Questions for rowers
2. What draws one to become a rower?
3. Do people row prior to college, such as high school, clubs or some kind of little league?
4. Other than rowing itself, how do you train?
5. How many miles per hour do you get the boat going?
6. Didn't even fucking know Pac-12 rowing was a thing, thought it was an east coast, Ivy League sport. So is it just UW, WSU, Cal and Stanford? (I looked at UW schedule)
7. Is it as demanding and time consuming as other collegiate sports?
8. What are the categories of competition?
9. Do people compete in the Olympics prior to college, during or after?
10. Proper use of the word rowing vs crew?
11. When did you row, were you on one of the national championship teams and include any bitchin stories.
12. Any post graduation benefits?
Comments
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89ute said:
1. Are scholarships offered in this sport?
2. What draws one to become a rower?
3. Do people row prior to college, such as high school, clubs or some kind of little league?
4. Other than rowing itself, how do you train?
5. How many miles per hour do you get the boat going?
6. Didn't even fucking know Pac-12 rowing was a thing, thought it was an east coast, Ivy League sport. So is it just UW, WSU, Cal and Stanford? (I looked at UW schedule)
7. Is it as demanding and time consuming as other collegiate sports?
8. What are the categories of competition?
9. Do people compete in the Olympics prior to college, during or after?
10. Proper use of the word rowing vs crew?
11. When did you row, were you on one of the national championship teams and include any bitchin stories.
12. Any post graduation benefits?
yes
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I got the rowing thing dialed in around here. I PM'd you with a good level of Rowing Superiority Guy shit.
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poast it here, love to read it myselfYellowSnow said:I got the rowing thing dialed in around here. I PM'd you with a good level of Rowing Superiority Guy shit.
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Alright...I will humor you guys with the rowing nerd stuff.dnc said:
poast it here, love to read it myselfYellowSnow said:I got the rowing thing dialed in around here. I PM'd you with a good level of Rowing Superiority Guy shit.
1. Are scholarships offered in this sport? Women's rowing at most Power 5 schools is NCAA governed and had about 16 full rides. Men's Rowing is not NCAA but is a Varsity Sport still at power programs like Washington or Cal. Most schools it's just a club team. There are about 8 to 10 full rides at UW but they are privately endowed and don't come out of the general AD budget. In my era, in 90's, there were no schollies for the guys and they only had just started for the women.
2. What draws one to become a rower? Sport of tall guys with huge motors not good enough for ball sports like hoops or football. I rode mt bikes in high school high up in the Wasatch Range which gave me a high pain tolerance and the requisite big motor.
3. Do people row prior to college, such as high school, clubs or some kind of little league? Now days at UW most everyone on the team rowed at a junior national team level in HS. In my era, half of the guys never rowed in HS. I didn't row in HS but was recruited in the sense that I was 6'6" and that helped me get in the school.
4. Other than rowing itself, how do you train? Little running, but mostly it's Concept II Rowing Ergometer which is the single best piece of all around fitness equipment ever invented. Seriously.
5. How many miles per hour do you get the boat going? Race is 2000 meters and typical time for elite men's team is 5 mins 40 sec do the math
6. Didn't even fucking know Pac-12 rowing was a thing, thought it was an east coast, Ivy League sport. So is it just UW, WSU, Cal and Stanford? (I looked at UW schedule) Only 4 men's school's in Pac have Varsity Rowing: Cal, UW, Stanford and OSU. Only UW and Cal are competitive at a Natty level. All of the schools have women's teams I think except for maybe AZ. Cal and UW have dominated the sport for the past 20 years with Harvard and Browne being in the mix from time to time as well. Really only 5 or 6 schools care enough about Men's Rowing to win a national title.
7. Is it as demanding and time consuming as other collegiate sports? Yes
8. What are the categories of competition? Every Freshman rows on the Frosh team and then there are races for Varsity 8, JV 8 and Varsity 4. Think of it being like the bench gets to race too since you can sub in your second string during the middle of a race, but you still need JV and Varsity 4 boats to develop a program.
9. Do people compete in the Olympics prior to college, during or after? Yes, most elite guys in college are on the U-23 national team and them from there some guys go onto the Olympics but usually after they graduate
10. Proper use of the word rowing vs crew? Either are appropriate, but it's either called the Men's Rowing Team or Men's Crew; you don't say Men's Crew Team as this is like saying Men's Team Team if that make sense.
11. When did you row, were you on one of the national championship teams and include any bitchin stories. I got 4th at Nationals my Frosh year and won 2 Pac Titles as well. Won a quasi national title (LOL) in the Varsity 4 in that we killed Cal at Pac 12's who then won the NT, they didn't take our boat.
12. Any post graduation benefits? Job networking I suppose - old boy's network in Seattle
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here's my maff. 2000 meters in 5 min 40 sec is a 4.33 minute mile. that would be 13.86 MPH
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That sounds about right. World record times by boat type: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_world_records_in_rowing89ute said:here's my maff. 2000 meters in 5 min 40 sec is a 4.33 minute mile. that would be 13.86 MPH
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I'll add my rowing dork response as well, where I have things to add above what YellowSnow said.
1. The women's side for scholarships really took off as a way to offset a bunch of football scholarships. Kansas fucking State has a women's varsity rowing team.
3. On the East Coast the major areas for youth rowing are Boston/New England, Philly and DC Metro. Boston/Philly are largely private schools with lots of money. DC Metro has a very large rowing community full of public school competition with growing private school programs.
Where I grew up club/community rowing began around 7th grade. It's not really possible to start earlier than that as it would be too risky to send a bunch of 4th graders out on a lake. Get hit with a freak storm and they don't have the strength to row back to the dock and could easily capsize. Boats can flip in a hurry if you don't know what you're doing and you do not want to be trying to get 9 children with limited strength out of water and in to a launch before they get too tired and drown.
All of this is magnified depending on the body of water you are on. Row on a river and you are asking children to row against the current in one direction, which can be challenge for middle schoolers.
It's such a contrast to the era of youth sports now where most kids pick their sport before middle school. You can't actually start until middle school.
My sister actually coached for some Salt Lake City club rowing team, so such a thing exists, but she has since moved away.
4. Yep, the Concept II is something else. If only everyone who used them knew what they were doing. Sigh.
6. I would add Princeton, Yale and Wisconsin to the list (UW, Cal, Harvard, Brown) of teams that care.
8. There are also lightweight categories but UW doesn't compete in those. And sculling (two oars per rowing) is a thing. If you're talking masters rowing the categories go all over the place.
11. I sucked so no. lol. Do I get to claim I was on the same team as Olympic Gold medalists?
12. The older I get the more I appreciate the mental toughness, discipline and rigidity that rowing gave me. Especially since I never did anything in the military. -
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I did a little googling to learn about how these boats are steered. Of course, this led to learning about the coxswain. Perfect home for our napoleon complex fellows, no? How do you find someone to do this? Who wants to do this outside of the napoleon complex guy? I assume it's not a member of the coaching staff, correct?
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The coxswain is a student ath-uh-lete like the rest of them. Finding them can be a pain but the good ones stand out. The benefit is being part of a competitive team.
Getting a coxswain for masters or club rowing is really a pain. -
It's actually really hard to find a wee little man of less than a 125 lbs ideally who can steer straight, is not a dumbass, and doesn't mind talking shit to dudes twice his size. There are actually a lot a female coxswains for men's teams as it's not against the rules.whlinder said:The coxswain is a student ath-uh-lete like the rest of them. Finding them can be a pain but the good ones stand out. The benefit is being part of a competitive team.
Getting a coxswain for masters or club rowing is really a pain.
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I did crew in the fall of my senior year of high school just to prepare for Rugby in the spring and it was the most mentally challenging conditioning program I've ever been through. I mean super intense and competitive. They would line you up on the Erg in order of previous times and have you race. Top 8 times get in the boat. You literally would have coaches screaming at you and the next guy about who wants it more while you're reading the 500 m splits on the screens next to you, just pulling for your life.
Pretty much the entire team threw up after. The fall was also 6k race training instead of 2k so the it was long as shit. -
Once our frosh coach at UW told us that no one ever died form pulling to hard. Apparently, Oregon proved this isn't true, and there is the possibility of death from working out to hard.Doogles said:I did crew in the fall of my senior year of high school just to prepare for Rugby in the spring and it was the most mentally challenging conditioning program I've ever been through. I mean super intense and competitive. They would line you up on the Erg in order of previous times and have you race. Top 8 times get in the boat. You literally would have coaches screaming at you and the next guy about who wants it more while you're reading the 500 m splits on the screens next to you, just pulling for your life.
Pretty much the entire team threw up after. The fall was also 6k race training instead of 2k so the it was long as shit. -
@JudahBenHurDawg91 true??!1/!YellowSnow said:
Once our frosh coach at UW told us that no one ever died form pulling to hard. Apparently, Oregon proved this isn't true, and there is the possibility of death from working out to hard.Doogles said:I did crew in the fall of my senior year of high school just to prepare for Rugby in the spring and it was the most mentally challenging conditioning program I've ever been through. I mean super intense and competitive. They would line you up on the Erg in order of previous times and have you race. Top 8 times get in the boat. You literally would have coaches screaming at you and the next guy about who wants it more while you're reading the 500 m splits on the screens next to you, just pulling for your life.
Pretty much the entire team threw up after. The fall was also 6k race training instead of 2k so the it was long as shit. -
All I heard was *Gurgle*YellowSnow said:
Once our frosh coach at UW told us that no one ever died form pulling to hard. Apparently, Oregon proved this isn't true, and there is the possibility of death from working out to hard.Doogles said:I did crew in the fall of my senior year of high school just to prepare for Rugby in the spring and it was the most mentally challenging conditioning program I've ever been through. I mean super intense and competitive. They would line you up on the Erg in order of previous times and have you race. Top 8 times get in the boat. You literally would have coaches screaming at you and the next guy about who wants it more while you're reading the 500 m splits on the screens next to you, just pulling for your life.
Pretty much the entire team threw up after. The fall was also 6k race training instead of 2k so the it was long as shit. -
I'm not sure if my experience is what most crew teams go through, because it was a damn good program and the entire 8 all went ivy league, washington, or Stanford.YellowSnow said:
Once our frosh coach at UW told us that no one ever died form pulling to hard. Apparently, Oregon proved this isn't true, and there is the possibility of death from working out to hard.Doogles said:I did crew in the fall of my senior year of high school just to prepare for Rugby in the spring and it was the most mentally challenging conditioning program I've ever been through. I mean super intense and competitive. They would line you up on the Erg in order of previous times and have you race. Top 8 times get in the boat. You literally would have coaches screaming at you and the next guy about who wants it more while you're reading the 500 m splits on the screens next to you, just pulling for your life.
Pretty much the entire team threw up after. The fall was also 6k race training instead of 2k so the it was long as shit.
I was pulling with the jv team because i told them in the beginning i was just here for the conditioning and had no intention of following up in the spring. I wouldn't have made the V8 anyways, those dudes were all 6'3-6'6 nerds who somehow could fucking fly.
One of my friends went to UW on that team (later transferred) but won a world title or some shit in an Erg competition. I'll always have respect for the sport. -
Obligatory
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Did lightweight crew my sophomore year at Cal, but washed out during fall training because I wanted a social life instead. Got my 5M meters free shirt from Concept2 a few years back. Pulled 20k yesterday for the first time in a while, took me 1:25 but that was after a 2hr workout at the gym, and I'm 48 so fuck you
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I'd heard mention @BearsWiin of your being a dude that still pulls ergs, so props for this. I'm all in favor of old guy ergin' - still use it myself - but why 20,000 meters? Are you training for a marathon or something? 2:07.5 splits for and hour and 25 mins of work at age 48 ain't nothing to be ashamed of. In my college days, we never did pieces for time longer 10,000 meters; for longer work at low strokes per minute, it was lot more stuff like 6 x 10 min pieces with 2 mins rest in between.BearsWiin said:Did lightweight crew my sophomore year at Cal, but washed out during fall training because I wanted a social life instead. Got my 5M meters free shirt from Concept2 a few years back. Pulled 20k yesterday for the first time in a while, took me 1:25 but that was after a 2hr workout at the gym, and I'm 48 so fuck you
Amongst my friend group which is most ex- UW rowers, we have a saying: 2:00 min splits is the new 1:40. Most of us - me included - were sub 20:00 min guys on 6000 meters, so 1:39 or better, but these days we're all happy to just hold under 2:00 min splits for 30 minutes give or take.
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Nothing special. It's just like a bit of distance running. Burn off the calories from the previous night's wine drinking while watching UEFA Champions League soccer on FS1. I've never been comfortable with intervals (at 5'11" 180# I don't really have the brute strength or leverage to do them well anyway), so I just pick a distance and see how quickly I can do it.YellowSnow said:
I'd heard mention @BearsWiin of your being a dude that still pulls ergs, so props for this. I'm all in favor of old guy ergin' - still use it myself - but why 20,000 meters? Are you training for a marathon or something? 2:07.5 splits for and hour and 25 mins of work at age 48 ain't nothing to be ashamed of. In my college days, we never did pieces for time longer 10,000 meters; for longer work at low strokes per minute, it was lot more stuff like 6 x 10 min pieces with 2 mins rest in between.BearsWiin said:Did lightweight crew my sophomore year at Cal, but washed out during fall training because I wanted a social life instead. Got my 5M meters free shirt from Concept2 a few years back. Pulled 20k yesterday for the first time in a while, took me 1:25 but that was after a 2hr workout at the gym, and I'm 48 so fuck you
Amongst my friend group which is most ex- UW rowers, we have a saying: 2:00 min splits is the new 1:40. Most of us - me included - were sub 20:00 min guys on 6000 meters, so 1:39 or better, but these days we're all happy to just hold under 2:00 min splits for 30 minutes give or take.
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I think 89ute, you need to realize that in spite of UW giving out rowing schollies to hundreds fake rowers, your daughter still isn't getting one and you still have to pay for college.
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Too late. she graduated about two years ago. Cost was about 7k a year, her books were free.doogie said:I think 89ute, you need to realize that in spite of UW giving out rowing schollies to hundreds fake rowers, your daughter still isn't getting one and you still have to pay for college.
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I rowed in high school but that was 20 years ago plus. So it was a thing then. Around the NW, you usually just row for a neighborhood club more or less. I don't know about back east. It might be a club thing at a couple of schools, can't remember. The Canadians are more wannabe Limeys so they row for their snobby private schools more often. We used to go up there for races sometimes. I'm not 6' 5" and 230 lbs. though. Back then I topped out at 5' 9 3/4" and 158, maybe 160 lbs.so they'd stick me with lightweights. What was I going to do though, play football? Play basketball? It's basically a sport for 6' 3" preppy white dudes who aren't particularly athletic, or don't want their body to take a pounding in sports like football. I'm not sorry I did it, but post high school, I barely gave it a second thought. I saw this thread about a week ago and really had to struggle to remember the terminology such as stern, bow, and what seats were what.
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True that on the Canadian HS rowing programs being more snooty than the American HS programs in the Northwest. I think the "preppy" factor really varies from program to program. Our UW squads never felt very preppy. But the Ivy League teams had that vibe, which make up most of the schools that "care" about Men's Rowing. The Concept II Rowing Machine is the great equalizer for tall, un-athletic dudes: it does not care about your vertical, how fast you can run a 40, or your hand/eye coordination. All it cares about is how big is your motor (over 6 minutes) and pain threshold. If you put a 6'4" 220 lb football player who is a better athlete on a rowing machine, they can't make it go any faster than a 6'4" rower with a huge motor.Fire_Marshall_Bill said:I rowed in high school but that was 20 years ago plus. So it was a thing then. Around the NW, you usually just row for a neighborhood club more or less. I don't know about back east. It might be a club thing at a couple of schools, can't remember. The Canadians are more wannabe Limeys so they row for their snobby private schools more often. We used to go up there for races sometimes. I'm not 6' 5" and 230 lbs. though. Back then I topped out at 5' 9 3/4" and 158, maybe 160 lbs.so they'd stick me with lightweights. What was I going to do though, play football? Play basketball? It's basically a sport for 6' 3" preppy white dudes who aren't particularly athletic, or don't want their body to take a pounding in sports like football. I'm not sorry I did it, but post high school, I barely gave it a second thought. I saw this thread about a week ago and really had to struggle to remember the terminology such as stern, bow, and what seats were what.
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I hated those ergs (I think that's what you're talking about). I got down to like a 7:10/2000 meters, which isn't terrible for a guy my size then, but it's not great.YellowSnow said:
True that on the Canadian HS rowing programs being more snooty than the American HS programs in the Northwest. I think the "preppy" factor really varies from program to program. Our UW squads never felt very preppy. But the Ivy League teams had that vibe, which make up most of the schools that "care" about Men's Rowing. The Concept II Rowing Machine is the great equalizer for tall, un-athletic dudes: it does not care about your vertical, how fast you can run a 40, or your hand/eye coordination. All it cares about is how big is your motor (over 6 minutes) and pain threshold. If you put a 6'4" 220 lb football player who is a better athlete on a rowing machine, they can't make it go any faster than a 6'4" rower with a huge motor.Fire_Marshall_Bill said:I rowed in high school but that was 20 years ago plus. So it was a thing then. Around the NW, you usually just row for a neighborhood club more or less. I don't know about back east. It might be a club thing at a couple of schools, can't remember. The Canadians are more wannabe Limeys so they row for their snobby private schools more often. We used to go up there for races sometimes. I'm not 6' 5" and 230 lbs. though. Back then I topped out at 5' 9 3/4" and 158, maybe 160 lbs.so they'd stick me with lightweights. What was I going to do though, play football? Play basketball? It's basically a sport for 6' 3" preppy white dudes who aren't particularly athletic, or don't want their body to take a pounding in sports like football. I'm not sorry I did it, but post high school, I barely gave it a second thought. I saw this thread about a week ago and really had to struggle to remember the terminology such as stern, bow, and what seats were what.
I should have done cross cuntry or something...I got down to a 5:40 mile once without even training that much.
