Our nationally recognized co-ed rowing club is more than 80 students strong—and still growing. WJ Crew is a club sport, as are all crew programs at Montgomery County public schools. We are a self-sustaining, nonprofit corporation operated by the parents and guardians of our rowers and coxswains. The team welcomes men and women from Walter Johnson High School as well as 7th- and 8th-grade students from North Bethesda and Tilden Middle Schools. No prior rowing experience is required to join.
WJ Crew is proud to be part of the Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Rowing Association (WMIRA), which also includes Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Gonzaga, Walt Whitman, Jackson-Reed, DeMatha, Elizabeth Seton, Holton-Arms, Gunston, Bishop-Ireton, St. Albans, St. Andrews, and St. Johns.
Our Mission
The mission of Walter Johnson Crew is to both build a team culture of personal dedication, mutual support, and shared achievement, and to train and inspire rowers and coxswains so that they make the choice to excel.
The Season
WJ Crew’s season is divided into three parts: fall head races, winter conditioning, and spring sprint races.
The fall season runs from September through early November. Returning rowers practice on the water at Bladensburg during the week. New rowers — novices — begin with a learn-to-row session (if they have not already completed one). Afterward, novices join the varsity rowers on the water for the remainder of the season. Participation in fall regattas — long-distance head races of 4 to 5 km — is primarily for varsity rowers, though advanced novices may also have opportunities to compete.
Winter conditioning begins after the Thanksgiving break and continues through the end of February. Training takes place near Walter Johnson High School and includes weightlifting, cross-training, and rowing machine (erg) workouts to build strength and endurance. The winter program also features indoor rowing tank sessions at the U.S. Naval Academy and opportunities to participate in indoor erg-sprint competitions.
The spring season runs from March through mid-May and is the busiest part of the year. Unlike the fall, when regattas are primarily varsity events, the spring season is the main competitive season for all rowers, novice and varsity alike. The racing calendar usually includes at least eight regattas, featuring short-distance sprint races of 1.5 or 2 km. One of the highlights is the Stotesbury Cup Regatta in Philadelphia, the largest high school regatta in the country. The team departs for Philadelphia on Thursday morning and returns Saturday. Fees for away regattas, such as the Stotesbury Cup and SRAA Nationals, are not included in the spring season fees.
