Which Boarding School Has The Best Crew Team? - Page 2

CKSABS · 10-06-2012, 09:17 AM

Deerfield has been very good lately:

2012 National Champions! Deerfield 4+ Crew

2011 Boys Crew Finishes Up Strong

Be sure to read about Claire Collins, a ninth grader, who just started rowing this year:
Deerfield Rowing Moves to the World Stage

Claire Collins Takes Silver; DA Rowers Place Fourth Overall Deerfield Academy

Caputo ’14 Selected Male Junior Rower of the Year

mhmm · 10-06-2012, 11:25 PM

To answer the OP's two questions --
Kent is the top, hands down, for regatta crew, for boys.
To get into crew before attending high school, you should go on a training regimen of running, endurance training, etc. Most respected programs will not accept kids under 14/15. You can also start familiarizing yourself with an erg machine, although why one would invest in one before they got on the water to see if they actually like crew, is beyond me.

classicalmama · 10-07-2012, 12:00 AM

St. Paul's School new boys coach is the former U.S. Rowing Junior coach. My kid is filled with envy.

NEKreader · 10-07-2012, 06:24 AM

I would add Tabor to the list of strong boarding school programs, particularly for boys, along with Kent, Andover, Exeter, Deerfield. SPS hasn't done much under the new coach. For girls, SPS, Exeter, Tabor, Kent, and Groton are consistently strong.

Weatherby · 10-07-2012, 07:41 AM

Quote:

You can also start familiarizing yourself with an erg machine, although why one would invest in one before they got on the water to see if they actually like crew, is beyond me

Since I recommended buying one, let me respond.

Physical fitness and technique development are two reasons for my recommendation. Some people find the repetitive motion of rowing to be relaxing-I do. What if the OP does not live in an area with a club or team to actually get on water? An alternative to purchasing an ERG or joining a club would be to use a rower at the local gym to start. I presume the OP's child has an interest in the sport and when my kid has an interest in say golf or in another activity that requires equipment, it is beyond me that a parent (assuming they have the means) would not purchase say a used set of clubs and as someone posted, used ERGs can be purchased on e-Bay for $500 or so dollars, which in the overall scheme of BS is a trivial investment that could be flipped easily if the child did not continue with the sport.

Depending upon the OP's location and her child's age, there are summer camps with a focus on crew. This might be the best intro.

mhmm · 10-07-2012, 04:42 PM

^^ Depending upon the OP's location and her child's age, there are summer camps with a focus on crew. This might be the best intro. --
That
Every single club or rowing program has a "learn to row" program for absolute beginners. Its worth trying to see if you like the sport.

In terms of an ERG, while a used on for 500 may be a good price, what of storage? The thing is like having an extra size large teenager in the room. Even when folded. But beyond bulk, I would have issue with what you say about technique. How can a newbie perfect their own technique if they do not know it in the first place? You would need an instructor. To use the golf club analogy - you will not purchase a set of clubs and let your kid loose on the neighbors' lawn (or at least for your neighbors sake I hope you wont). You would teach your kid in an appropriate setting , or if you dont play yourself, you would bring your kid to a place where they do. Same with crew.

ChoatieMom · 10-07-2012, 06:40 PM

You can't learn technique on the ERG (no oars, no boat, no water), but that's not what it's for. You ERG to improve strength and stamina. You row a boat to learn technique. I do agree that you should determine whether or not you like rowing on water first before investing in equipment. As for size and bulk of an ergometer, you can say the same thing about many pieces of fitness equipment. If you don't the space to set it up or store it, then the local gym or fitness club are your alternatives.

Weatherby · 10-07-2012, 07:33 PM

Kids have too many instructors.

Storage is an issue.....if you live in Paris.

If the child expressed interest and there is no local club, I see no reason not to get an ERG.

I learned to play golf hitting the ball around the neighborhood, played college golf, and made it to a plus 2 without lessons.

SevenDad · 10-08-2012, 04:55 PM

+1 on the endorsement of St. Andrew's (DE) as a strong crew school. These things change year to year of course, depending on the kids in the program and who graduates...but I'd say that SAS is a very crew-centric school. Having the boathouse and course on campus helps.

Not that the gear makes the program, but SAS has a bazillion shells, including some apparently very high tech boat the varsity mens 8 uses.

My daughter tried the sport for the first time ever last year and rowed in the Freshman B boat, but had a fun time and we had a great time at the handful of regattas we attended. Great camaraderie with fellow parents, teachers, and staff. Pretty sure she'll go out for it again this year.

classicalmama · 10-08-2012, 10:42 PM

There is a certain technique to rowing quickly on an erg, but an experienced rower can teach a newbie how to do it. I know this because my kid has taught a friend from home who is two hours' drive from the nearest rowing club but hopes to be recruited by a D3 school. We live in a small house (not in Paris, unfortunately!) and the thing does take up a lot of room. However, it stands on end, so it takes up less floor space (when it's not in use) than most exercise equipment.

While I hate to defend a competitor :} , SPS's new boys coach hasn't been there long enough to prove his strength in terms of wins, but he's already piping kids into the junior national program, which is, I'd argue, more important when it comes to college recruiting than an individual school's win-loss record. If you go to the U.S. Rowing site, you can see which prep schools have sent kids recently to development and selection camp.

The best crew teams often have a competitive season for both fall and spring crew. Other teams do quite well with club crew in the fall and competitive crew in the spring, but my kid would probably say that the teams that have varsity rowing in the fall have a competitive edge (his school doesn't).

mhmm · 10-09-2012, 08:51 AM

^^ What classicalmama said - someone has to teach a newbie to use the correct erg technique. In her son's case, he did a nice thing and did it for a newbie. If the Op doesnt have classicalmama's type of son around the ERG won't help him.
In terms of listing schools with good crew teams - the OP asked "which BS has the highest ranked regatta crew team". The answer to that would be Kent.
full disclosure - son rowed for a competitor of Kent, and I have zero contact with anyone on the Kent crew team, or at the school.

classicalmama · 10-09-2012, 09:26 AM

Agree with nhmm (my son's team loses regularly to Kent). NEIRA rankings are pretty darn accurate in terms of the best teams. Mind you, both Andover and Exeter beat Kent in overall points at NEIRA's this year. But their teams are deeper, with more students to draw on. Overall, all of the top NEIRA teams are great.

I was jumping beyond the OP's original question, making assumptions about why someone might want to go to a school with a top-ranked team. Deerfied, SPS, Exeter (those are just the ones I know) all have strong links to the U.S. Rowing program, which is a fantastic next step for athletes who want to take rowing to another level. And with a coach who's in the loop, little prior experience to rowing is necessary--some of those kids got on an erg for the first time a season or two before going to camp.

SevenDad · 10-09-2012, 09:39 AM

Keep in mind that New England does not hold a monopoly on strong crew teams. I would throw St. Alban's and Gonzaga (DC area) into the mix as well.

That said, for a school to invest in an indoor tank as I think Kent has, says A LOT about the importance it puts on rowing.

GolfFather · 10-09-2012, 10:22 AM

Sorry, I have no idea “which boarding school has the best crew team.”

However, it might be good to know exactly why you’re asking.

I’ll assume from your post ...

Are there a few schools that are consistently regarded as being in the top three or five? Also, how can you get involved in crew before starting high school

... that you’re interested in rowing when you get to high school. That’s a great thing. But going to a school with the “best crew team” is not necessarily a great thing ... for you.

You will be a lot less likely to make the team or row in regattas if everyone else on the team are top rowers and better than you.

Just keep that in mind.

Personally, I’d rather play than sit on the bench. YMMV. Good luck.

rizzledrizzle · 11-09-2012, 12:22 AM

Exeter has a very strong crew program. I was sad to see, however, that they only do spring season. I do crew yearround, but then again I live in the west coast.