Womens crew

Question
QUESTION: My daughter is a Junior in high school.  She is 5'8.5" tall and is interested in rowing crew for a Div. 1 top school.  She has competed successfully at both varsity volleyball and basketball in high school. She is currently being recruited for volleyball back east, but would prefer to stay in CA at a large Div. 1 institution.  With no crew experience is this really possible?  And, is her body size appropriate for college... she is extremely strong and left-handed. If so what would you recommend doing in terms of training at the point and in terms of contacting coaches.  She has a 3.8gpa and good test scores.
Thank you in advance for your advice

ANSWER: Hi Jessie: I've heard stories of women's college crew coaches identifying outstanding athletic candidates for crew, even though they never rowed a stroke, and even offered them a scholarship.  That would never happen in men's rowing, where scholarships are hard to come by.  But thanks to Title IX, many "football schools" use women's crew as a sport to equalize the number of men's and women's athletic scholarships.

Everything you tell me about her -- height, athletic ability and academics, tells me that your daughter would excell at the sport.  But crew is not everyone's cup of tea.  It's a grueling sport where your prowess may not be as easily recognized as basketball.  

In general, I'd say that she needs some form of rowing experience to approach a college coach, especially if she wants a scholarship.  She could try rowing in a summer program which is a great time to learn and is a bit more laid back than during the school competitive year.  Another thing she can try is to look for a piece of rowing equipment called a Concept II Rowing Ergometer, which can be found at most gyms or YMCAs.  Once she gets acquainted with the machine, she should try to row a 2000 meter piece as fast as she can and record the time.  I can give you feedback on how that time compares with others.

Finally, college crews always accept walk-ons.  So she can wait and get accepted to a college and then just join the crew team in the fall.  

I Wish Her Luck/AP

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

QUESTION: Dear AP,
Thank you so much for the information.  My daughter joined the YMCA and has been busy rowing away.  Both you and the college coaches said to time herself on the 2000 meter piece... we were wondering at what level?  The machine goes from 1 to 10 for resistance.  She is sure enjoying the workout!
Thanks so much for your time and assistance.

Answer
Hi Again, Jessie: I recommend she sets the resistance at a level of 4 or 5.  This is what closely simulates a racing boat.  Setting the resistance any higher will probably feel too heavy and could cause her to fatigue near the end of the 2000 meter piece.

When she's ready to crank out her best effort on the 2000 meters, she should set the meter on the strokes per minute readout and 500 meter time.  She wants to do her first 300 meters at between 31-33 strokes a minute and a 500 time of 2:00 or below, then settle into 26-29 SPM and/or 2:10/500 for the next 1200 meters.  For the last 500, she should just go out as hard as she can.  I'd say a time of 8:20 or better is average and anything 8 minutes or better is excellent for someone as novice as her.

Good Luck/AP