rowing and academics

Question
My daughter rows for Oakland Strokes.  She's 5'10" and fit. I worry about her being able to keep up academically.  She is a jr in high school, with a 3.2 and 1750 on her first sat.  Would like to go to UCLA or Davis.  Have heard some of these schools have tutors for their athletes.  True?

Answer
Hi Karen: I know they have changed the SAT grading, but those look like very good scores and grades.  If your daughter goes to college and joins crew, there is a valid concern over keeping up with grades.

It isn't an issue that rowing will make her miss classes (though you need to schedule your classses to accomodate rowing), but she will have to manage her time efficiently because she will lose out on study time due to the need to get rest and sleep.  Many college crews do 6:00 AM practice, which means waking up at 5:00 AM.  You can see, she'll have to be in bed no later than 11:00 PM the night before.  But what if she has a history mid-term at 8:00 AM that morning.

Another problem is that in addition to rowing practice, her coach may order mandatory afternoon weightlifting, runs, or ergometer trials.  This too will cut into study time.

And then what if your daughter wants a job and/or a social life?

From my personal experience, I suffered a decline in grades due to rowing.  In my first spring season as a soph., I had a 3.2 cum going in but imploded with a 2.0 semester (including one drop).  I changed majors as a junior after another lackluster fall semester.  While some of it was due to less-than-stellar study habits, I was physically exhausted going from practice to class.  Some nights, even though I knew I had a mid-term that next day, I fell asleep at 8:30 PM from sheer exhastion.  For my final two years, I skipped rowing in the fall and just rowed in the spring.  I graduated in 5 years with a 3.2 GPA and a varsity letter in crew; so it kind of worked out in the end.  In the final analysis, rowing made my grades suffer a bit, but the experiences and friendships made from the sport helped me so much in my later life.  I am 100% certain that I would NOT have been accepted to Navy Officer Candidate School after graduation (where I went on for a 20-year career and still work for as a civilian to this day) without the athletic experience as a rower.  

The one advantage your daughter has over me is that she is rowing while in high school, she already is managing her rowing practice and studies.  If she rows in college, I would strongly recommend a program which practices in the afternoon insead of the early morning.  Every college offers tutoring, even for non-athletes, but it should never come to that.  I guess, to succeed in anything, there are hardships that must be endured.  I would let your daughter try rowing in college, but simply say, "If you don't keep up a 3.00 average, then you can pay for your own tuition."

Regards/AP