<p>I will be starting crew next year (sophomore year of high school), but there is a problem. My high school doesn't offer it. I would have to take it through a local club my town offers. Could I still be recruited to MIT through the club? Would I have to have really good stats? How hard is it to be recruited for crew specific to MIT?</p>
<p>Crew at MIT is the only D1 program they offer, and also the one they most heavily recruit for. So the requirements are definitely high. You should do some google-ing to figure out what kind of times they look for, and if you don’t have those times, getting recruited would be very difficult…
Also, MIT is MIT, so having high stats would definitely help you. I’m sure the coaches require their recruits to have very high grades and scores, and from what I gather, such academic performance is normal amongst HS crew rowers. That being said, if you are very good, there might be some leeway because crew is the only D1 program they offer, and so it is the sport considered most important. I would get your club coaches to do some research for you, start contacting the coaches for schools you’re interested in. Good luck.</p>
<p>^^Are you heavyweight or lightweight? For a guy, the cut-off for lightweight is about 160 lbs, but if you start out about 165 lbs you may end up as lightweight. The times are different.</p>
<p>Just because crew is D1 doesn’t mean the recruitment is any different for it than other sports…They don’t offer scholarships. And it’s not a slot system (i.e., MIT will take the best X rowers which clear certain academic bars.) This is unlike the ivies.</p>
<p>Athletics seems to be a better hook than when I went to school (where it was just like any other non-academic activity,) but I still think it’s not a great strategy to do a sport to help you get into MIT. For reference, when I went to MIT almost no one had rowed before college.</p>
<p>I am a freshman and am definitely lightweight at about 130 pounds and 5’9" I would definitely have to work on my arm strength and such, but hopefully I can work on that throughout high school. Thanks for all your help!</p>
<p>Also, I have very good grades and am taking all the AP classes my school offers. Hopefully, that will help in my recruitment; however, do you think they will even consider me since I will only be in a club?</p>
<p>Arm strength is not very important for rowing. The people who are good at rowing have very strong legs, like soccer player legs, but are also tall and lanky. Back strength is also important, but most people don’t really know if they have a strong back. Endurance is also key, but some guys that are great milers won’t be that great at rowing because they aren’t tall enough and/or aren’t strong enough.</p>
<p>You are lightweight now, but who knows how big you’ll be as a senior.</p>
<p>The best people in lightweight are 5’11" - 6’1" and 160 lbs.-160 lbs.
The best people in heavyweight tend to be 6’3" to 6’5". The average height in the NBA is less than that of the olympic heavyweight crew teams–they are that big. </p>
<p>Just one tip–I wouldn’t mess around with dieting trying to stay a lightweight during high school. You could stunt your growth.</p>
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<p>Rowing is not really a skill sport, so if you can get the right erg (indoor rowing machine) score, I think they might recruit you on that alone.</p>
<p>However, as I said, it seems like you are treating MIT athletic recruitment as if it was the same as the ivy league…I don’t know why you think rowing is the ticket to MIT…</p>
<p>Thanks for your evident knowledge about rowing. Leg muscle is not a problem for me. In fact, girls at school call me “Sexy Legs” to my immense displeasure… However, I do believe <em>some</em> arm strength is needed for rowing, am I right? However, endurance I am rather mediocre at. This can be solved after a few years of cardio training. Unfortunately my parents are not very tall, so I will probably peak at around 5’11" if I’m lucky. I definitely will not diet to maintain a low weight because I already have a high metabolism as it is… To tell the truth, I’m honestly trying to GAIN weight right now. By the way, I do not believe crew is the sole thing that will get me into MIT, but anything helps when it comes to MIT admissions! I actually picked up an interest for rowing in PE because we have a rowing unit and my school has about 20 rowing machines available for use. Rowing appealed to me because you get an incredible cardiovascular workout without having to run which includes pounding feet hard on the ground and being in the sun. Rowing on a machine, on the other hand, requires no outdoor exposure and puts no repetitive beats of pressure on the feet. Swimming also does not require pounding the feet, but it also requires better form and physically getting in the water.</p>
<p>By the way, I actually do play soccer! Soccer is quite fun actually! Also, my mile time isn’t <em>great</em>. It’s about 6:40 on average… I can easily work on that though. I also plan on getting a rowing machine for Christmas because I love the effect it has on you after an intense workout!</p>
<p>OK, hopefully they told you the right form in PE. It’s pretty simple, but it’s best to start out doing it the right way so you don’t develop bad habits. </p>
<p>Yeah, I’m sure arm strength helps some, but I think people who haven’t done it before don’t realize it is primarily a legs/back sport. Doing pull-ups is probably the best training for the back/arms, though most guys have to work up to doing pull-ups. </p>
<p>Your endurance is decent for someone starting out, though some guys are like the cross-country stars. You actually do sound like you fit the profile of someone who would be good at rowing.</p>
<p>In PE they told us : legs, arms, arms, legs in order of which limbs to engage with first. I can do eh about 10 pull ups, but I dont work out as often as I would like to. Thank you for your encouragement! I hope I can be a great-or at least good-rower someday!</p>
<p>The sequence is: push back by extending your legs, then pull back by rotating your back with your arms still rigidly straight, and then pull your arms to your chest. There’s probably a decent instructional video on youtube…</p>
<p>10 pull-ups is great btw, especially for a freshman…</p>
<p>That is exactly what they taught us! Is 10 pull ups actually good? <em>phew</em> I guess I have some hardcore athletes at my school then!</p>