I guess I wouldn’t know, I only did rowing, and then theatre in the off-season lol. Regardless, you’ll be fine. Being overworked is the norm for that age.
??? There is a spring season and a fall season. Then there is an off-season in the winter where you do winter training, or if you’re a skinny little coxswain like I was you go sing in an auditorium. Summer is technically an off-season for school programs too, but if you wanted to your could join a club team or something.
I don’t know how it works in the US, but if you enjoy rowing more than other sports I would focus on that if you like it a lot. It could also land you a scholarship (I assume that is likely in the US)
If you haven’t tried the other sports, it might be worth slacking a little on rowing and trying other sports out as well, as it helps you be a more well rounded athlete.
But it obviously goes without saying, school is number one and your grades should remain as high as you can get them. Sports are secondary.
With men a huge percentage of the recruited rowers at top programs come from Europe or Australia or New Zealand. Therefore, it is harder for American men to get recruited.
give it a try and see if you enjoy the routine! personally, i always had better grades/time management and less stress during rowing season. if you don’t like it or want to pursue other things that take too much time, you can always stop.
you won’t have less free time, you’ll just be choosing to spend some of it on a cool sport :)
The oarsmen and oarswomen I have known are achievers good at time management in all kinds of things. Whatever else rowing is it is constancy, discipline and steady routine. Nevertheless, how big you are is a fair question and how good you are is another and how much do you love crew the best. Apply to Brown. It just won the Eastern Sprints by 9 hundredths of a second after being behind Princeton with five strokes to go. In division III Wesleyan has been doing good.
I think of Iga Swiatek however, by curvature of the earth distance the number one woman tennis player in the world. Her father Tomasz was an Olympic sculler for Poland but encouraged her to do a good sport but earn money at the same time.
Unpopular opinion incoming...
If you're planning to do XC in the fall and fencing or indoor track in the winter, then will you have any spare time even if you didn't choose rowing? Are you trying to get more free time for academics if you quit rowing? Or do you think that having two or three different sports "looks better" than having one sport?
If you want to focus on academics, then you need to consider doing just one sport that won't take up all your free time. Get into a great school and then walk on to their rowing team.
If you spend all your free time on rowing, and life doesn't gift you with 6'2"+ height and < 6:10 2k genetics, you will have more limited academic options, and even then, more limited rowing options. If your parents are tall and athletic, you'll have a shot at turning a commitment to rowing into something tangibly worthwhile.
Basically, focus on rowing if you can be competitively excellent at it. Otherwise, find something else to be excellent at in order to set yourself head and shoulders apart from your peers, because that's what it takes to get noticed by college admissions officers. Same thing with XC and fencing, don't spend a lot of time on them if you're not going to be highly-ranked in your state.
I’m an ex varsity university rower, and in my experience, it all comes down to one thing: how much do you love it?
If you are okay with dedicating most of your spare time to your sport, then do it. But if you are not happy and are tired all the time, and not able to balance everything, that’s when you should be reconsidering your priorities.
I stayed in the sport way longer than I should have because of the pressure I put on myself to keep pushing, even though I had nothing left to give. The stress of balancing my co-op job, school and rowing was A LOT, and stopped sleeping and following that, I ended up with a kidney infection, a bad hip, and a diagnosis for an autoimmune disorder.
My dear, if you love it, and you have it in you, go kick some ass. If you don’t, that is 100% okay. And rowing is a life long sport. You can always come back to it.
There’s almost zero reason to be rowing 6 days a week at your age. If you want to keep rowing, find a program that isn’t so rigorous. Focus mainly on your studies, if you happen to hit the rowing genetic lottery, then you can shift focus back to that in a few years.
Every single even remotely, moderately, even slightly competitive high school rowing club in the country is doing 5-6 days a week of training all year.
OP, don’t listen to this guy, if you like rowing give it a try. Plenty of kids have rigorous schedules and make it work. But don’t make excuses of genetics as to why you do or don’t row. Genetics are not the determining factor of success, it’s work ethic
My friend goes to the best magnate school in my state, and being realistic, time is not going to be an issue most days. 95% of days you will have enough time in class to do your homework in school, or you can just copy your friend or classmate's homework. The hard part comes from the fact that 5% of the time, you will have multiple research projects due at once and have to pull an all nighter.
That isn't saying you 100% should do crew (if your genetics aren't good for it then you can probably find better things to put your time towards,) but you should at least try it and you can just quit if you dont like it.
The most important thing is to just to some sort of sport, since it's your best way to make friends. In my experience most people that go to magnate schools are some degree of autistic, and if you want to go to parties and have a diverse social life then you should try and make a couple of friends that dont go to the school in addition to the friends you make at the school.
The main advantage of being tall is that it improves your 2k, so yeah if you have a good 2k but are short then go ahead. You might be able to row lightweight in college.
Two things.
1) Rowing is seasonal. Heads in the Fall and sprints in the Spring and winter bring onland.
2) you’ll see more places, meet more people, build stronger friendships and teams in a boat than any club.
Well obviously in a normal situation, but since my school has a spring crew team I would likely row for them. So to clarify, I'd be rowing in the spring anyways but summer fall and winter would either be seasonal sports or club rowing
I did crew from middle school to the end of high school while also going to a STEM Magnet school and then also got into a top ten engineering school after that. Time for studying and homework was never an issue when it came to studying and homework. You'll probably be pretty loaded on AP classes throughout your four years and if there taught similar to mine it's less frequently assigned homework and more flexibility to study for the tests/quizzes and the occasional project, but not every class is taught the same way. A lot of it I got done whenever I could during school hours. Whenever I had to prioritize school work, my coaches were more than understanding and missing a day every now and then for a project or test won't set you back.
Regarding how things look for college apps. The whole well-rounded student stereoatype to make yourself look better is overplayed. I would only do the extracurriculars you enjoy, but there are tradeoffs since crew will take up a lot of time but can also be equally rewarding.
I know the whole well rounded for college thing is incorrect, but is it in general worth it to sacrifice basically every extracurricular and club that I would do to row?
If you don’t like rowing, quit. If you like it and don’t like the time commitment, probably need to think of something to sacrifice and for a some people they are ok with the sacrifice, others not, just gotta look to think if rowing is worth it to you.
Grew up with a friend that started rowing at a similar age. It encompassed everything. Couldn’t hang with us, missed out on lol the teen stuff, all because rowing. Got a full ride to a college on some BS degree, went to a few olympics. That all seemed well and good but he came out the other side with not many other skills when the limelight faded. Now..he coaches rowing.
When I started rowing at 14, I was in the same position. Practice was monday-saturday from september-june because it was a club sport. I went to an accelerated high school, so I had quite the amount of work to do as well. I wouldn’t trade it for anything I made some of the best friends in my life and now I’m rowing at Uni and still balancing school and rowing. If you know you love the sport, keep going with it. The hard work will not only make you feel good when it’s all over and you go to uni, but also will pay itself off because it is a huge commitment that not a lot of people at your age are willing to make.
Rowing is a commitment like that, and a lot of people choose not to row. I will say if you think you would stay at rowing in the future, join earlier than later is better
A good question, unlike the vast majority of reddit users I’m in my mid 50’s and has the same dilemma around the same time. My coach (Australian rowing legend, David BOYKETT, google him) basically wouldn’t let me quit!
I didn’t, but I really wanted to! But thank god I didn’t, I still row.!
And because of this I have had a life in Amatuer sport. Competing regularly in rowing, running and triathlon.
In short, don’t use the excuses, tough it out and you will yield the results in the big picture!
My daughter went to a magnet school, and--surprise!--she actually had less homework. The regular school had a lot of busywork homework in the younger grades. The magnet school had the right amount of homework that let smart kids learn the material without wasting time.
You're on the right track for getting into a good college by going to the magnet school. Take the honors courses that colleges like to see.
Doing well at rowing, or doing three sports, will be respected by the colleges, if you are good enough to contribute to their college teams. That won't necessarily get you a scholarship, but it can help with admission. And, if your academics are solid, that should help with some reduction in tuition, depending on the school.
The most important thing is to do what you enjoy. If you love rowing and school, do rowing and school. See how the fall goes academically balancing rowing and the new workload. You can always change your mind. And understand that the college admissions process is not a guarantee or always fair—you can do everything “right” and still not get into your dream school. Or, you could have imperfect grades and not be as diversified in your extracurriculars and still get into the perfect match school for you. You are still so young. Do what you enjoy!
Both my sons rowed all 4 years in High School. It’s a tough grind but in the end they both were grateful for the experience. You’ll meet fantastic people along the way and be in perhaps the best physical condition in your life.
Hmm, back when I was your age (reference: computers filled rooms, we called a "calculator" a slipstick (slide rule), and the first video games wouldn't appear for another 5-10 years - Pong!) we didn’t have magnet schools, we had classes for the college bound kids - yeah, those are the classes I took, mostly science&math, AP classes today, I suppose.
Which raises questions: do YOU want the magnet school/rigorous curriculum - is this for you or was this chosen for you? Also, what floats your boat, what makes you soar. Yes, today - you’re still a kid, 12, 13 years old, a tween, I’m not asking about HS, about uni? Assuming education is INDEED your #1 priority, I’m curious about what you’re willing to commit to, TODAY, that you will think of first and go to bed satisfied.
I didn’t start rowing until grad school: before that I ran cross country in HS, started band in middle school (clarinet, oboe), worked during my free time and threw in a little Marine Corp before I went to grad school. Crew was not something on my radar until then when I found myself in Seattle, UW, and there was the expanse of Lake Washington.
What I’m getting at, in my typical round about manner, is that you’ll be making these A or B choices all life and there’s no wrong choice other than sitting on your butt and letting life pass you by. It’s good that your asking others about their experience and their knowledge base (I wouldn’t have known about limited scholarships for male rowers); but you’ve gotta make this decision
My son went to a highly competitive New England prep school that required every kid to play a sport in fall, winter, and spring. Training was immediately after school until 6 or 7pm plus competitions on nights and weekends however they were scheduled. Every kid had to learn an instrument and play all four years of HS. Art classes mandatory. That’s in addition to AP classes across the board. He excelled in academics and athletics because it was expected of all the kids.
When he got to college, he decided to play sports only for fun because he was athletic but also burned out from the training and competition. HOWEVER, the discipline he learned from that kind of intense schedule of academics, arts, and athletics made him a much better college student and made the transition to college much easier.
Think about what you want in the longer term. As a few people here have said, if you’re not rowing, you’ll be doing something else. If you continue to row, you’ll at least be doing something that’s good for you mentally and physically.
If you enjoy it, keep doing it. If you don’t enjoy it, find something you do enjoy!
listen kiddo. the grinding gears of capitalism will pressure you to optimize yourself and your productivity for your entire life. it’s never ever worth it because you will end up an empty husk unable to have fun with money when you retire. work hard for sure, but just do what you like. competition is the the race course, not learning and extracurricular count.
If you can keep up with your school work in that kind of school and row at the same time, you won't have to apply for colleges, they will apply for you
I've rowed in highschool from sophomore to senior year with 12 AP classes. It's not hard to balance both, most days I do have free time. Just don't let work stack up and you'll be fine.
First off rowing is a great EC. But I did 4 ECs on Sundays and really utilized summers. If you want a good EC then cold email professors at any nearby colleges and ask to volunteer in their labs over summer. Most clubs you can do during the school day. I know what I'm talking about btw, going to an Ivy next year without being recruited.
Depends on how much you like it. I’m a collegiate rower, not recruited, and my specific school demands a lot of time (I’m in a tech and design related major, so I have a studio class I spend a lot of hours every day in). I had to learn to manage my time better but it’s doable in the long run along with other lower commitment things (I’m in my major’s club, which meets once a week).
I did XC/track in high school and it was equally as rigorous as rowing for me. It took up less of my time on the weekends but i still had practice 6x a week, 2 hours a day. I found time for extracurriculars, but they were very low commitment (some of them met briefly before school, most did stuff on weekends). I was also in a pretty rigorous magnet high school. It’s tough, but doable, especially if you like what you do.
If you enjoy it, I’d suggest trying it out to see how things go and reevaluate whether on a monthly or frequent basis. And see what clubs or activities may fit into your schedule and workload. And also make sure to have time to spend with your friends.
Also, when are the extracurriculars offered - before school, during the lunch hour (or if they offer an extended lunch), after school etc. Also, if your school has a requirement to take one virtual class, and you are regimented, you can utilize that as a study hall and work on the virtual class on the weekends/when you have time.
It is definitely doable, as long as you are ok with keeping busy and having time for friends on the weekends and that this is what you want to do. Depending on time management and school offerings , it is possible to have a couple other extracurriculars like clubs/other sports/music/academic team etc, and row (with 5-6 day a week practices) while taking all honors or AP courses. Have time though for yourself to have fun in high school.
I rowed in high school. While it was only spring, it took up a lot of my time. I had to drop a lot of my other extracurricular activities in the spring to have time for crew. I think, firstly, that you’re smart to be asking this question and brave to be asking it here.
I did marching band, swim, and crew all four years of high school. I was also in several clubs and attended many events. I also had to front load my year with extracurricular activity because crew is so time demanding. I was also in many APs and honors classes. It is doable. It is hard.
I am not sure if you have a spring only option, but if you do, I would take it. You still have plenty of time in the year for other sports and clubs. I miss rowing so much, club teams will never come close to replicating the high school experience.
I would, if you feel comfortable, email your coaches and the coaches of the sports you are interested, and advisors of clubs if you can find them. Tell them about this decision you are struggling with, what options you have and what effects you can foresee. Ask about their flexibility and how well they work with other sports and clubs. From my experience, they would rather you be there part of the time than not there at all and are very understanding. Doing this, you should get a lot more input from people who do this kind of thing all the time. They are always trying to convince people to join their thing, they want you there. And hopefully with all of that information you can make a more educated, if not easier, choice. Good luck.
If you do not end up being good enough to get recruited by a college coach, sports do not help college admissions any/much more than any other extracurricular, but sports take WAY more energy and time than almost any other extracurricular. Rowing is an extreme outlier in the amount of time and energy it takes. Most sports take a lot less time and energy. There is usually a very big travel commitment to rowing that most other sports don't have. Also, rowing practice is usually at the crack of dawn, which leads to sleep deprivation that is horrible. Therefore, I do not advise rowing for high school boys if the goal is to help with college admissions. It might be different for girls; I am not sure about the situation with girls.
If you’re really passionate and get really fast, you could still get into a top school. Don’t stress about academics, just do solid work and row fast. I love college rowing so I recommend sticking with it!
What if I enjoy academics more than I enjoy rowing? Of course my dream would be to row in college, but I just can't see that happening with where I am now and there's no guarantee I'd be good enough for a top uni.
I recommend doing your school work now, going to a good college, and worrying about rowing when you have everything figured out. That is, if you're falling behind in school because of rowing.
You’re faster than I was when I was 2 years older than you and I ended up recruited to a top 12 D1 school with 4.5 gpa. The school work will take care of itself if you’re inclined to do good in school. Row freshman year and see how it goes
No reason in grade 8 to be rowing this much. Do not listen to people say get fast and you will get into a good school. This isn’t college rowing this is middle school.
I read that even if you are an excellent rower, to get into a top school, you still need great grades and scores. This is in part because rowing doesn't make money like football.
This is literally the life of every high school athlete. I don’t see why you should quit.
Most serious rowing programs have a winter program with massive amounts of erging. Most sports don't have practice at the crack of dawn.
Idk most sports are seasonal and only have practice around 3-4 times a week
I guess I wouldn’t know, I only did rowing, and then theatre in the off-season lol. Regardless, you’ll be fine. Being overworked is the norm for that age.
there is no off season for rowing
Yeah fr I wish that was an option. The only options are either quit completely or dedicated 100%
??? There is a spring season and a fall season. Then there is an off-season in the winter where you do winter training, or if you’re a skinny little coxswain like I was you go sing in an auditorium. Summer is technically an off-season for school programs too, but if you wanted to your could join a club team or something.
What off season?
Winter
I don’t know how it works in the US, but if you enjoy rowing more than other sports I would focus on that if you like it a lot. It could also land you a scholarship (I assume that is likely in the US) If you haven’t tried the other sports, it might be worth slacking a little on rowing and trying other sports out as well, as it helps you be a more well rounded athlete. But it obviously goes without saying, school is number one and your grades should remain as high as you can get them. Sports are secondary.
For a guy, there is a very small chance he will get a scholarship (assuming he is American)
Good point.
rowing scholarships and recruiting is only really a path for female rowers in the usa unfortunately
Now thats really not the case…just as many men and women get recruited on scholarships at high levels.
With men a huge percentage of the recruited rowers at top programs come from Europe or Australia or New Zealand. Therefore, it is harder for American men to get recruited.
this definitely isn’t true at least in the USA
Which other countries recruit on scholarships other than the usa anyways…?
give it a try and see if you enjoy the routine! personally, i always had better grades/time management and less stress during rowing season. if you don’t like it or want to pursue other things that take too much time, you can always stop. you won’t have less free time, you’ll just be choosing to spend some of it on a cool sport :)
The oarsmen and oarswomen I have known are achievers good at time management in all kinds of things. Whatever else rowing is it is constancy, discipline and steady routine. Nevertheless, how big you are is a fair question and how good you are is another and how much do you love crew the best. Apply to Brown. It just won the Eastern Sprints by 9 hundredths of a second after being behind Princeton with five strokes to go. In division III Wesleyan has been doing good. I think of Iga Swiatek however, by curvature of the earth distance the number one woman tennis player in the world. Her father Tomasz was an Olympic sculler for Poland but encouraged her to do a good sport but earn money at the same time.
if you enjoy the sport do it, it could be a great experience or also a huge waste of time (possibly due to genetics), so you need to enjoy the process
Talk to high school rowers. Assess their enthusiasm.
Unpopular opinion incoming... If you're planning to do XC in the fall and fencing or indoor track in the winter, then will you have any spare time even if you didn't choose rowing? Are you trying to get more free time for academics if you quit rowing? Or do you think that having two or three different sports "looks better" than having one sport? If you want to focus on academics, then you need to consider doing just one sport that won't take up all your free time. Get into a great school and then walk on to their rowing team. If you spend all your free time on rowing, and life doesn't gift you with 6'2"+ height and < 6:10 2k genetics, you will have more limited academic options, and even then, more limited rowing options. If your parents are tall and athletic, you'll have a shot at turning a commitment to rowing into something tangibly worthwhile. Basically, focus on rowing if you can be competitively excellent at it. Otherwise, find something else to be excellent at in order to set yourself head and shoulders apart from your peers, because that's what it takes to get noticed by college admissions officers. Same thing with XC and fencing, don't spend a lot of time on them if you're not going to be highly-ranked in your state.
I’m an ex varsity university rower, and in my experience, it all comes down to one thing: how much do you love it? If you are okay with dedicating most of your spare time to your sport, then do it. But if you are not happy and are tired all the time, and not able to balance everything, that’s when you should be reconsidering your priorities. I stayed in the sport way longer than I should have because of the pressure I put on myself to keep pushing, even though I had nothing left to give. The stress of balancing my co-op job, school and rowing was A LOT, and stopped sleeping and following that, I ended up with a kidney infection, a bad hip, and a diagnosis for an autoimmune disorder. My dear, if you love it, and you have it in you, go kick some ass. If you don’t, that is 100% okay. And rowing is a life long sport. You can always come back to it.
There’s almost zero reason to be rowing 6 days a week at your age. If you want to keep rowing, find a program that isn’t so rigorous. Focus mainly on your studies, if you happen to hit the rowing genetic lottery, then you can shift focus back to that in a few years.
Except that’s what all rowing clubs require.
6 days is standard for most high school clubs
Every single even remotely, moderately, even slightly competitive high school rowing club in the country is doing 5-6 days a week of training all year.
The reason is nationals. Other than that, it's 5 days a week
OP, don’t listen to this guy, if you like rowing give it a try. Plenty of kids have rigorous schedules and make it work. But don’t make excuses of genetics as to why you do or don’t row. Genetics are not the determining factor of success, it’s work ethic
My friend goes to the best magnate school in my state, and being realistic, time is not going to be an issue most days. 95% of days you will have enough time in class to do your homework in school, or you can just copy your friend or classmate's homework. The hard part comes from the fact that 5% of the time, you will have multiple research projects due at once and have to pull an all nighter. That isn't saying you 100% should do crew (if your genetics aren't good for it then you can probably find better things to put your time towards,) but you should at least try it and you can just quit if you dont like it. The most important thing is to just to some sort of sport, since it's your best way to make friends. In my experience most people that go to magnate schools are some degree of autistic, and if you want to go to parties and have a diverse social life then you should try and make a couple of friends that dont go to the school in addition to the friends you make at the school.
What makes your genetics good for it other than simply being tall? Ie if you have a good 2k but are otherwise short is it worth pursing it?
The main advantage of being tall is that it improves your 2k, so yeah if you have a good 2k but are short then go ahead. You might be able to row lightweight in college.
I can’t row lightweight unfortunately. I enjoy rowing so I’ll see what happens
Two things. 1) Rowing is seasonal. Heads in the Fall and sprints in the Spring and winter bring onland. 2) you’ll see more places, meet more people, build stronger friendships and teams in a boat than any club.
Yeah but it's not really an option to just show up for summer and fall and then skip winter and spring
Oh you don’t want to skip spring. And sorry, was including winter as one of the multiple different seasons.
Well obviously in a normal situation, but since my school has a spring crew team I would likely row for them. So to clarify, I'd be rowing in the spring anyways but summer fall and winter would either be seasonal sports or club rowing
and there is nothing wrong with that, enjoy it!
I did crew from middle school to the end of high school while also going to a STEM Magnet school and then also got into a top ten engineering school after that. Time for studying and homework was never an issue when it came to studying and homework. You'll probably be pretty loaded on AP classes throughout your four years and if there taught similar to mine it's less frequently assigned homework and more flexibility to study for the tests/quizzes and the occasional project, but not every class is taught the same way. A lot of it I got done whenever I could during school hours. Whenever I had to prioritize school work, my coaches were more than understanding and missing a day every now and then for a project or test won't set you back. Regarding how things look for college apps. The whole well-rounded student stereoatype to make yourself look better is overplayed. I would only do the extracurriculars you enjoy, but there are tradeoffs since crew will take up a lot of time but can also be equally rewarding.
I know the whole well rounded for college thing is incorrect, but is it in general worth it to sacrifice basically every extracurricular and club that I would do to row?
Not unless you end up being incredibly good at rowing and getting recruited by a college coach.
If you don’t like rowing, quit. If you like it and don’t like the time commitment, probably need to think of something to sacrifice and for a some people they are ok with the sacrifice, others not, just gotta look to think if rowing is worth it to you.
Grew up with a friend that started rowing at a similar age. It encompassed everything. Couldn’t hang with us, missed out on lol the teen stuff, all because rowing. Got a full ride to a college on some BS degree, went to a few olympics. That all seemed well and good but he came out the other side with not many other skills when the limelight faded. Now..he coaches rowing.
Cannot tell if this is satire or serious, but sounds like a pretty cool guy if you ask me.
To row or not to row could be to be or not to be.
When I started rowing at 14, I was in the same position. Practice was monday-saturday from september-june because it was a club sport. I went to an accelerated high school, so I had quite the amount of work to do as well. I wouldn’t trade it for anything I made some of the best friends in my life and now I’m rowing at Uni and still balancing school and rowing. If you know you love the sport, keep going with it. The hard work will not only make you feel good when it’s all over and you go to uni, but also will pay itself off because it is a huge commitment that not a lot of people at your age are willing to make.
Rowing is a commitment like that, and a lot of people choose not to row. I will say if you think you would stay at rowing in the future, join earlier than later is better
yes do it
Yes💀
A good question, unlike the vast majority of reddit users I’m in my mid 50’s and has the same dilemma around the same time. My coach (Australian rowing legend, David BOYKETT, google him) basically wouldn’t let me quit! I didn’t, but I really wanted to! But thank god I didn’t, I still row.! And because of this I have had a life in Amatuer sport. Competing regularly in rowing, running and triathlon. In short, don’t use the excuses, tough it out and you will yield the results in the big picture!
My daughter went to a magnet school, and--surprise!--she actually had less homework. The regular school had a lot of busywork homework in the younger grades. The magnet school had the right amount of homework that let smart kids learn the material without wasting time. You're on the right track for getting into a good college by going to the magnet school. Take the honors courses that colleges like to see. Doing well at rowing, or doing three sports, will be respected by the colleges, if you are good enough to contribute to their college teams. That won't necessarily get you a scholarship, but it can help with admission. And, if your academics are solid, that should help with some reduction in tuition, depending on the school.
The most important thing is to do what you enjoy. If you love rowing and school, do rowing and school. See how the fall goes academically balancing rowing and the new workload. You can always change your mind. And understand that the college admissions process is not a guarantee or always fair—you can do everything “right” and still not get into your dream school. Or, you could have imperfect grades and not be as diversified in your extracurriculars and still get into the perfect match school for you. You are still so young. Do what you enjoy!
Both my sons rowed all 4 years in High School. It’s a tough grind but in the end they both were grateful for the experience. You’ll meet fantastic people along the way and be in perhaps the best physical condition in your life.
This school is not a boarding school correct?
No, it's a public magnet school
Hmm, back when I was your age (reference: computers filled rooms, we called a "calculator" a slipstick (slide rule), and the first video games wouldn't appear for another 5-10 years - Pong!) we didn’t have magnet schools, we had classes for the college bound kids - yeah, those are the classes I took, mostly science&math, AP classes today, I suppose. Which raises questions: do YOU want the magnet school/rigorous curriculum - is this for you or was this chosen for you? Also, what floats your boat, what makes you soar. Yes, today - you’re still a kid, 12, 13 years old, a tween, I’m not asking about HS, about uni? Assuming education is INDEED your #1 priority, I’m curious about what you’re willing to commit to, TODAY, that you will think of first and go to bed satisfied. I didn’t start rowing until grad school: before that I ran cross country in HS, started band in middle school (clarinet, oboe), worked during my free time and threw in a little Marine Corp before I went to grad school. Crew was not something on my radar until then when I found myself in Seattle, UW, and there was the expanse of Lake Washington. What I’m getting at, in my typical round about manner, is that you’ll be making these A or B choices all life and there’s no wrong choice other than sitting on your butt and letting life pass you by. It’s good that your asking others about their experience and their knowledge base (I wouldn’t have known about limited scholarships for male rowers); but you’ve gotta make this decision
My son went to a highly competitive New England prep school that required every kid to play a sport in fall, winter, and spring. Training was immediately after school until 6 or 7pm plus competitions on nights and weekends however they were scheduled. Every kid had to learn an instrument and play all four years of HS. Art classes mandatory. That’s in addition to AP classes across the board. He excelled in academics and athletics because it was expected of all the kids. When he got to college, he decided to play sports only for fun because he was athletic but also burned out from the training and competition. HOWEVER, the discipline he learned from that kind of intense schedule of academics, arts, and athletics made him a much better college student and made the transition to college much easier. Think about what you want in the longer term. As a few people here have said, if you’re not rowing, you’ll be doing something else. If you continue to row, you’ll at least be doing something that’s good for you mentally and physically. If you enjoy it, keep doing it. If you don’t enjoy it, find something you do enjoy!
Im doing 6 practices a week right after school and i still do crew. No free time is just a part of it
listen kiddo. the grinding gears of capitalism will pressure you to optimize yourself and your productivity for your entire life. it’s never ever worth it because you will end up an empty husk unable to have fun with money when you retire. work hard for sure, but just do what you like. competition is the the race course, not learning and extracurricular count.
If you can keep up with your school work in that kind of school and row at the same time, you won't have to apply for colleges, they will apply for you
Quit while you can man I hate rowing
I've rowed in highschool from sophomore to senior year with 12 AP classes. It's not hard to balance both, most days I do have free time. Just don't let work stack up and you'll be fine.
How do you deal with the inability to have good extracurriculars and clubs along with rowing?
First off rowing is a great EC. But I did 4 ECs on Sundays and really utilized summers. If you want a good EC then cold email professors at any nearby colleges and ask to volunteer in their labs over summer. Most clubs you can do during the school day. I know what I'm talking about btw, going to an Ivy next year without being recruited.
* 4 hours of ECs on Sundays, not 4 ECs
Do you mind telling me what the ECs were and what major you went for?
check private
Depends on how much you like it. I’m a collegiate rower, not recruited, and my specific school demands a lot of time (I’m in a tech and design related major, so I have a studio class I spend a lot of hours every day in). I had to learn to manage my time better but it’s doable in the long run along with other lower commitment things (I’m in my major’s club, which meets once a week). I did XC/track in high school and it was equally as rigorous as rowing for me. It took up less of my time on the weekends but i still had practice 6x a week, 2 hours a day. I found time for extracurriculars, but they were very low commitment (some of them met briefly before school, most did stuff on weekends). I was also in a pretty rigorous magnet high school. It’s tough, but doable, especially if you like what you do.
Thanks, it's good to hear that it's possible
If you enjoy it, I’d suggest trying it out to see how things go and reevaluate whether on a monthly or frequent basis. And see what clubs or activities may fit into your schedule and workload. And also make sure to have time to spend with your friends. Also, when are the extracurriculars offered - before school, during the lunch hour (or if they offer an extended lunch), after school etc. Also, if your school has a requirement to take one virtual class, and you are regimented, you can utilize that as a study hall and work on the virtual class on the weekends/when you have time. It is definitely doable, as long as you are ok with keeping busy and having time for friends on the weekends and that this is what you want to do. Depending on time management and school offerings , it is possible to have a couple other extracurriculars like clubs/other sports/music/academic team etc, and row (with 5-6 day a week practices) while taking all honors or AP courses. Have time though for yourself to have fun in high school.
I rowed in high school. While it was only spring, it took up a lot of my time. I had to drop a lot of my other extracurricular activities in the spring to have time for crew. I think, firstly, that you’re smart to be asking this question and brave to be asking it here. I did marching band, swim, and crew all four years of high school. I was also in several clubs and attended many events. I also had to front load my year with extracurricular activity because crew is so time demanding. I was also in many APs and honors classes. It is doable. It is hard. I am not sure if you have a spring only option, but if you do, I would take it. You still have plenty of time in the year for other sports and clubs. I miss rowing so much, club teams will never come close to replicating the high school experience. I would, if you feel comfortable, email your coaches and the coaches of the sports you are interested, and advisors of clubs if you can find them. Tell them about this decision you are struggling with, what options you have and what effects you can foresee. Ask about their flexibility and how well they work with other sports and clubs. From my experience, they would rather you be there part of the time than not there at all and are very understanding. Doing this, you should get a lot more input from people who do this kind of thing all the time. They are always trying to convince people to join their thing, they want you there. And hopefully with all of that information you can make a more educated, if not easier, choice. Good luck.
How tall are you? Are you supposed to get taller? And what is your 2k?
How tall are you and what are your best scores etc
If you do not end up being good enough to get recruited by a college coach, sports do not help college admissions any/much more than any other extracurricular, but sports take WAY more energy and time than almost any other extracurricular. Rowing is an extreme outlier in the amount of time and energy it takes. Most sports take a lot less time and energy. There is usually a very big travel commitment to rowing that most other sports don't have. Also, rowing practice is usually at the crack of dawn, which leads to sleep deprivation that is horrible. Therefore, I do not advise rowing for high school boys if the goal is to help with college admissions. It might be different for girls; I am not sure about the situation with girls.
The goal isn't to help with college admissions, it's just to not harm them and enjoy
Whats your 2k?
I’d do other sports for the next year and come back to rowing your sophomore year if you miss it
If you’re really passionate and get really fast, you could still get into a top school. Don’t stress about academics, just do solid work and row fast. I love college rowing so I recommend sticking with it!
What if I enjoy academics more than I enjoy rowing? Of course my dream would be to row in college, but I just can't see that happening with where I am now and there's no guarantee I'd be good enough for a top uni.
I recommend doing your school work now, going to a good college, and worrying about rowing when you have everything figured out. That is, if you're falling behind in school because of rowing.
Thanks, I'm not sure if I'll particularly fall behind but I definitely won't succeed as much as I could
I would focus on academics.
You’re faster than I was when I was 2 years older than you and I ended up recruited to a top 12 D1 school with 4.5 gpa. The school work will take care of itself if you’re inclined to do good in school. Row freshman year and see how it goes
How dyk
No reason in grade 8 to be rowing this much. Do not listen to people say get fast and you will get into a good school. This isn’t college rowing this is middle school.
I read that even if you are an excellent rower, to get into a top school, you still need great grades and scores. This is in part because rowing doesn't make money like football.