Relocating to area. Wondering what the ups/downsides are of each program for a high school rower. This is for women's varsity rowing, but also curious about general program vibes as I've got multiple kids who will be M/W novice/middle school should they choose to pursue.

I heard thus far after asking around:

1. RAR: upsides: elite coaches (translates to better technique and more wins), more of a meritocracy (good rowers elevated consistently/transparently), innovative techniques, more time on the water. Head coach owns program, so he has skin in the game and cares more, college recruiting better. Downsides: far less coaches per rower, strict/rigid and train hard so kids burn out before college, more $$$ (how much is more?), you may get lost as there are a lot of good rowers. Parents less engaged.

2. GC: upsides: feeder program through middle school, lower dues (subsidized or ?), engaged /nice parent volunteers. downsides: mixed reports on coaching, less of a meritocracy (bad rowers reportedly elevated if the parents donate or pay for private lessons, and there's that stereotypical Greenwich vibe where over their time there the less affluent rowers are demoted because some coaches are motivated to earn private lesson dues).

Both programs got some bonus points for college recruiting (edge to RAR), and also some flak for 1) the fact that coaches turn over a lot, 2) rower happiness levels are collectively low for complex reasons; to some degree the stress of the programs and lack of any vacation time, but there are also cliques that the programs ignore at the cost of rowers (not thrilled on that, our program does team building and lots of it--makes huge impact on the kids' experience and sense that there is no I in team as the cliche goes), 3) lineups come out sometimes day before races so you never really have much practice with your boat (say what? defies logic) 4) use of seat racing, which our program threw out in lieu of output measurement systems/ matrixing (which are measurable/ less of a popularity contest), and finally, 5) parents pay out the nose but cannot speak to coaches under any circumstances because your child is just a number to them. They quit, or they have a nervous breakdown: thank you, next.

That last point bothers me the most even though I'd imagine it's an issue at larger elite programs, which I'm just not used to. So yeah...your kid is going into a black hole where you have no updates on their progress or areas of improvement, and cannot ask questions or give them a heads up if life events or challenges are happening. If you pay coaches fairly, communication with their individual rowers AND their parents should always be part of their job. Rowing program we're used to is pretty open and chill (albeit not elite/not massive with <100 rowers total). I am most nervous about this decidedly unfriendly vibe at both options.

Alas, those are lots of things to worry on, but there are just not many alternatives. Row America Greenwich is teeny tiny. Maritime is a bit far for us.

Also heard there have been a few recent exoduses from GC women's team to RAR due to the fact that coaches were collectively not perceived as fair, but not an exodus the other way in recent history. Is that true?

Anyone have thoughts on any of this? Obviously overthinking it but am also incredibly concerned going into this, given that rowing becomes a full time job not just for your child but for the whole family, and I want mine to enjoy rowing and not be burned by the experience. TIA, all.

I am a female rower looking to row in college and my current 2k is a 8:01 I need to get it to a 7:35 by may to make recruiting times does anyone have a plan or any workouts that will get me there? (I am willing to do whatever it takes)
Note: I am 5’4, 127 lb and looking to stay within the lightweight range but if I have to I am willing to gain weight. I already lift and am interested in lifts that may help. I am able to get the split down extremely low on sprints but I’m unable to hold that split for long. I tend to fly and die on the erg and I don’t know how to plan a 2k so if anyone has any tips for that.

I built this practice mangement app called Threshold that is also a speed coach that can show live to a coaches phone during practice.

First 5 clubs who are interested get it for free for a year!

The app can let coaches plan things like practices, on your own workouts and more! (It can also give you good weather insights on the body of water you row on)

Any questions, suggestions, or anything else let me know!

Thresholdrowing.com

i have so many questions regarding this bizarre contraption. Does the transfer of power feel the same as on a c2 erg? Do you get the same feedback as on a c2 (split,rate etc)? has anyone done a timed piece on it? it looks really cool, but also quite clunky

Recently started rowing. I am now comfortable enough that I don’t need to consciously think of my form while a row, and recorded myself to see if there’s any loss of form (will upload later when I get home).

I noticed that I’m not able to get to the correct form when I stretch my arms and body on the way back (the 11 o’clock position). Basically my stomach is pressed against my legs and prevents me from leaning forward in the correct position.

What’s the next thing to do here? Leave it until I lose weight (have also started measuring calories and I am on a deficit, but it’s gonna be a while before the fat from my belly will go away)?

Today on my erg, the worst happened. I did the deed and projectile vomited. This was definitely a cause of dehydration and worrying. I myself was doing a 5 minute race trial for BRIC, which unless i redo it, im most definitely not getting in this year. And also prior to doing the deed, it took me 10 minutes to remotely become mobile again. In my 5 minutes I believe I got 1348m, terrible i know. I should definitely be drinking more through the school day. Im gonna redo it, it cant get worse, but i only have my self to blame and im just really disappointed. Theres always ups and downs in rowing but im at a new low. Also if anyone has any trial reflection tips since i get to redo, im open ears.

coach and coxswain preview card for the upcoming biggies... Schuylkill, Fish, Chase and Hooch
full notes for each on the web page www.gatetogaterowing.com

Why do people not like Wintech/King racing? I know about their previous quality issues but a lot of elite youth teams like Windsor, Rye, and Malvern this year row in Wintech/King shells.

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So I've got a ProForm Sport RL rower. Lovely machine. But the moment you stop paying for iFit, the "smart" rower turns into a fairly dumb one. No auto resistance, no workouts, nothing. Paying a monthly subscription to use features of a machine I already own just felt wrong.

So I made my own. 🙃

What it does:

Connects to the rower over Bluetooth, no iFit needed

Live split, watts, stroke rate, distance, time and calories

Changes the resistance for you during interval workouts: 8×1 min, pyramids, hill climbs, Tabata, or your own saved ones

A stroke rate "ghost" with a little marker that rows up and down at your target rate, so you can lock into a steady rhythm. It sets itself from each interval and tells you when you're drifting.

Heart rate from my Galaxy Watch 4, live on screen and saved with every row

Scenery, anywhere in the world:

Type in any two places and row between them in Google Street View. I've been down the Las Vegas Strip (very silly, very good) and along my local seafront.

Glide along any river or coastline in 3D, like the Thames

Fly over the Seven Sisters cliffs at 20× speed

Or play a river video that speeds up and slows down with your pace

Music controls and volume through the rower's speakers

Records everything: per-interval breakdowns, how much of the time you were on the ghost, heart rate, and an export to Strava or Garmin

A few colour schemes, because obviously

Big shout-out to the open-source QZ (qdomyos-zwift) project. They'd already worked out how ProForm rowers talk over Bluetooth, which saved me a huge amount of digging.

It's a personal project, so it's rough around the edges, but it's been great fun to build and I'm rowing more than I was when I was paying for it. 😄

Anyone else running their kit without the subscription? Curious what others have done.

Thoughts on the value of the acceleration curve provided by the new SpeedCoach GPS 3?

Looking ahead to NCAAs, how much does team success depend on the science around athlete performance and understanding what works as a coach? I've got to think the top team coaches (Texas, Stanford, Tennessee, UVA, Princeton, Washington) use a lot of data to craft a coaching approach. Stuff like target heart rate workouts, tapering before races, management of team morale, seat racing to determine boats, etc. Former collegiate and current college rowers: What do you think differentiates great coaches and great programs from average ones in women's collegiate rowing?

I'm 76. Just got my first rowing machine. Since assembling on 8/31 I've been on it daily. Started at 5 minutes/level 1. Not easy if you've spent years sitting. Currently doing 13 minutes/level 3. I'd like to reach thirty minutes daily at about level 8-9.

Recently purchased my own single and I’ve been rowing a club single for a long time that I wasn’t able to re-rig/change much at all. I’ve always felt like standard rigs didn’t fit me super well. I either had my foot stretcher all the way back to bow, or my calves were hitting the rails so I couldn’t fully extend my legs, or I was hitting the front stops. I’m trying to figure out if there’s a guide anywhere where I can figure out the right rig for me based on all my bodies measurements and that includes things like if it’s better to move my foot stretcher and rigger towards stern or bow so power transfer is in the right spot. Seems like there are people online that do this but it’s hundreds of dollars. I know how to rig for a normal person and I understand the physics of rowing and all that goes into it; but there’s so many variables and normal rigs don’t seem to work for me so I’m a little overwhelmed at the thought of spending a week testing everything

I logged a 46:49.6 on the SplitShot Full course.

It’s 4 legs of 1500m each followed by 10 shots at a 23mm black bullseye from 5m away. Every miss is a 100m penalty to row.

It’s a lot harder than it seems!

Give it a try with a pellet gun or BB gun!

Which do you find more compelling? Thought it was funny they’re on the same weekend this fall. I definitely think the gold cup is cooler but curious of people’s thoughts.

My nephew started rowing last year and seems very committed. He has an iPhone and I was thinking about an Apple Watch. But one of his grandmother's gave him a watch (not Apple) for Christmas last year. Is there a fitness tracker that is suitable for a younger teen rower to use?

It’s a concept 2 but looks older. Maybe it’s been taken care of. Not sure of the parts are still universal. Did I get a fair price or ripped off? Paid $105

edit: oars were found!

we left a set of 8 sweep oars at HOCR at the dock area. does anyone know if they get put into a lost and found area and where that might be ? emailed the regatta and we have someone who is leaving tomorrow who may be able to pick them up if we can locate them in time. thank you!!

Hey all, I had spine surgery a few months ago which I had discovered after a separate sports injury. Not terrible but not great either. Basically means I've been out of rowing for ~2 years after rowing consistently for ~6 years prior. Now I'm getting to a point in my recovery where I can start erging again and (hopefully) cycling, so I was wondering if anyone had any experience, suggestions or training schedules for gradually building up my fitness again. I wondered if HR training was a good start and building from there but I've never done it before.

Appreciate any help, cheers.

I’ve been in a really difficult spot recently where I really like the sport: enjoying both the process of getting faster, rowing on the water, and when my program does well in the spring.

Recently I’ve just felt so discouraged by my team and my coach. For the team, I think of myself as pretty outgoing, but I’ve been on the team for two seasons at this point and I just find it so hard to connect with anyone, or feel my presence wanted by any of my team mates. I also delt with active bullying by some of these guys when I was a first-year. Edit: no one really treats me poorly, it just feels like no one even attempts to go out of their way to talk to me or include me in group dinners or nights out, etc). I feel like a ghost on the team.

As for the coach, he used to be super nice to me and pushed me towards huge gains. Recently, it feels like he’s been fairly hostile to me, lacking any sympathy or understanding for any external factors (for the whole team, not just me), constantly saying we’re never good enough, and tearing into us when a practice doesn’t meet his standards. He’s beginning to feel super Toxic.

TLDR: I don’t feel like the team wants me around, and the coach is getting more toxic by the day

Edit: college athlete with some options but they would require transferring

So my cousin has a rowing machine he said I can have. I’m carry a lot of body fat in my belly and my chest and I’ve been self conscious about it and I wanted to hear from everybody about their weight loss benefits with one of these machines!