short rowers

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
my 16 yr.old daughter thinks that at 5,3 she is too short to amount as much of a rower.Is there any info.around on any top rowers rowers in that height category that we could download as some sort of inspiration to encourage her and prove that all is not lost

Regards
Rory

ANSWER: Hi Rory: With conditioning and good technique, your daughter has the potential to row for 99% of the crews in the country.  And if she elects to row in single sculls, she has the capacity to beat all comers.

The story below is kind of what you are looking for.

http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/story/2010/05/28/what-about-me-too-short-to-succ

Regards/AP

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again,
marvelous to get such a quick response,thanks.That is an excellent link you sent me but I am afraid that it may confirm her worst fear, that height is critical.Where can I find a 'warm fuzzy' good news example?
Regards
Rory

Answer
Hi Again: I did a Google search of the type of stories you are looking for, but none really jumped up at me like the one I sent before.  The article below may be of interest:

www.c2forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10895

Now I don't want to be "Danny Downer," but height is somewhat a factor in where she will row in the boat.  You wouldn't put a 5'-3" rower in the stroke seat of a competitive Women's Varsity Eight.  That's because the stroke seat determines the length of the stroke for the crew.  That said, women of her height have rowed in the bow seats of many varsity boats in high school and college.  

Your daughter needs to focus her time and energy on the things that she can control, like perfecting technique, lifting weights and improving her 2K ergometer time, and not worry about things that are not within here control.

Regards/AP