<p>I am a junior who has rowed three years in high school. I am 6 feet tall and weigh 165 pounds. My best 2K is 6:50.3; my best 5K is 18:12. I have a 4.3 GPA. I took the SAT for the first time about a month ago and received a 2030. Some of my rowing accomplishments include placing 6th place at Nationals and placing 13th at the Head of the Charles. My ultimate goal is to attend a top university. </p>
<p>Should I try to maintain my weight in order to row as a lightweight in college?</p>
<p>[Rules</a> of Rowing](<a href=“http://usrowing.org/About/RulesofRowing.aspx]Rules”>http://usrowing.org/About/RulesofRowing.aspx)</p>
<p>Men’s rowing is capped at 160 no boat avg.
You will certainly gain 10-15 lbs of muscle development in the next few years.</p>
<p>Look at the schools websites for an idea about erg scores…Crash Bs etc. </p>
<p>Which schools are you hoping for–? Are you in contact with those coaches…start now and have your SATs done etc by May so you have a full package for prereads over the summer</p>
<p>My dream schools include all Ivy League universities. I am also considering Georgetown, Boston University, Boston College, Michigan, and Notre Dame. I have contacted several coaches, primarily lightweight coaches. Most coaches have told me that if I’m below 170, I should still consider lightweight rowing. I understand that if I were to consider heavyweight rowing at the top level, I would have to come close to or break the 6:30 barrier on a 2K. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>Dropping your erg time would be hard, but in the long run probably a lot easier than trying to stay lightweight. Can you work with your coach or a personal trainer familiar with rowing and start a concerted effort to drop your time before the Crash-B or other erg races in the Spring? That combined with really strong academics would make you stand out.
While you are justifiably proud of your nationals and HOCR experience, you may find a coach say what was said to my D “I don’t care about an 8+ placement. I don’t know if that placement was because of you, or in spite of you. I only care about singles, if at all”.</p>
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<p>I’m sorry, this is getting off-topic. Mods may move if they wish. But I’ve thought about this exact same thing.</p>
<p>Every rower’s recruiting page says their boat won this race or came in third or made it to the state championships, etc. And I always think, “Weren’t there seven other rowers in your boat? (If it’s an 8+ boat.) Plus a cox? Just as you said, how does anybody know if the boat did well because of one person or did well in spite of that person?</p>
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<p>That pretty much matches the same thing I’ve heard and read.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be able to row in a single or double because my team only races in eights and fours. To that end, I’m not as concerned about my achievements as I am concerned with my weight and 2K time. My primary question is whether or not I have the ability to row as a lightweight in college. If I remain at 165 up until my senior year and have decent erg scores, will college coaches still consider recruiting me?</p>
<p>Sorry, I don’t know. But remember, it’s not just keeping to 165 through high school, but your potential to stay a LW in college. Lower erg time will always help</p>
<p>GolfFather, re: Nationals experience in larger boats. Winning Nationals in a four or an eight - even doing well at Nationals - matters because the experience of being in a truly fast boat is something that changes an athlete. Coaches want the kids who know what it takes to make a big boat go really fast and at that level, there are no slackers in a boat. </p>
<p>Singles are a very different beast. At Nationals, the singles races are often won by specialists who don’t have much experience working in a Team or even rowing in a sweep boat. This is not to say that coaches don’t appreciate what it takes to do well in a single at Nationals - they do - but they absolutely want the guys who already have been in a very fast sweep boat.</p>
<p>slovenia: Focus on bringing down your erg score - and not on your weight.</p>
<p>I’ve decided to go heavyweight and drop my 2k time significantly. What are some good schools that I should consider if I want to be recruited with a 6:35-40 2k? I need to begin my college search and narrow down my options. Thank you very much for your time and thought.</p>
<p>Hi OP, good call on the decision to build your body up and bring your splits down! Is there any updates you can share?</p>
<p>I prefer “Open Weight.” ;)</p>
<p>Agree with 3xboys and would add that to be first boat on a team that is winning races on the national level, the rower would have inevitable been selected through seat racing, erg times, a coach’s assessment of their skill, etc. The weak links are weeded out.</p>
<p>However, on the club or school team level, I think GolfFather is right that there may well be more uneven teams that compete at nationals or place in a regional competition. The college coaches are often out there at races or team practices assessing the individual rowers on the the boats. But still–the rower is more than his/her erg score, and so the competitiveness of a boat seems to be a useful initial way to generate a coach’s interest. At any rate, college recruiting forms ask about race performance as well as erg score.</p>
<p>I would add that where you live and practice makes a difference. College coaches have told us that if you live in the frozen tundra and erg 6 months a year, you better have a fast erg score because they know that’s all you can do. If you live and practice in the sunny climes of Florida, Texas or California, they expect to see great race results, on the water video, and aren’t ‘as’ concerned with the erg. Boat movers aren’t always the fastest erg score. Weight, fluid body movement and acceleration off the foot stretchers often means more than the erg score. Erg scores are only a base line. </p>
<p>We had one Ivy coach tell us that the stroke seat of their LWT varsity 8 had the slowest erg score in the boat - 6:44 - but he could set the rhythm and lead the boat. Other ergs in the boat were in the 6:20s and low 6:30s.</p>
<p>If you have race results and experience, the coaches love to see video.</p>