Collegiate (Ivy League ) Rowing

Question
Hi Al,

I'm currently a junior this year and it's my first year of competitive rowing. My 2k time is about 7:15 and by March should be down to a 6:45-6:40. I love to row and hope to continue at the collegiate level. My grades and SATs are all quite good and I was wondering about Ivy League rowing. I will be visiting Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale this coming spring and was wondering my chances for being recruited. I know I don't have a lot of experience but I was hoping my erg times will be good enough to get me recruited. I have good technique and can row either port or starboard side...I've also spent a lot of time on the water in single and doubles. I am about 5'10 and weigh 153 pounds. What is the erg times that I need to row lightweight at a school like Harvard or Yale..how about UPenn or Dartmouth?

Thanks!  

Answer
Hi Ken: The average 2K time for lightweights your age is 7:14.3.  Of course, if you can get your time down to your goal, you will move into the 90th percentile which is probably what an Ivy League coach (or any crew coach looking to grant a scholarship) is looking for.

But acceptance into an Ivy League school is different from other schools in the States.  First off, Ivy League schools do not grant athletic scholarships.  However, when they do grant academic scholarships, they take into consideration that you participated in a extracurricular activity of high merit, such as crew.  The other thing you have to consier is that no coach bases a rowers total ability solely on erg times.  An erg is more a measure of potential to row powerfully rather than a clear-and-cut measure of rowing ability.  I've seen people pull incredible erg scores, but were human anchors in the boat due to poor technique such as crabbing or throwing the set off.

To get into an Ivy League school, you have to possess a "total package" of good attributes: Near-Straight A Grades, An SAT of 2100 or better, volunteer work and extracurricular activities like crew.  A coach may help in the admissions decision process, if you are a truly worthy candidate; but that is not even a guarantee.  And if you don't have a list of significant on-water accomplishments (i.e., major regattas won or medaled in), the coach is not going to get involved.

Since 90% of all college rowers are walk-ons and not scholarship recipients, all you really need to worry about is getting accepted to the school.  Then you just walk on to the crew in September and do great things from there.

All the Ivy League schools have their merits, depending on your academic goals.  If I had to choose an Ivy school, my recommendation is U. of Penn for three reasons:

1) Less selective than Harvard, Yale and Princeton
2) Philadelphia is a fun town
3) There are lots of great rowing clubs, on the famous Boathouse Row, you can join if you want to row in the summer.

Good Luck/AP