lightweight rowing, into university

Question
QUESTION: A few questions...I'm not sure who to ask about this in particular, but I live in Canada and I'm quite certian I want to head to the US for post-secondary. I'm im grade 11 (16 yrs.)and I'm just beginning my 4th year of rowing. I live in the west and have a great crew, and we often medal and small and major regattas. I'm a lightweight, on the very edge (59kg), but I've raced mostly heavy, because I'm in the varsity boat (all hwt)and there are few events for lwts my age. I've medaled in both, small boats too.

I've been to a Junior Development Camp, and my test results were compared women's avg with my own. I was quite a bit shorter than the average (5/2) and about 20lbs lighter, and a year younger, although my scores were slightly above average. Jump test was higher, and my 100m test was faster, 12 watts higher (stroke rate 47, avg 42...good or bad?). 1min. test was almost the same as avg...300m, 1 watt above avg., stroke rate 38, avg 39. These comparisons were with hwts, some lwts, my age or older. My 2k was 7:55.

Questions:
-How does this 2k compare with rowers my SIZE? I can't find any data for lightweight women
-Wehn I'm in shape and not worrying about my weight, I'm naturally at 59kg. I'm too heavy to cox, and without desire, but if I get any heavier (taller, muscle), am I out of the sport? I have been warned many times by my coaches to NEVER lose weight to make the category, but as i get older, I will have no chance being a 135lb. heavyweight, and at my height and stature, I cannot bulk up enough to race efficiently (my teammates are about 160lbs.)What weight would be pushing the limit if I try to lose weight to be in lwt?
-If I stay lwt, I have a 4.0GPA and possible scholarship opportunities. I am now allowed to contact recruiters. What universities have strong lightweight programs that offer scholarships? I'm having trouble finding any, as many only have hwt.
-How do I get noticed from here? Do they find me? How can I be proactive?
-Finally, it is my understanding that provincial and national teams are looking for higher watts (during time tests)than farther distances (b/c it's much easier to make someone technical than it is to make them powerful). Also, I hear lightweights often hit higher stroke rates than hwts. So, is it mre beneficial for me to crank up the rate, or pull for power? How should this all fit together since I have stronger cardio but less height, and less muscle? I don't know what to aim for :S

I apologize, this became a novel rather than a question. Thankyou for your time, and if there aren't questions you can answer (re. university, etc.), where else can I go?

Thanks again, sorry!
S

ANSWER: Hi S: Here are your answers -

How does this 2k compare with rowers my SIZE? I can't find any data for lightweight women

Answer: I used the Concept II Database ( http://www.concept2.com ) to determine that for 15-17 year old female lightweights, you are in the 15th percentile (Top 15%).  Quite good.

Wehn I'm in shape and not worrying about my weight, I'm naturally at 59kg. I'm too heavy to cox, and without desire, but if I get any heavier (taller, muscle), am I out of the sport? I have been warned many times by my coaches to NEVER lose weight to make the category, but as i get older, I will have no chance being a 135lb. heavyweight, and at my height and stature, I cannot bulk up enough to race efficiently (my teammates are about 160lbs.)What weight would be pushing the limit if I try to lose weight to be in lwt?

Answer: I agree with your coaches.  Unless you are talking about a kilo or 2, don't risk your health to stay lightweight.  With your ability and experience, you can be a very competitive rower at 145.

If I stay lwt, I have a 4.0GPA and possible scholarship opportunities. I am now allowed to contact recruiters. What universities have strong lightweight programs that offer scholarships? I'm having trouble finding any, as many only have hwt.

Answer: The best women's lightweight crews in the U.S. are U. of Wisconsin, Princeton, Georgetown, MIT and Radcliffe.  The U. of Pennsylvania is a good choice if you want to row clubs in the summer.  Your excellent grades support admission into any of these schools.

How do I get noticed from here? Do they find me? How can I be proactive?

Answer: You need to take the initiative.  You need to send letters to prospective programs.  Tell them about yourself, your grades, team you rowed for, your erg scores, major regattas you competed and medaled in.  If you include everything you did in this question, you'll have covered most of it.

Finally, it is my understanding that provincial and national teams are looking for higher watts (during time tests)than farther distances (b/c it's much easier to make someone technical than it is to make them powerful). Also, I hear lightweights often hit higher stroke rates than hwts. So, is it mre beneficial for me to crank up the rate, or pull for power? How should this all fit together since I have stronger cardio but less height, and less muscle? I don't know what to aim for

Answer: This might be one you may need to ask a coach from a national team, but I'll give it a shot.  Everything you say is true about technique and weight.  However, technique is not THAT easy to teach, especially in the heat of a race.  I recommend that you not got too worked up over wattage and just choose the optimum stroke rate and level of pull-through effort that gives you the fastest 500 meter time.  

Good Luck/AP



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

QUESTION: Thank you for your answers!
"The best women's lightweight crews in the U.S. are U. of Wisconsin, Princeton, Georgetown, MIT and Radcliffe.  The U. of Pennsylvania is a good choice if you want to row clubs in the summer.  Your excellent grades support admission into any of these schools."

As a normal teen might say, I have no money, but I do want to leave home. Only a few schools have lightweight programs, and even fewer have scholarship opportunities (schools are not awarded points for lightweight races b/c they don't exist in NCAA regattas, as far as I know). I can't find schools that give full scholarships to lightweights, with the exception of Stanford (my lwt friend got a full-ride). Do you know where I can get info on this? Are scholarships harder to get because I am foreign? Is it possible to get a partial rowing scholarship and possible academic ones too?

Answer
Hi Again: It's kind of true that lightweight women's rowing doesn't get the same treatment as men's LW rowing does.  However, lightwieght competition in US colleges does exist and they do get medals and points in regattas, so you are not 100% correct on that aspect.  

I'd say if you were a C student, the rowing scholarship may be important to you.  But with your grades, you can get into any school with an academic scholarship.  The rowing as an extra-curricular activity would clinch your scholarship.

Of course the Ivy League schools don't give out athletic scholarships.  I'd say the really big non-Ivy schools where you could get a lightweight rowing scholarship are Wisconsin, Stanford, and U. of Washington.  There are some services where they will research athletic scholarship opportunities for you for a fee.  Of course, you could go heavyweight and widen your scholarship opportunities.

You are correct that a Canadian applicant is going to have a tougher time getting a full scholarship into a U.S. schools.  But it's not impossible. There are some big Canadian schools with good rowing programs like U. of Western Ontario and (my wife's alma mater) U. of Manitoba.  

I think you have a lot of options and everything will work out for you in the end.

Good Luck/AP