting the first weekend after the first full week of school) through the end of August. You must have all your athletic paperwork in order and pass a swim test, but you do not have to commit or pay dues until after Labor Day.
You can also do Learn-to-Row camps through Camp X or Louisville Rowing Club. Click here for more information.
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J. D. Bridges is the Head Coach for both Bluegrass Rowing Club and the Saint Xavier rowing program. Coach Bridges has over two decades of coaching experience, with multiple national championships, DI recruited athletes, U23 and Senior World Championship athletes, and numerous former athletes as assistant and head coaches themselves. Coach Bridges also has particular expertise in summer rowing camps, having coached at Vesper and Penn AC’s junior programs and founded Upper River Boat Club and the Philadelphia Sculling Club, both of which won summer national championships.