canadian lightweight womens scholarships

Question
Mr. Pepper

I will soon be entering my senior year in high school. I am wondering about the possibility of rowing in the US with some funding. My best published erg time is 7:43.6 and my current average grade is 90%. ( We do not have grade point averages ) Should I pursue rowing in the US? Is funding available to Canadians? Thanki you

Answer
Hi Jennifer: As you probably know, your 2K time is well above average for lightweight women your age (Top 5-10%).  I don't know what your on-water racing experience is.  But assuming you have a solid resume of racing experience, you have the potential for being recruited.  I would recommend you move out of lightweight and into open weight.  That's because the number of lightweight women's crews in U.S. colleges is much smaller compared to heavyweight, which means far fewer scholarship opportunities.  

The most important factor is grades.  You will need to take a college board test like the SAT or the ACT.  You will also need your guidance counselor to get the letter grade and/or GPA equivalency of your numerical grades.  There might also be Passport and Visa issues you will need to provide.

The good news is that many Canadians come to the U.S. to study and compete in athletics.  That's how I met my wife.

Good Luck/AP