Novice Women

Question
Hello, I'm a sophomore novice woman in HS who weighs 170 lbs and is 5'9".  The  second 2k test I did, I went 7:55. I was wondering what time would be realistic for me to be at within the end of this year with good training. Also, I would like to know my chances of rowing in college. I have a 3.9 gpa and a 2,000 sat score.
Thank you!

Answer
Hi Olivia: Your time puts you in the Top-30% for girls your age.  In general, novices can see good gains in their 2K times, as it is reasonable that you can get down to 7:50 by the end of the school year.  As you get more experienced, it gets a bit tougher to drop time off your 2K because you approach your physical capacity to do your max.  Intense conditioning is needed to lower your time from that point.

Joining a crew in college is easy.  Every crew takes walk-ons -- even ones with no experience.  But with your 2K time and race experience, you can compete for a good seat as a freshman.  Getting a rowing scholarship is a tougher matter.  But your excellent grades support you getting some type of scholarship -- whether it is academic or athletic.

Good Luck/AP