Crew in University??

Question

I'd like to pursue crew varsity in college....but I've never been on a team or even technically rowed (except in Girl Scouts). Is it hard? And should I do any specific excercises to build up some muscles??

Answer 1

It really depends where you are looking.  College sports, including women's rowing, are split up into Division I, II, and III.  Division III and II are easier to get into as a novice (someone in their first year of rowing), but I don't believe they offer scholarships.  Examples of D III and II schools would be Mercyhurst, UCSD, and Florida Tech.  Division I schools are known for recruiting the best athletes, usually right out of high school, and some Ivy leauges (Harvard and Yale, famously) recruit from Europe.  Rowing for a D I school can get you a scholarship, and depending on the school, some will take walk-ons as novices.  Examples of D I schools are Rutgers, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State, etc.  Keep in mind that rowing at any school is EXTREMELY demanding.  Often, it will require you to train up to twice a day during race season, wake up very early for practices, maintain a personal excerise program/lifting program, while also taking a full load of college courses and remain in good academic standing.  Rowing is also one of the most physically demanding sports, right up there with marathon running and triathalons.  If you decide to seriously pursue it, start working on building leg, back,and arm muscles because rowing is a total body workout (and not just doing things like squats - work the whole leg, the whole back, and the whole arm/chest/shoulder).  Cardio is also a must.  I'd start training on an erg (a rowing machine) if you know proper form and technique, but if you don't, avoid it untill you learn because you don't want to start any bad habits and possibly hurt yourself.  Running/biking/spinning anything that gets your heart pumping and breathing hard is an excellent cardiovascular workout.  good luck!