Sophomore Year

If you think you might want to row in college, start the process of finding a compatible school and rowing program during your sophomore year of high school. First, talk to your coach. He or she can help you identify your goals and improve your skills. Then, look at the NCAA website and college websites to get information about various schools and teams. Check out the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA), which is the group that sponsors the men's national championships. Read Rowing News magazine. Keep a running record of your erg scores, race results, and activities and accomplishments in school. Ask questions, get information! Some families decide to contract with a service to guide them through the recruiting process.

Make sure you attend College Night at West Side Rowing Club in July to get a boatload of information about rowing scholarships and the recruiting process, including a long list of coaches' names and email addresses. You are allowed to contact coaches in your sophomore year, but they are not allowed to contact you until September 1 of your junior year.

Junior Year

In your junior year, coaches are allowed to contact you by email (but not by phone). Review the rules for NCAA recruiting. Then, sign up for the free Vespoli recruiting service, which will give college coaches access to your information. This is where you will need to input those erg scores and race results. Update it whenever something good happens. Consider training hard for and competing at the CRASH-B Sprints in Boston, which is an ergatta where many college coaches look over high school prospects.

Remember, your primary purpose is to identify colleges that you want to and are qualified to attend, whether or not you decide to row. Your secondary mission is to find a rowing program and coach that fits your personality and goals.

Senior Year

By senior year, you should have a good idea where you want to apply to college. A coach who wants to recruit you is allowed to call you after July 1 of your senior year. The coach can invite you to come to the college for an official college visit (all-expenses paid). You are allowed official visits to 5 schools. Your high school coach will write a recommendation, so be sure to keep working hard and to keep your coach in the recruiting loop.