Height for Lighweights: new rower seeking advice

[CatR]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the sport of rowing, having just started this fall, but I love it! I want to see how far I can take it and thought I'd come here for advice.

I'm told by the coaches I'm working with that I'm a lightweight. I'm 5'10 with a small frame, and sitting comfortably at 136lbs (I eat healthily, but am by no means super disciplined with diet... I do enjoy the odd cookie and love cheese). I know Canadian National team selection criteria requires women to make 132lbs by certain dates. I've also heard that the maximum in international competitions is 130lbs.

I guess my main question is: I am too tall for a lightweight woman, and is me staying under the maximum body weight a realistic goal?

Thanks!

[hjs]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the sport of rowing, having just started this fall, but I love it! I want to see how far I can take it and thought I'd come here for advice.

I'm told by the coaches I'm working with that I'm a lightweight. I'm 5'10 with a small frame, and sitting comfortably at 136lbs (I eat healthily, but am by no means super disciplined with diet... I do enjoy the odd cookie and love cheese). I know Canadian National team selection criteria requires women to make 132lbs by certain dates. I've also heard that the maximum in international competitions is 130lbs.

I guess my main question is: I am too tall for a lightweight woman, and is me staying under the maximum body weight a realistic goal?

Thanks!

You say it yourself, if you feel fine with your current weight, you can drop a few pounds. Rowers are tall. 5.10 is tall but not to tall.

[bloomp]

You failed to mention your level of competition or affiliation, but I'll tell you one thing - that's a perfect build for a female lightweight rower. Do you row for a university or club? What sort of times have you done for 2k/5k/6k/10k?

[CatR]

Thanks for the replies!

I just started rowing novice this fall in my last year of university in Ontario. I'm moving to Vancouver after graduation and am trying to figure out how and where to proceed with training once there.
The official testing I've done is limited, but at the end of November I had a 1k time of 3:46, and an informal 6k of 25:45. I know I have a long way to go and am working on developing a base right now to try to improve my scores (right now I can comfortably keep an average 2:11 for 40 minutes).

Any other advice would be very much appreciated!