<p>Hi,
I am currently a rising junior in the class of 2015 in CT. I am planning on taking the SATs in october. I am mostly a B+, A- student. I will have a decently rigorous junior year, 3 AP's and Honors Chem. ( APs are Econ, Lang, US history). </p>
<p>So far I am 6'0" and 144lbs. My erg scores are 7:12.1 2k and 1:57.7 20 min test which is pretty much like a 5k.I have been rowing for 3.5 years now. I was wondering how much I would need to drop in order to be able to row lw in college at either Penn or Dartmouth, my top D1 rowing schools. Would coaches want me to stay under 150lbs and compete lightweight at the junior level or should i go hw next year at 160lbs? Also, what are good scores for someone of my size? </p>
<p>My realistic goals are a sub 7 2k by winter and a 1:55 20 min by the end of the fall. </p>
<p>So far, the only national regatta I have gone to is Club Nationals, where we got 6th in the Junior B 8. Is that worth mentioning to coaches?</p>
<p>Any help would be great.</p>
<p>Hi. You do have time to get your 2k erg score lower, but it will be a lot of hard work. The lightweight Ivy coaches that my son is in touch with (Penn, Dartmouth, Yale, Cornell, Columbia) specified they wanted below 6:40 on a 2k to “start a conversation”. The closer you are to 6:30, the better. For college LW it seems 160 or lighter is the goal. I don’t think you have to worry about staying lightweight at the junior level. Sure, mention your national regattas, (if you got # 6 out of 6, I would just mention that you “competed at Nationals”- it does look good that you are rowing in the summer). You can ask them direct questions about where they expect your erg score to be next summer to be in the recruitable range. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>Thanks for the response. The only reason I would stay under is to compete as a lightweight for spring of 2014 as the limit is now 150. Are those times for guys closer to 160? If so, did your son get told what times are for under 150 lb guys?</p>
<p>I am happy to help. Only one Ivy specified what they wanted for specific ranges in the college lightweight category - Columbia. I just looked at an old email:
6:40 or Faster - 150 Pounds
6:35 or Faster - 155 Pounds
6:30 or Faster - 160 Pounds</p>
<p>The other Ivy colleges just mentioned “sub 6:40 for lightweights”. One coach said he had a lot of 6:39’s and that my son " should pull away from the pack" (get faster!) My son does not row lightweight on his high school team, as he is about 162, but he is being recruited as a college lightweight and has two official Ivy visits thus far scheduled for Sept. Also, as far as grades and our experience with the above mentioned schools, Yale has the least flexible academic standards .</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. Of all the lightweight programs, I think only dartmouth and penn would be where I would look as they are on the slower side ( for the earc).</p>
<p>You’re welcome! I don’t think Penn and D are much slower to be honest. My son’s teammates who are not sub 6:40 have not received any lightweight Ivy official invites and I know the Penn lightweight coach said to one “I will be more than happy to talk to you when you break 6:40.” However, you can get there! My son noticed a big drop when he rowed twice a day. Row hard and I wish you all the best!</p>
<p>Hi there my son is going to HYP lightweight. As a junior he erged just sub 6:38. At the Boston CRASH Bs he did 6:38 ish as a junior - we knew that was slow… He bettered his time in the summer and was sub that 4 seconds by the time of the coaches were asking for OVs. We got asked to go to 2 schools you can’t say no to - for UVs and then got 5 OVs ultimately. As an aside I was in a total quandary as to what to do on the UVs but we must have done okay as we were asked back for OVs. He is Lightweight at 155 and about 5 10 ish. He worked like a total maniac on the Concept 2 all summer long from grade 11 to grade 12. He liked the ACT better than the SATand did 34. Where he went was fine with that as long as you did SAT 2s. He took as many APs as possible. I think what got him the 5 OVS of his choice was his final at the end of the summer sub time. GOOD LUCK</p>
<p>Just an updated profile that would be great for help. </p>
<p>32 on my first act and 211 psat
3.74 gpa
6:53 2k and 22:21.2 6k
6’ 1.5" and 150 lbs
Rowing in a lwt 8 that is undefeated after two large east coast regattas and most likely nationals is in the future. </p>
<p>Would penn, dartmouth, georgetown, mit be viable with these new stats?</p>
<p>Your low weight would be a positive, as it would balance the boat with guys who are 160. I don’t have any experience with the 2k times that MIT and Georgetown are looking for. However, our experience with Penn and Dartmouth is that they are looking for sub 6:40. It couldn’t hurt to email the Frosh coaches (Colin Farrell at Penn and Taylor Black at Dartmouth.) They may have some advice or input for you. If you are heart set on rowing at the college level, you may want to broaden your search. Have you filled out recruiting forms and sent emails to the coaches? If not, now is the time to start. Good luck.</p>
<p>Hi folks - </p>
<p>We wanted to weigh in here. Our staff includes two former Sprints LWT coaches/recruiters in Ryan Sparks (formerly Yale) and Patrick Rufo (formerly Penn). Additionally, we employ coaches from the above staffs at our summer camps. Carolinab is pretty accurate - but we’d like to make a few things clear. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>The lightweight league is small. Regardless of whether you’re looking at HYP or Penn, which are admittedly different academically, recruitable ergs for LWTs stay the same and the “market” is incredibly competitive - probably more so than open women or men. </p></li>
<li><p>There is no weight adjustment. The market is simply too competitive. I recognize that’s a downer, and we’ve seen many 140 lb kids look at DIII/NESCAC schools with success as a result. Yes, DIII/NESCAC schools do recruit and offer competitive academic experiences to “feather-weight” and “mid-weight” athletes. Coaches can make room for an extra special, and feather weights are welcome to walk on and have proven to be great oarspeople (particularly in the bow), but please keep this in mind. </p></li>
<li><p>When one coach on our staff asked their head coach what the recruitable range should be sub 6:40, the head coach’s reply was, “how fast is fast?” Keep in mind the competition is global, not national - and the top 2% of LW juniors go sub 6:30. </p></li>
<li><p>The difference between HYP recruits and those at institutions that may be less academically intense (though this is baloney - the real difference is US News and World Reports and a good experience can be had anywhere based on the student) is generally academics. Google “academic index” for more information - there’s an intricate system of slots used at most of these institutions based on a score derived from SATs, transcripts, and the like. </p></li>
<li><p>2Ks only go so far. They get you into the conversation, but we continually find ourselves reminding folks at recruiting presentations that they’re only an entry point (see <a href=“http://www.rowingrecruiting.com/2014/05/recruiting-2k-erg-scores/”>http://www.rowingrecruiting.com/2014/05/recruiting-2k-erg-scores/</a>). Moreover, we have seen and expect them to move slightly each year. 6:40 and better is an older standard, and dependent on whether a kid is coming out of a program known for producing solid scores or lesser known program and their on water results, 6:39 may or may not work. 6:38 or better is a better measure - sub 6:36 for more interest. </p></li>
<li><p>Different schools have different amounts of slots allotted for their LWT programs with admissions. This can change annually and given the small number of schools in the general market, it obviously makes an impact on the market as a whole. </p></li>
<li><p>LWT coaches probably talk amongst themselves the most out of any class of rowing coaches. Please keep this in mind when speaking to schools about commitment. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hope this helps - </p>
<p>the team at Sparks </p>
<p>Agreed. My lightweight son was recruited at sub 6:30, and it seems the Ivy coaches are expecting faster & faster every year. One thing I question though, is the weight adjustment. I recall an email from a Columbia coach last spring who gave different expected 2k times according to weight. For a 150lb guy they wanted sub 6;40, for a 155 lb guy they wanted 6:35, and for a 160 lb guy they wanted 6:30. This was a year ago, I am sure the times should be faster, but there was indeed a weight adjustment given.</p>