Rowing Team Tryout Process

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Marie221

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May 30, 2020
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Hello! I have recently accepted my appointment to USNA and am now trying to plan out my athletic activities. I have been swimming for 10 years and swimming for USNA was originally my goal but due to Covid I was set back a bit. I have still been in contact with the coach but am trying to consider all of my options. One of these is rowing. Does anyone have any insight, as someone who has never rowed before but is very athletic, what the tryout process is and the likelihood that I would be able to make the womens rowing team? Thank you for you consideration!
 
When we attended CVW last month, the 2/c mid on the panel rowed crew. He was a plebe walk on. He shared that plebes had opportunities during Plebe Summer to visit team practices. He had not rowed before, did well, and was offered a team spot. He said there were a large number of walk-ons and they made the team stronger by pushing everyone to be their best.
 
I have been in contact with the rowing coach, I was also a swimmer and though not being recruited, but I’ve been offered a spot on the team if accepted. Are you looking at heavyweight or lightweight?
 
I have seen many comments from those trying to attend and those admitted

”Because of covid issues my times now stink”

The swim coaches and others may be prepared to deal with this , no drop in times problem , so many seem to be dealing with.
 
G0navybeat@rmy said:
I have been in contact with the rowing coach, I was also a swimmer and though not being recruited, but I’ve been offered a spot on the team if accepted. Are you looking at heavyweight or lightweight?
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I am looking at heavyweight. Were you offered a spot for rowing? How did that process work?
 
I did a quick search and I would be heavyweight. What was your process in reaching out, and "selling" yourself, to the rowing coach? Thanks!
 
First thing would be to get some 500m time on an erg, for heavyweight men’s they look at 6’3 guys and above. Im at 6’4 and about 225 pounds with a 1:26ish 500m. To be competitive shoot for a 1:30 or below, but if you’re around 1:35 you can still contact the coach. I first emailed him in July with my times, and he expressed interest, so we’ve been in contact since then.
 
I’ll tell a story of my familiarity with women's crew. A fellow plebe family was eating ice cream before Iday. The female plebe had on a usna t shirt. Looked the part of future Mid.

There were a few female crew team members in the same ice cream store. They approached the plebe to be, who had no rowing experience, and talked to her about crew. Told her to come to their sport during sports sessions during plebe summer. She did, became a member and rowed for Navy. Had a blast.

During your plebe summer you will have the opportunity to check out the different sports. Athleticism will be beneficial, they can teach you to row. That was my friends daughters experience.
 
Most parts of the country don't really have any kind of high school rowing so the vast majority of new students arrive empty handed. Rowing teams are comfortable with this and always on the prowl for likely looking prospects who have never thought of it outside the context of the 1936 Olympics.
 
USMCfam said:
When we attended CVW last month, the 2/c mid on the panel rowed crew. He was a plebe walk on. He shared that plebes had opportunities during Plebe Summer to visit team practices. He had not rowed before, did well, and was offered a team spot. He said there were a large number of walk-ons and they made the team stronger by pushing everyone to be their best.
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Thank you - that's good to know. We are Overseas so can't make the CVWs - Korea is a little strict on COVID PCR Tests... DD is considering moving over to Rugby. During HS, DD played Volleyball and Softball. However, attending a small DODEA School meant she played and was leader but did not have opportunities for travel ball, workshops, camps, etc.
 
Our son rowed all four years in high school and at USMA. The difference is that those at the college level who have never rowed before will have a bit of catch-up to do to make it into those upper boats if that’s a goal.

Know that you will spend hours on the ergs pulling until your lungs burn and you think you're going to pass out, and you might. You will also note that most erg rooms have small trash cans or buckets lying around to capture the contents of stomachs which every rower loses on occasion. And you will need to be prepared for twice-a-day practices and the three to fours hours or more out of every day that cannot be applied to academics. Rowing is not sustainable for the academically weak. You will also end up with two very wrecked hands in the process of developing the permanent callouses required for handling the oars proficiently. And sleep, never a mainstay of any cadet's/mid’s life, will become your most valued treasure; you will never get enough of it. Exhausted will become your new normal.

On the bright side, you may never find a higher level of comraderie than the binding of a crew or the intense exhilaration of rowing first through a finish line with spent mates who have given every breath and every ounce of their beings to finish well what is primarily a mental battle. Crew is more calling than sport.

I have posted this before, but here is a video that gives a good glimpse into a rower's world:


Crew is the definition of teamwork. A boat will not move unless ever rower is in sync for the entire distance. Each position in a boat serves a unique function, but those functions must be executed with a precision not found in other sports. The rowers become the boat. It is the boat that wins or loses, not the individuals who make it move. You will know very quickly if you love or hate crew. There is no in-between.

USNA’s rowing program is D1 whereas rowing is a club sport at USMA, so I’m sure the privileges extended to rowers at USMA (private facilities/boathouse, released from some routine duties, etc.) are matched or exceeded at Navy.

Good luck!
 
It's not too hard to walk onto the crew team as a plebe. However, it's tough to stay on the team as an upperclassman if you're not really good. A friend who did it a few years ago (pre-COVID) really enjoyed it plebe year. He was cut as a youngster and did other sports his remaining years. It is a lot of work but most who do it really enjoy it.

Lacrosse is heavily recruited at USNA so I would think it would be tough to walk on unless you had a lot of h.s. experience.

Keep in mind that there are Club sports that are very competitive and also intramural, which vary in terms of intensity.
 
Yes, what was said above about cuts and then they also cut in January-timeframe when they start ranking your erg times against your teammates. It's important how you move the boat, but also what your erg is. They right now have one of their fastest groups (men's heavyweight) ever and you should plan on being low 6:20's (2k) if you want to be recruited and faster to stay on the team in Mid-Jan. There are always exceptions, so don't hesitate to reach out and talk with the coaches.....but just know it's a fast group. Also should be prepared for extra erging during the winter season - not enough to go to practice, need to get some extra meters in.

My fav comment when we went to an Ivy with my rower for recruiting and they exclaimed incredibly enthusiastically, we have an engineering major on our team!! This was our first experience with D-1 rowing recruiting. Well, Navy has many engineering majors on their team. It's an impressive group of scholars and athletes!!
 
Marie221 said:
Hello! I have recently accepted my appointment to USNA and am now trying to plan out my athletic activities. I have been swimming for 10 years and swimming for USNA was originally my goal but due to Covid I was set back a bit. I have still been in contact with the coach but am trying to consider all of my options. One of these is rowing. Does anyone have any insight, as someone who has never rowed before but is very athletic, what the tryout process is and the likelihood that I would be able to make the womens rowing team? Thank you for you consideration!
Click to expand...
Not much to add other than rowing is awesome and I have many hours on the Concept2. Never rowed on water, but got really into competitive indoor rowing. I hope it works out!
 
You will definitely get boat time during plebe summer. It will be a great opportunity to see if it is something you will enjoy.

With your swimming background, you should definitely have the fitness as well, and will probably succeed at it if you pursue it!
 
I agree with everything stated above. Lots of opportunity to participate as a plebe. Knowing that Navy crew likes to recruit anyone who has the build for it, my husband who rowed collegiately said to my properly built son as he headed off to CVW, “Don’t accidentally get recruited for crew!”
 
One of our DS roomies was a walk on heavy rower and still is. He is amazing and his work ethic is impressive.
He was a great athlete prior to walking on. Lots of high school experiences with varsity level athletics.

Try it? What is there to lose?
 
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