Am I on target?

Question
Hello Al, this year was my first season of crew, we only have a spring season and no prior training, so needless to say our crew team isn't super successful. I am a freshman in High-school (14 years old 15 in august), I am roughly 5'6"/5'7" and weigh about 140 pounds. With only two months of spring training under my belt my best 2k time is a 7:29:00. Is this a good 2k time for my age, height weight and amount of practice?

Answer
Hi Spencer: Per the Concept II database, here are the rankings for 2K times among 14-15 year old male lightweights:

Average Time: 7:46.2

PERCENTILES
90th   75th   50th   25th
7:00.0 7:18.6 7:41.6 8:00.7

So your 7:29 puts you above average, somewhere in the 60th percentile.  To answer your question, it is a very good time based on your size and experience.

As for your first season, rowing can be kind of frustrating in that you put in a lot of time and effort in practice, but the races don't go very well.  But if you stick with the sport, you and your crew teammates will only get better and one day you will be the ones that leave other crews in your wake.

Good Luck/AP