<p>My college (George Washington, Division 1) had tryouts a few weeks ago for walk-ons who had never tried the sport, and I made the team and have been learning how to row through that. The six of us who made it spend the fall learning the stroke and stuff, somewhat with the rest of the team but still pretty separated in our own boat and all, and then we jump in with everyone else for winter training. It’s definitely possible, most colleges do hold tryouts for novices like I went through.</p>
<p>As for times, the boys I know have to get an average split of under 1:50 for a 6k.</p>