Should really bad rowers talk to coaches?

Pogies
Fri, 19 Oct 2012 21:43:18 +0000

Basically, I am a junior with a VERY bad erg score, but I like rowing anyways. I’m 5’4" and 50kg, and my last 2k was…around an 8:30. Still, I could not imagine living without rowing anymore, and my days are pretty much filled with rowing. I row have an established coach and rowed in a boat with in the A-final junior nationals. I also have an UW GPA of something like a 3.7, take the most challenging course load, and have had an ACT of around 32-34 (without studying, a few years ago).

Would it be advisable to talk to college coaches if I can bring my erg score to something like an 8:10-8:15? (Past data from the team indicates that I should be able to get an 8:10 in the worse case scenario) I know that I am not eligible for any sort of help from coaches really, but is there any benefit to contacting them? If I’m just visiting a school for other reasons, should I try to talk to the coach while I’m there? I am thinking about schools that I would otherwise be a candidate for, but I was wondering if talking to coaches would give me any kind of edge over people with similar qualifications as I do, or just awkward situations.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this! I feel like such a novice in everything ;)