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There has been rowing at Kings since 1884. At the heart of this proud legacy lies the Kings College School Boat Club (KCSBC) and its esteemed Supporters Association (KCSBCSA).
The roots of rowing at Kings can be traced back to the19th century when a group of pioneering pupils first took to the water. From humble beginnings, rowing has steadily gained momentum at the school and evolved into the thriving programme we see today.
The King’s Boat Club Supporters’ Association (KCSBCSA) was founded in 1974. Over the last fifty years the Supporters’ Association has provided a focal point for parental support, successfully raising the funds that are critical to support top-level rowing for the pupils and equally importantly building the overall club spirit. The BCSA arranges many social events over the school year including a pupil-run Quiz Night, Christmas Festive Races, an informal social evening for current and former rowers and parents, an Annual Dinner, Summer Prize-giving and an alumni gathering at Henley Royal Regatta. The Supporters also organise the catering for the Schools' Head and the National Schools’ Regatta. The funds raised at these events support our rowers by making significant contributions to the costs of upgrading and enhancing the equipment that provides a competitive edge on the water. The practical help from parents in organising and supporting all these events is hugely appreciated.
Rowing at King’s College School Wimbledon has a somewhat elusive history, making brief and infrequent appearances since the School's founding in 1829. The Boat Club, however, was founded in 1864, with rowing really taking off at King’s in the late 20th century, when they were based in Molesey. It has gone from strength to strength since the acquisition of their own Boat House on the Putney Embankment in 1993.
The Boat House has an impressive fleet of racing boats, largely consisting of best-in-class eights. In recent years, generous alumni and parent donations have unlocked a new standard in equipment at KCSBC, from reverse carbon wing eights and singles to their top-spec fleet of pairs and fours.
The Boat Club ranges from J14s (Year 9) through to J18s (Year 13) and has roughly 120 members at any one time, with some of the younger age groups having an excess of 40 athletes. Since the introduction of girls into the School in 2010, the girls' rowing programme has continued to grow and compete at the highest domestic and international level.
At the three largest races of the year, the Schools’ Head of the River, the National Schools’ Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta, KCSBC’s boys squads prioritise the eights' events, with top athletes from each year group racing ruthlessly against the top competition in the country. King’s has seen great success in the eights' category in recent years, particularly the School's First Eight, which has made the championship 8s final at the National Schools’ Regatta every year the event has been running since 2019. The girls squad has less of a targeted boat category and instead the top girls enjoy racing in fours, quads, doubles, pairs and eights.
In recent years, the Boat Club has hosted large numbers of alumni over the winter holiday for some competitive but friendly training with the current athletes. This mixing of past and present demonstrates to the current athletes where rowing can help open doors for them, with many of alumni returning from Ivy League schools in the US to train back at their home club for the holidays. This alumni presence plays a powerful role in the development of the club as well as in the personal development of the boys and girls who can learn from their older counterparts.
KCSBC is grateful for all the support they get from alumni and is keen to continue building relationships in the future.
The Boat Club Supporters’ Association Committee is run by representatives from all year groups. Getting involved in any of our activities is fun and provides opportunities to meet other rowing parents. If you are interested in learning more about how you can support King’s rowing, please contact the BCSA Chair, Louise Monaghan.
The BCSA are very keen to keep in touch with alumni rowers, coxes and their parents and have very much enjoyed reconnecting with many of you at our recent events for alumni including at The Crooked Billet in Wimbledon Village and at Henley Royal Regatta. You cannot underestimate the encouragement it gave our Senior 1st VIII crew and our rowing coaches to be clapped out of the boating tent at Henley Royal Regatta by so many current and former supporters of the Boat Club and we would love to reconnect with even more of you!
If you are a former rower, a supporter, or an admirer of KCSBC and KCSBCSA, and are interested in staying connected with rowing at King's, then we encourage you to register your interest with us. By doing so, you will be the first to hear about upcoming events, competitions, and other exciting developments within our community. We are also eager to hear your memories and anecdotes of rowing at King’s, so please do share these with us if you would like to. Simply contact development@kcs.org.uk.
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Behind every turning point, success, and achievement, lie individuals whose unwavering commitment and passion have steered rowing at King’s to new heights. From coaches who have imparted their wisdom and expertise to captains who have led their crews to victory, their tireless efforts have contributed to the rich tapestry of rowing at King's. Likewise, the contributions of dedicated parents and alumni, and their support of rowers past and present, cannot be overstated. Read on as Pat Reed-Boswell, former chair of KCSBCSA, shares her memories of rowing in the 1990s, and watch an interview between Patrick Duggan and Tony Brook, former Directors of Rowing at King's.
“If the 1990s were a turning point in the fortunes of Britain’s Olympic rowers, the same can be said for the KCS Boat Club and its Supporters’ Association following the purchase of Barclays Bank boathouse in 1993.
I took over the Chairmanship of KCSBCSA in 1994 at the most exciting time in the history of the boat club: our own ‘home’ on the embankment at Putney! We quickly launched a raft of activities, both social and fundraising, to promote the school’s presence at the heart of the Boat Race, whileincreasing the profile of rowing at King’s. It was fun, financially beneficial to the club and with firm friendships formed that would last well beyond school.
We stood in the smoke of a barbecue selling burgers at the main HORRs, ran a successful car boot sale, held a sponsored event at Wimbledon Stadium, a quiz at school and many other fundraising events, all of which provided new boats and supported the school’s tour of New Zealand in 1997.
From 1996 onwards I welcomed the ‘Oarsome Foursome’ of Redgrave, Pinsent, Foster, and Cracknell, each of whom addressed the club at boat naming events or at our Annual Dinner. It was a privilege and an honour for a non-rower! I joined the boat club at their training camp on Vancouver Island in 1999 acting as minibus driver to the regatta each day and later in Banyoles, Spain, sitting in the coaching launch during outings and over-seeing the boys’ homework in the afternoons. Redgrave and Pinsent returned to the school to inspire the boys, as did Katherine Grainger and other Olympic gold medallists in the coming years.
When I retired in 2009 after fifteen years at the helm, I took with me wonderful memories of the people I had met and the places I had been in my support of rowing at King’s. My sincere thanks to all those supportive, generous, parents and the amazing, dedicated coaching staff who made those years so incredibly special. I will always be a boat club supporter!”
If you are interested in delving deeper into the history of rowing at King's, a comprehensive account can be found in the below article. It covers the earliest days of rowing at the School to the present day, highlighting key moments, notable achievements and important figures who have contributed to the legacy of rowing at King's.
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Max Kirby (OK 2005)
Chair of the Regional Society US West Coast
Max left King's after completing his International Baccalaureate in 2005, followed by a BA in Modern History at The University Max is Director of Market Intelligence at Stripe, based out of San Francisco. He has been with Stripe for nearly 8 years - prior to which he was Partner at VCP Advisors in London, providing tailored execution and advisory services to corporates, limited partners, and private equity and hedge fund managers. He has also worked in Stockholm for Klarna for two years.
Ryan Houghton-Berry (OK 2010)
Co-chair of the King's Regional Society US East Coast
Ryan left King's in 2010 and went on to study a BA in Public Policy at Duke University, followed by an MBA at The University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business. He is currently VP Business Planning and Communications for Goldman Sachs in New York where he leads Global Marketing's functional business planning and communications, including management of firmwide marketing budget, senior leadership reporting, and CMO-led events and comms.
Jin Hyung Lee (OK 2010)
Chair of the King's Regional Society of Asia
Jin was educated in Singapore before joining King's for his IB, and and then went on to gain a BA as well as an MEng in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Cambridge. Jin is currently Business Development Manager at GreeneGene, as well as Managing Partner at Advanced Growing Labs.
James Smith (OK 1995)
Chair of the LGBT+ Network + Chair of the King's Regional Society of Australia & NZ
James (He/Him) left Kings in 1995, took a gap year as a lab technician in Switzerland, and studied Electrical Engineering at Warwick, graduating in 1999. He then worked at the BBC in technical project management and engineering. In 2010, he joined the London 2012 Olympics venue technology team. Afterward, he returned to broadcasting at SkyTV and the BBC, then moved to Australia in 2016 for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. He became Head of Technology for the 2018 Invictus Games and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and worked on capital projects for the Queensland Government. Recently, he was CIO for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games until its cancellation, and is now Director of Court Technology Services in Queensland.
James lives with his husband of 11 years in Brisbane, Australia. He has always been an advocate for supporting LGBTIQ+ people in life and more particularly the workplace.
Peter Cureton (OK 2006)
Co-chair Regional Society US East Coast
Peter left King’s in 2006 and studied Money, Banking, and Finance at Birmingham University. He spent most of his early career at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse in London, New York, and Hong Kong. He is currently working with Private Equity portfolio companies, driving business transformation and value creation.
Outside of work, his world is dominated by his three small children and their various football commitments, watching Arsenal on his phone while standing on the sidelines and dreaming of the days when his weekends were free to play golf.
Max Kirby (OK 2005)
Chair of the Regional Society US West Coast
Max left King's after completing his International Baccalaureate in 2005, followed by a BA in Modern History at The University Max is Director of Market Intelligence at Stripe, based out of San Francisco. He has been with Stripe for nearly 8 years - prior to which he was Partner at VCP Advisors in London, providing tailored execution and advisory services to corporates, limited partners, and private equity and hedge fund managers. He has also worked in Stockholm for Klarna for two years.
Ryan Houghton-Berry (OK 2010)
Co-chair of the King's Regional Society US East Coast
Ryan left King's in 2010 and went on to study a BA in Public Policy at Duke University, followed by an MBA at The University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business. He is currently VP Business Planning and Communications for Goldman Sachs in New York where he leads Global Marketing's functional business planning and communications, including management of firmwide marketing budget, senior leadership reporting, and CMO-led events and comms.
Jin Hyung Lee (OK 2010)
Chair of the King's Regional Society of Asia
Jin was educated in Singapore before joining King's for his IB, and and then went on to gain a BA as well as an MEng in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Cambridge. Jin is currently Business Development Manager at GreeneGene, as well as Managing Partner at Advanced Growing Labs.
James Smith (OK 1995)
Chair of the LGBT+ Network + Chair of the King's Regional Society of Australia & NZ
James (He/Him) left Kings in 1995, took a gap year as a lab technician in Switzerland, and studied Electrical Engineering at Warwick, graduating in 1999. He then worked at the BBC in technical project management and engineering. In 2010, he joined the London 2012 Olympics venue technology team. Afterward, he returned to broadcasting at SkyTV and the BBC, then moved to Australia in 2016 for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. He became Head of Technology for the 2018 Invictus Games and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and worked on capital projects for the Queensland Government. Recently, he was CIO for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games until its cancellation, and is now Director of Court Technology Services in Queensland.
James lives with his husband of 11 years in Brisbane, Australia. He has always been an advocate for supporting LGBTIQ+ people in life and more particularly the workplace.
Peter Cureton (OK 2006)
Co-chair Regional Society US East Coast
Peter left King’s in 2006 and studied Money, Banking, and Finance at Birmingham University. He spent most of his early career at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse in London, New York, and Hong Kong. He is currently working with Private Equity portfolio companies, driving business transformation and value creation.
Outside of work, his world is dominated by his three small children and their various football commitments, watching Arsenal on his phone while standing on the sidelines and dreaming of the days when his weekends were free to play golf.
development@kcs.org.uk
+44 (0) 208 255 5408
King’s College School Southside, Wimbledon Common, London, SW19 4TT