rowing improvement

Question
Hey,
I'm 6'4" and around 205 lbs. I started rowing in college last year, and in spring got my 2k down to a 6:30. This fall my 6k test was a 1:44.9 avg.
Anyway I was wondering how difficult it is to drop a 2k. split from 6:30 to 6:00.  I recall from track in high school that 15 seconds was actually doable in a single season.
It surprised me when I found out how fast a 6:00 2k was considered. I was never a star athlete in high school, just an average distance runner; but I seem to be naturally good at rowing. Anyway I was wondering how obtainable 6:00 is as a goal!

Answer
Hi Joshua: I attached a link that has the results of the 2007 Crash-B Sprints, considered the World Championship for indoor rowing:

http://www.crash-b.org/cb2007/results/event01.html

As you can see, 6:00 will put you in rarefied air and Mike Teti, the coach of the US Olympic Crew will be knocking on
your door.  You seem to have all the tools to be a successful rower: height, muscle, and good endurance from your track days.  

A 6:00 2K is quite a feat.  I don't have much data on how much time you can drop off, but if you are still gaining strength and perfecting your rowing technique, I don't see any reason why you couldn't drop 5-10 seconds per year.  So maybe, by your senior year, you'll be at or near your 6:00 goal.

One last point: I knew a guy who could pull incredible erg scores; but if you put him in a boat, it didn't transfer over and he was actually a liability.  In the end, the goal in crew is to win boat races, not how you did on the ergometer.

Regards/AP