<p>Many applicants this year seem to be interested in rowing, so I thought it would be fun to start a thread devoted to Secondary School Crew Programs.</p>
<p>Please feel free to ask questions or share what you know about a particular program.</p>
<p>Ready....Attention.....Row!</p>
<p>My D is trying out for Exeter women’s crew team tomorrow, and also rowed in the fall as a beginner. Enthusiastic team sport at Exeter, with many participants. </p>
<p>Coach Sally Morris has received “Junior Coach of the year award” from US Rowing, The women’s team ranked 4th at Youth Nationals 2011, with a record of 10-2, 12-0 and 11-0 for the three women’s boats floated in 2012, and sent two girls to World competition to medal.</p>
<p>Here are some schools that offer Crew. Some offer Fall and Spring rowing. If I’ve missed a program, please add the school to the list.</p>
<p>Baylor, Berkshire, Blair, Brewster, Brooks, Canterbury, Choate, Christchurch, Deerfield, Emma Willard, Groton, Gunnery, Hun, Kent, Lawrenceville, Middlesex, Miss Porter’s, NMH, Peddie, PA, PE, Pomfret, Salisbury, South Kent, SAS, ST Marks, Tabor, Taft and Vermont Academy.</p>
<p>Add St Paul’s School too.</p>
<p>2prepMom- Thank you and good luck to your daughter today!!</p>
<p>She made the team!</p>
<p>Good for her!!! She will never train harder for anything but crew can be a life changing sport. The downside for parents is that it is not a very spectator friendly sport. You hang around all day waiting for “your” race and then the boats fly by in a few seconds. In a head race, it is impossible to tell who is winning. But if you go to her races and become friendly with other crew parents, it is fun :)</p>
<p>I hope to be a part of the varsity crew team if accepted to a BS. 
Been rowing since the 5th grade, is it possible to be a freshie on varsity crew?</p>
<p>Anything is possible but it isn’t likely. To make the varsity you would need to have a better 2K, better form on the water, be taller, etc. There is movement among the boats during the season though so even if you aren’t on one of the top boats in the beginning of the Spring, you could move up.</p>
<p>It’s definitely possible if you have the erg score and the boat moving skills. It could depend partly on what boats count as varsity, because it’s not necessarily only the first boat. If the school rows fall and spring, you might start in the fall and be varsity in the spring. It may also depend on the depth of the program, but even in a strong program it can be done. A freshman stroked the andover first 8 a few years ago. A Deerfield freshman girl started rowing at Deerfield and made the US Jr. National team that summer, this past summer in fact. I assume she was a varsity rower at DA. So like many other things, it all depends. Whatever boat you are in, however, it’s a fantastic sport for well beyond your high school years.</p>
<p>The downside of crew for me is that we only get DS for one week of spring break (he comes home today) as he spends the second week in Florida with the team for spring practice. The huge upside, though, is that crew seems to be the one sport that a complete novice can take up in high school and become a varsity athlete before graduation. And I completely agree with @NEKreader about the benefit of crew:</p>
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<p>I agree with ChoatieMom that it’s nice to have a sport you can take up as a novice in HS. My DD will start crew this year and I encouraged her to try it partially because it’s her best chance to be on a JV or Varsity team. </p>
<p>I wish SPS had fall crew as well as spring but with a student body not much over 500, any sport you add has to be balanced against the effect of poaching athletes from other sports. This is one reason that SPS added a pool without adding a swim team.</p>
<p>For students (and parents) interested in rowing- here’s a list of websites to check out:</p>
<p>row2k (results )</p>
<p>Sports Graphics (pics)</p>
<p>USRowing</p>
<p>Regatta Central (they have a great app, too)</p>
<p>NEIRA</p>
<p>Oar Spotter</p>
<p>Please feel free to add more!</p>
<p>@2prepMom- Congratulations!</p>
<p>Thanks for the good wishes and all the info. D just started rowing last fall, so this is exciting, and I agree there seem to be good opportunities even if you are new to the sport. She also feels very comfortable with her teammates, I think crew in particular really encourages team work.</p>
<p>Crew season is here! Good luck to all the rowers out there!</p>
<p>Well… it’s now 2014 and the ice is slowly starting to melt. My boys were out on the water today and are finally away from the instrument of torture (also known as an Erg). Thought now would be a good time to bump this thread just in case there’s some interest in the sport. There are many awesome crew moms and dads here to answer questions so please feel free to ask away or talk about a particular program. If you’ve never rowed before, I would highly recommend you take a look at what SS Crew programs offer. They’re all amazing plus rowing is very good for you. (Falls under the heading: What doesn’t kill you WILL make you stronger 
) </p>
<p>All the best to the rowers heading south this month!</p>
<p>PS- I did the original program list off the top of my head and I see now that I missed a few. My apologies!</p>
<p>I really want to try crew! Has anyone done instructional crew in the fall? I know Andover does this.</p>
<p>I’d also like to try crew! I’m 5’9", so I think my height could be helpful. :)</p>
<p>(Also, 1st post! Yay!)</p>
<p>@cheeriohs Welcome!</p>
<p>I’m only 5’6" 1/2…</p>
<p>One of my teachers rowed in college and she’s only 5’2"… and no, she was not a coxswain.</p>