I differ from @GrudeMonk on this one : This early in the process, it’s unlikely that the coaches will be submitting pre-reads to admissions–or that admissions will take the time to do a pre-read in the middle of the early admission cycle. The coaches are doing the pre-reading at this point. I think it would be appropriate, though, to ask if your academics are in line with what the coaches need from a recruit. In general, of course, better scores and higher GPAs are always desirable.
Thanks all - @GrudeMonk @tonymom @classicalmama for the advice. As you know it’s exciting when the calls and messages start coming, but you have to ask yourself “how serious are they?” I’m sure the picture will become clearer as SAT/ACT scores are received and fall term grades are posted and he takes the unofficial visits this Winter/Spring (and if it doesn’t we will ask the coaches directly).
I thought you would appreciate the perspective of a friend of mine who rowed at Cornell in the early 70’s. Hearing that my son was already hooked on rowing in 7th grade, at the local middle school program, he said “Middle school? You know, fewer than half of the guys in my varsity 8 had rowed at all before they came to college.” Simpler times.
There are still guys who start rowing late or switch from another sport in college and end up on the varsity 8. There’s much about rowing that depends purely on size and athleticism. Many college coaches take what rowers learn in high school and earlier lightly (outside of national team experience), which is why things like height and 2 k matter more than being on a high school team that wins nationals.
The other big change in college rowing from days gone by is the large number of rowing recruits from overseas. This seems to involve mostly Washington and HYP (and HY more than P), though it’s certainly not just them. Did your kids find that to be a positive, a negative, or just different?
Also, I’ve read a couple of passing comments about how these foreign recruits are handled under the academic index calculations. Curious if anyone knows the real scoop on that - do they get a waiver on the SAT?
My daughter’s school has a very large number of international athletes, including the rowing team (school has a large number of international students). It’s division 2, but very competitive in rowing. The rowing recruits come from European countries, including England and Spain. The AI is not an issue, but most of the students are in engineering, so they certainly have to have some academic strengths.
I believe the international students must meet the same pre-reads as domestic students. At least that’s been my son’s experience with the international recruit he met on his OV. International recruits are also required, I believe, to submit SAT or ACT scores.
I think all D1 and D2 athletes have to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse even if they do not receive athletic scholarships. Registering requires ACT or SAT scores. At schools with the AI index, the scores are used to calculate the AI, so the foreign students don’t get out of testing.
Nor do Noble Prize winners who want to go to Stanford. Everybody takes the tests.
Good to hear that there is a level playing field between domestic and international recruits!
Male rowers don’t have to register with the NCAA, but they do follow NCAA guidelines. I’d say that the biggest difference is simply the quality of the international rowers, many of whom have taken time off between high school and college to row for their country’s national teams. If your rower’s goal is to row V1, that might be a consideration in choosing a college, for HW rowers at any rate
Hey all,
Just wanted to chime in (as a lightweight rower, class of '19 at an HYP). I was recruited with average results, but my 2k was definitely above average and now on the other side of this when recruits are scanned it is a bit more obvious that erg scores matter a TON, unless you have outstanding results. This is all with the stellar academics as a given–the 6:35 standard is honestly outdated. Almost all of the potential recruits who came through on official visits were under 6:30, on top of great academics and results (plus they were all great people, too).
So yea…if you don’t have the chance to procure great results, having a great 2k (mid-low 6:20s) will make up for that (assuming you meet academic standards). I see the 6:35 thrown around a LOT and it just won’t get you as much attention anymore as a lower score. If you look at the current freshmen, HYP alone have 4+ guys sub 6:20 (LIGHTWEIGHTS) and most others are mid-high 6:20s. The league continues to get more and more competitive.
Thanks @CardioParty Just to be sure - you refer to 4+ guys sub 6:20 as “current freshmen.” Are you referring to their times now, or as high school seniors, going through the recruiting process?
Hi thanks Cardioparty - I looked up the CRASH B results for lightweight junior men 2015 and the top ten has DEFINITELY become faster - top 10 were from 6:22.5 to 6:32.9 WOW!
Current college freshmen, while 2 of them were already that fast in high school
@oldladyandmom I know! And I know that many of those athletes are already a good bit faster than that less than a year later (me included–my CRASH B time is 20 seconds slower than my PR (I would’ve won if I had pulled my current score 6 months earlier). I wouldn’t be surprised to see even faster times this year.
@CardioParty
Curious your take on comparing HW vs ltwt in terms of the balance of the team?..
Specifically do you feel the lightweights contribute more as a holistic unit on a given boat?
I’ve heard it suggested that ltwt teams tend to have less “outliers” for a lack of a better word…
Thanks @CardioParty It’s great - but also a little scary - to envision these guys getting faster and faster from where they are now!
Could I ask you to share your experience of attending junior days, etc., how they helped you decide, and when you decided? Also, any comments or thoughts about the timeline that @classicalmama described earlier in this thread?
@tonymom I’m not too familiar with our HW program (besides it is very successful and the guys are all great people and work super hard) so I don’t feel too qualified/comfortable speaking about their culture/dynamic and whatnot. As for the lightweights, we have recruits who come in from all different backgrounds but they all bring certain strengths and weaknesses (so I guess “holistic” in where they come from). Lightweight rowing is very unique–we have people with fast erg scores and then people recruited because they can move boats incredibly well. I came from a program that exclusively rowed 8s so my erg score obviously is what made me stand out versus some of our recruits who came from sculling clubs/clubs that did all sorts of boat classes. There are no “negative” outliers in terms of work–everybody does the work required and then some, but you do have a few individuals who go a bit above and beyond. Our team is smaller than the heavies so we all have to put in a lot of work but there is no one who falls behind.
@wykehamist , I’ll PM you some more details about the whole recruitment part of it!
@CardioParty
Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like you have a great bunch of guys! The bond between teammates is very unique and I believe especially so with a ltwt team as you are a select group.
Here are two questions for those who have been through the recruiting process already (or parents thereof):
- It's clear the official visit is vital for the recruit to get a feel for the team, the coach, and the school, to see if they think it is a good fit. Does anyone have any understanding of how the team and coach reach a consensus - is it all really the coach, or does the team and coach review the recruits and discuss them? I figure it varies from team to team, but I'm curious for any comments or impressions about the process.
- Did anyone have a situation in which you loved the team, but not the college, or vice versa? If so, how did you resolve that?
Loving the college is essential and should trump loving the team, imo.