<p>Hi, I was recently admitted to Penn, and am considering looking into joining Penn's rowing team. However, I have never rowed before (I've run Cross Country all of middle and high school). I am fully aware that joining Penn's rowing team may be close to impossible for someone like me, a complete amateur regarding rowing. I am relatively fit but not "athletic", and try to exercise on a regular basis. Would it be completely out of the question for someone like me to join the rowing team? I am also 125 pounds, so I would be joining the lightweight men's rowing team. Any feedback would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>You would make a GREAT coxswain. The minimum weight for men’s coxswains is 125.</p>
<p>My son is a freshman who is fairly athletic, but had no experience in rowing, and decided to try out for the heavyweight team this year. Basically, anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort can be part of the freshman team. Be forewarned, however, that it does take a lot of time and effort. They practice six days a week for the first couple of months, with lots of extreme workouts on the rowing machines and running, etc. Most, but not all, of the rowers in the top boat are recruited athletes, but they field as many boats as they have rowers to man them, so you will probably get to row. My son enjoyed it, but in the end decided it wasn’t worth risking his GPA for (he’s pre-med), and he was missing out on some of the social life in his dorm. </p>
<p>You are a bit light for lightweight rowing, most of the rowers are 145-160 pounds, but as the previous poster pointed out, 125 is the perfect weight for a coxswain!</p>
<p>If you want to row, you can row. Literally, as I was moving into my dorm, one of the upperclassmen in crew ambushed me and asked me to sign up for the rowing listserv because I supposedly looked like a great addition to the team. They also have activities throughout NSO, like letting anybody try a rowing machine to see how many strokes they can get in a minute.</p>
<p>In short, if you want to do crew, you can.</p>