2K!

Question
Hey!
I'm currently a novice sophomore girl. During winter season, I pulled an 8:10 erg score on my first test as a lightweight. I'm now packing on some pounds and am approaching the 140 lbs region. I'm realllly interested in rowing at a top university. I was curious as to what road you see me going down 2k-wise. Do you think by the end of my junior year I could be in the 7:40 area if I become a heavyweight/ work really hard? Also, I was always curious as how many splits I can drop in a certain amount of time... Is it possible to do a 30+ second jump on your 2k within a year/ maybe less?

Answer
Hi Abby: Here is a distribution of times posted by 15 to 16 year old female heavywights (technically, you are a heavyweight) on the Concept II website:

Average Time: 8:15.9

PERCENTILES
90th   75th   50th   25th
7:36.2 7:51.9 8:14.8 8:34.6

So right now, you are a bit better than middle-of-the-pack.  

I think 7:40 or better is an excellent for a woman.  Dropping 30 seconds in a year is a tall order.  But 7:45 or better by your senior year is a reasonable goal to shoot for.

Don't forget that boat races are won and lost on the water. Your on-water resume is equally important in getting recruited by a top university.

Good Luck/AP