Concept2 Forum

Hello all,

I am currently a freshman in college in Massachusetts looking to walk on to lightweight rowing my sophomore fall. I was an active outdoorsman in high school (skiing, rock climbing, water skiing sailing) and I have been really going crazy without a sport to do everyday. So I was just wondering if you could rate my performance on the erg relative to my age and height as an 18 year old. Thanks! The school I attend is a very good rowing school, one of the best in the nation, so I am in for stiff competition.

Age:18
Height: 5-10
Weight: 139 ( I know I'm really skinny, I always have been but I'm trying to bulk up)
5k time: 19:45 (just did this yesterday actually)
I can usually keep a split of about 1:57-1:59 but I start to slack a little towards the end of the 5k
I've been on the erg for about 3 months now. Never rowed before coming to college.
Thanks!

Cicerow wrote:Hello all,

I am currently a freshman in college in Massachusetts looking to walk on to lightweight rowing my sophomore fall. I was an active outdoorsman in high school (skiing, rock climbing, water skiing sailing) and I have been really going crazy without a sport to do everyday. So I was just wondering if you could rate my performance on the erg relative to my age and height as an 18 year old. Thanks! The school I attend is a very good rowing school, one of the best in the nation, so I am in for stiff competition.

Age:18
Height: 5-10
Weight: 139 ( I know I'm really skinny, I always have been but I'm trying to bulk up)
5k time: 19:45 (just did this yesterday actually)
I can usually keep a split of about 1:57-1:59 but I start to slack a little towards the end of the 5k
I've been on the erg for about 3 months now. Never rowed before coming to college.
Thanks!

Your height makes it tough, although you might still pick up another inch or 2. Even the lightweight rowers are usually 6' and up. And, yes, you could do with another 15 pounds as long as it is in the right places, like quads and lats. Your erg time is not nearly as important as getting in a lot of quality time on the water. In your area, a lot of college rowers have had the opportunity to row on the water in prep school and in club junior programs. Using the ergometer can help develop your endurance and strength, especially in the muscles used for rowing, but you can't learn to row on the water by using an indoor machine. If anything, it can lead to bad habits which are hard to eliminate later on. Sorry that I cannot comment on your 5k time, I don't have any idea what the coaches are looking for nowadays, but a check of the C2 rankings for your category this season can give you a rough idea of where you stand.