High School Crew—first time, what are we in for?

[Anonymous]

My son is a freshman and is trying out for crew. Practices are afterschool and I think it’s going to be a shock how long his days are as well as hard the practices will be. He dabbled in various sports in middle but never committed, and his practices weren’t even every day.

We’re supportive, but any advice on helping him? He’s growing so much, so my plan is send a lot of snacks or even a second meal before practice. Anything else?

I am concerned about homework and just how tired he’ll be

Also, his school offers Fall and Spring crew—neither is club. Do most kids do both seasons? Or do some do one and then something else?

Most boys wear spandex or biker shorts for practice?

[Anonymous]

I have a rower, and I can tell you that every single parent is concerned about the practice schedule. I was one of them. I can also tell you that I've found that kids have an uncanny ability to waste whatever amount of time they have, so with less time, there is less waste. My kid comes home, has dinner (usually while watching a 30-minute show), and then showers and does homework.

Bedtime is at about 9:30. They have had to pull a few late nights, but generally prioritize sleep. They will graduate with a very high GPA and 11 AP classes.

[Anonymous]

In terms of fall and spring - it's a year round sport. Most boys wear spandex or other tight fitting shorts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a rower, and I can tell you that every single parent is concerned about the practice schedule. I was one of them. I can also tell you that I've found that kids have an uncanny ability to waste whatever amount of time they have, so with less time, there is less waste. My kid comes home, has dinner (usually while watching a 30-minute show), and then showers and does homework.

Bedtime is at about 9:30. They have had to pull a few late nights, but generally prioritize sleep. They will graduate with a very high GPA and 11 AP classes.

OP here This is helpful—I guess it teaches them to be focused if nothing else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In terms of fall and spring - it's a year round sport. Most boys wear spandex or other tight fitting shorts.

OP here. Okay thanks! I was hoping he could try some other things. It seems like such a big commitment off the bat

[Anonymous]

Don’t get anything new until he makes the team. Until then, he can wear athletic shorts that aren’t too baggy and t-shirts. Baggy is bad.

Be prepared for his hands to be trashed until he acquires calluses. Learn how to treat the blisters and teach him how.

You are right he will need a lot of high-value calories. My son practices after school and he usually has some sort of snack with him for the bus.

Most rowers do both seasons with winter conditioning as well. A few will do fall and another sport in the spring or vice versa. Sometimes there are tryouts for fall and spring so there’s no just walking back on the team each season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t get anything new until he makes the team. Until then, he can wear athletic shorts that aren’t too baggy and t-shirts. Baggy is bad.

Be prepared for his hands to be trashed until he acquires calluses. Learn how to treat the blisters and teach him how.

You are right he will need a lot of high-value calories. My son practices after school and he usually has some sort of snack with him for the bus.

Most rowers do both seasons with winter conditioning as well. A few will do fall and another sport in the spring or vice versa. Sometimes there are tryouts for fall and spring so there’s no just walking back on the team each season.

Op here—good insights, thank you.

[Anonymous]

My son's school had fall and spring. (And then they practiced through the winter on the ergs.) It's rough, but it's a great sport.

Your son will know pretty quickly if he wants to stick with it. It's very time consuming, but I agree that it helps them manage their time well. If he has a study hall, or any free time in class, he should learn to use it.

[Anonymous]

My kid did crew and club swim for a year and it was a lot. He took a year off from crew but is doing the double again this year. He was used to recovery drinks post swim, so he did the same with erg sessions (chocolate milk or protein drink that contains some sugar and fat). Rowing was a lot more expensive than I anticipated. I knew we would be covering flight, hotel, food, entry fees, etc for away regattas, but I had never considered how their boats would get to California or wherever. Someone has to drive them, and towing boats is not cheap.

Although injuries apart from blisters are rare, a couple of kids did get labral tears on my kid’s team. Perhaps just bad luck with their anatomy, but something to watch out for if your kid complains about groin pain.

Apart from general fitness, endurance, and core strength, working on flexibility is often overlooked. Hamstring tightness can cause bad rowing posture, which can cause back pain, etc. Also, more flexible hamstrings will make the drive from their legs stronger.

[Anonymous]

Great insights! -OP