It’s about what you’re better at, honestly. You know you’re good at golf, and have barely even rowed if at all. By this analysis, the choice is obvious, no?
@tonymom, do schools recruit for both heavyweight and lightweight, or do recruiting/Likely Letter spots tend to be focused on the heavyweight teams? Adding both together, the rosters are so big that I assume there are some walk ons in the mix also, so just curious how it tends to work with the recruiting spots.
“the only difference is that one plays great golf and the other one rows very well. Who would the college choose? Thanks”
The admissions office doesn’t care. The golf coach picks the golfer, the crew coach picks the rower. The question is are you that choice and can that coach get you through the admissions office. You are in 8th grade. No way for anyone to know.
Pick the sport you like.
Pick the sport you like.
@bluewater2015
Not all schools that have rowing have both HW and Ltwt; you need to research. Those that do function as separate teams and recruit separately. Additionally some teams encourage walk-ins and others do not.
Best route is to find a school that a student is interested in and then look to the rowing program.
Figuring out where a rower “fits” size wise involves many factors. HS coaches can be helpful.
Thanks #tonymom,#ErenYeager. Can you tell me more about rowing and golf at ivy universities or the Northeast as a whole. I’d also like to know more about Stanford and such. #codemachine, when do people usually start rowing?
To be competitive, freshman year. Allows you to get in proper shape to be ready for recruitment by your junior year, I’d say. I’ve been golfing for most of my life (on different levels, of course), so I was ready to walk on course my freshman year of high school.
P.S., to have mentions put directly in the inbox of posters, type @ and then their screen name.
@ Muselk
Check out the thread “The rowing class of 2017 recruiting thread” for some very helpful info.
Thanks tonymom.
I was wondering if perhaps there might be more walk-ons in lightweight just because there are a lot more people around that size than there are the taller folks that seem to populate the competitive heavyweight teams. I came across this article that seems to say that’s the case at Dartmouth anyway at least as of the time of the article. I’m not sure how true this is of other schools though.
http://thedartmouth.com/2009/10/19/walk-ons-walk-into-success/
@Muselk,
Some general information-
If you’re looking at rowing heavyweight at a competitive D1 school you’ll need to be quite tall. Here’s Yale’s HW roster including heights. The 5’8"-5’9" men are all coxswains.
http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/m-crewhvy/2015-16/roster
As you can see, of the 40 or so rowers on the roster 7 are 6’8" and only 5 are 6’1" or 6’0".
You can be a shorter LW rower but taller is still better as long as you can stay under 160 lbs.
D3 rowers are often a bit shorter so if you were to grow but not be exceptionally tall a NESCAC school might be a good option.
http://athletics.trincoll.edu/sports/mrowing/2014-15/roster
Take a look at your mom and dad. Are they tall? If so, you might have quite a lot of growing to do.
In any case, I’d advise you to do the sport you prefer. The odds of either sport getting you into an Ivy League school are quite remote, so why not enjoy your sport?
@bluewater2015
The only school which really talked up walk ons when we toured as a family was Princeton. They have a very big roster. Most Ltwt programs seem to get 6-9 slots for recruited athletes with the majority of those being filled by EA/ED. You can always try asking the coaches directly their position on walk ons and they may be forthcoming. My sense is that in some respects Ltwt programs may be more competitive in terms of recruiting slots than HW just because there aren’t as many programs available. Just a hunch tho…
Thank you everyone. I never expected so much feedback. @tonymom, @Sue22 @bluewater2015 @codemachine. I want to know more about the process of being recruited? Does it affect admission chances. For crew, do you have to compete in individual regattas or competing with the team is good enough? In golf, I am only in the middle of the bunch at big tournaments even though I shoot in the 70s most of the time. Most junior golfers have had 5 years of experience. I want to start crew early because I really want to be good when I am older. It is also much more convenient than golf because I don’t have to arrange coaches on my own. Btw, what is a good 500m split time for an eighth grader?
If you want to play Ivy golf, you have to put your blood, sweat, and tears into it. If you’re good enough and the school wants you badly enough, it can definitely have an effect on admission chances. But you’re competing with kids at prep schools, etc. You should have grades to back it up, too.
@codemachine , I do go to a prep school. What do you think is better, golf or crew? Thanks again
@Muselk
The question is really what do you feel passionate about? I know that’s a difficult question at your age but what really moves you? It’s that passion for a sport that will support you through the long hours of practice and challenges you will undoubtedly face…
@Muselk
Please listen to @tonymom above. Schools are not looking for individuals that do what the schools want, they want individuals who excel at what they want to do.
Remember there is no better in golf and crew - there is only do. Ok bad joke, but there really is no right answer to your question. It all depends on you. You sound mature to me and I believe you are on the right track. Pick the sport you want to compete in and don’t look back. If you find you aren’t passionate about it after all, then look for the next thing. Good luck!
Thanks guys. @GrudeMonk @tonymom @codemachine. If I plan to pursue crew, what tips do you guys have for me? Please tell me more about how much I should practice and a good 2km time. If I plan to pursue golf, please give me some pointers too. What tournaments should I play in and how should I contact the coaches.
Tournaments are something you have to speak to your golf coach about, but you can look up recruiting info on athletic websites of schools you’re interested in. Technically, they can’t begin a dialogue until your junior year, but it doesn’t hurt to fill out a few forms now to be on the record.
A lot of success in rowing comes down to factors you can’t control.
Your height: As @Sue22, pointed out, For HYP, 6’ 2" HWT guys can be the shortest on the team. 
I also agree with her that at your age, the only way to estimate where you’ll be as a junior in high school is to look at your parents, and even that is just an estimate. my 6’5" son was 5’6" as an 8th grader. His brother was closer to 6’ in 8th grade but didn’t gain as much height overall. The college rosters are a good point of reference, but keep in mind that the include walk-ons as well as recruits, and my knowledge of one team tells me that the guys under 6’3" are more likely to be the former.
Your 2k erg time: You can speed up on the erg through hard work, but after a point it comes down to body mechanics and height/weight proportions. By end of junior year, somewhere close to 6:20 will generate real HYP HWT interest–right now–those times keep getting faster. For LWT and other Ivies , you would not need to be that quick. Here are the U.S. Rowing Standards–useful because they are by birthdate, so you can set a realistic goal for yourself. http://usrowingjrs.org/usj/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/JM-2016-Standards-by-Age.pdf
My wish for you would be to keep going with golf and rowing. You’re young enough that for another year at least, it seems like you could do one in the spring and one in the summer to help you figure out which best suits you. Rowing may be the only sport that you can come to late (provided you’re a good athlete). And since 2k counts more than team results, another possibility might be to golf competitively and erg on your own and see how your erg times look.
Thank you, @classicalmama . That helped a ton.