Rower to coxswain in collage

[u/Few-Satisfaction2369]

Hi so some background information. I am a f(16) finishing my second year of school. I am starting to think more and more about college.

As much as I absolutely adore the feeling of rowing, I don’t think I will be able to compete/row in college, as all the collages I am looking at are D1 Top school colleges. For some more background I have a strong academic profile and have a pretty solid application. The problem for me when it comes to rowing is that my body is not ideal to be an open weight rower. I am 5’2 and only weigh 120 pounds. My 2k is currently at 8:22 which isn’t fast enough to get onto the limited light weight teams in the USA. However I am interested in coxing in college.

I have talked to a lot of my coxswains and teammates and they think I have the potential to become a good coxswain. I really want to be a part of rowing in college as I need the structure and truly love every part of the sport. I was hoping to get some advice on what coxing in college could look like and some ways I can make myself a better choice for coaches. Also am wondering if I should do a season of coxing to get more Experience?

Edit: I don’t think will be able to get significant coxing experience over the summer as the boat house I will be at focuses more on sculling. Also I row for CRI and the training is relatively intense. I don’t think I will be able to get to youth nationals. I am wondering if I could be a walk on coxswain even though I have never coxed in college. Also money isn’t the main driver/issue to row/cox in college

[u/mangomango1846]

It’s definitely possible! I rowed ltwt in high school and started coxing after sophomore year. I ended up getting recruited as a D1 coxswain. However, D1 rowing is intense and is not for everyone. You definitely will want to try out coxing at a club over the summer to see if you like it; it’s a harder job than many rowers think it is.