Heavyweight height question for post graduate

Athletic Recruits
1

<p>Hi. I'm 19 and in my first year at college. I'm originally from the UK but my parents moved over to the US in 2009 and I decided to have a 'gap year' last year before starting college at the end of August this year.</p>

<p>I rowed for a few years in the UK and I really got my technique down and my coach thought I had potential to go very far. Unfortunately the crew I was in disbanded in my final year of high school as most of them were the year above me, so I stopped rowing, but stayed reasonably fit. During my year out however I spent a few months travelling, drinking and not eating very well, which lead to me losing about 5kg/11lbs in weight, and a fairly large amount of strength and endurance, some of which is starting to come back. Perhaps, looking back it wasn't the best idea, but with the group of friends I was with and the environment I was in, an alternative wasn't really viable, especially diet wise.</p>

<p>However, I am really set on rowing post - grad at either an Ivy League college or in the UK (preferably Oxbridge). The only problem is my height. I currently weigh 176lbs (was around 185lbs just before I left for travelling), bone dry, with literally no body fat, but am also only just over 6'1. This has lead to coaches telling me that I am too small to row heavy weight and that I should row lightweight. My issue with this is there is no way I could lose 16+lbs from my body. I'm broad shouldered, have a big chest and long arms (6'4 wing span). </p>

<p>Whilst I appreciate that a lot of the heavyweight guys a couple of inches taller than me, strength wise I'm matching a lot of them in training at the moment and I'm still not lifting anywhere near what I was 6 months ago.</p>

<p>So my plan is to train extremely hard, bulk up to around 190lbs of lean muscle whilst increasing my strength to pre travelling levels, and really work on nailing my 2k ergo.</p>

<p>My question to you guys is, will Ivy League / Oxbridge take a 6'1 guy for heavyweight providing he's doing the work on the ergs/water, and what kind of erg times should I be aiming for? Moreover, in the meantime has anybody got any suggestions for how I should handle my coaches who are telling me to cut down without getting on the wrong side of them? So far it's only really been mentioned in passing, although I imagine sooner or later they're going to have a serious chat with me and it seems they're pretty set on me being light weight.</p>

<p>Sorry for the length of the post. Thanks a lot for advice / comments!</p>

2

<p>So you’re in college right now, or you’re taking a gap year now?</p>

3

<p>In college right now. Been here since late August.</p>

4

<p>Might want to look at the recruiting web sites of the schools you plan to apply to–as they may have those stats…</p>

<p>I am confused by your post which says you are taking the gap year…and then you say you are in college now.</p>

<p>Are you planning on applying as a transfer???</p>

5

<p>I took a year out last year (2010 - 2011) now I’m at college until 2015 but then I want to do a post-graduate degree either back in the UK or at an Ivy League. Probably back in the UK though.</p>

6

<p>so you’re not planning to row until fall of 2015? You have a little time to sort this out. :slight_smile: Can you row where you are and save some eligibility for grad school?</p>

7

<p>I’m rowing at the moment, and have will start my post-grad course in 2015. My question is basically, will a 6’1 guy be recruited as a heavy weight rower?</p>

8

<p>I think there may be some difference between one’s ability to row in the US post-grad versus rowing for Oxford and Cambridge and you may be better off posing this question on a rowing forum like the ones they have at RowingIllustrated.com. But in answer to your question as to whether or not you can be recruited at 6’ 1", that is on the small side but if your 2K is stellar, coaches will take you seriously.</p>

9

<ol>
<li>Grad schools don’t recruit in the US.</li>
<li>If you look at the Oxford-Cambridge boats, there’s at least one guy your size in the top boat.</li>
<li>Lastly, scull and show you can move a boat.</li>
</ol>

10

<p>You cannot row on the undergraduate varsity crew teams in the US as a graduate student (or post-grad as you call it.) Graduate schools have club teams, which can participate in certain open regattas, but not the competitive undergraduate races.</p>

<p>And as beenthere says^^^ grad schools do not recruit athletes.</p>

11

<p>I’m not sure that grad students can’t row in an undergrad boat. I know that grad students can certainly play one more year if they (a) switch the sport, even after 4 years of one sport, or (b) have one year of eligibility left if they sat out a year because of injury, red shirting, etc. However, if you’re rowing now and will do so for 4 years, you wouldn’t have any eligibility left — unless the ivy would ‘cheat’ a little because men’s crew is not an NCAA sport. Of course, Oxbridge doesn’t have these time limits, which is why most of the top Oxbridge rowers are from outside the UK.</p>