2k improvement and college rowing

Question
Mr. Pepper,
I am a high school senior interested in rowing in college for Georgetown, MIT, or Yale and I am wondering what 2k time is needed to aid my application. I am 5'11, 158lbs and row a 7:02 2k with 4.0 GPA and 2260 SAT. Do you know a plan that could help me hit my goal of hitting 6:40 besides the Wolverine plan? Do you think I should contact rowing programs even if I don't reach 6:40? Thank you.

Answer
Hi Ben: Right now, your 2K time is slightly better than the median time for 17-18 year old lightweights.  A 6:40 would put you in the 90th percentile.  What I can't tell from your question is whether you have any on-water racing experience.  For a college coach, that's a bigger factor than what your erg time is.

Your grades our truly outstanding. Since my son is taking the PSATs (He had a 2010 which is U. of Penn and Cornell range), I know that your grades will get you into any Ivy League school.  Having crew in your application would be a big plus for the real tough schools to get into, like Harvard and Yale.

Rowing a 6:40 is a pretty fast pace.  The Wolverine Plan is fine to get you on that track.  The big decision is whether you want to row heavyweight or lightweight.  Since you are right on the cusp of the upper limit for lightweight, you may want to consider adding 10-15 pounds of muscle with an intensive weight training program and an increased protein diet.  The added weight will make a big difference in improving your erg times.

Unless you have a pretty good resume of high school and/or club racing experience, I wouldn't worry too much about trying to contact coaches about a crew scholarship.  However, it's fine to ask for information about the school's rowing programs.  You will most likely get an academic scholarship.  Since all crews accept walk-ons -- even those with no rowing experience, you will definitely have a head start over most candidates going out for freshman crew.

Good Luck/AP