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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What crew is not:
A ticket to Ivy League or college recruitment
A source of external validation or recognition from peers
Easy
Inexpensive

What crew is:
A way to make a small group of very close friends
An outlet for intrinsically motivated kids to push themselves
An incredible workout
A way to spend time outdoors, on the water
A place where "non-athletic" kids can find pride in their physical accomplishments

Crew has been one of the defining experiences of my son's high school experience. But he is very hard-working and has a lot of internal drive. He's done it because he finds it rewarding for itself, not for anything external that might come with it (because not much does - I don't think a classmate has ever been to a single race).

It is also a tremendous time commitment, with morning weight room workouts, and then a long round-trip drive from school to the water every day, that often has him not getting home until close to 7:30. Take a shower, eat dinner, and homework doesn't even start until 8, unless he works on the bus - which happens sometimes, though not as often as it probably should. It also sucks when you have only a handful of races all season, you get up before dawn on the weekend for a long drive to get there, and then it's cancelled by high wind - like last week's race in Baltimore.

But it's been great for him: the friends, the coaches, the self-discipline, the pride in his accomplishments, and the time management skills he's learned. Plus I'm not too upset when he's too tired to go out on the weekends, or has to get up at 5 a.m. Saturday to go to a regatta, or doesn't want to put harmful substances in the body that he's worked so hard to get in peak condition. And I've made better friends with parents, huddled together for warmth on a river bank 100s of miles from home, than anywhere else. [/quote]

[b]This is a great assessment -- overall -- of crew[/b].[/quote]

+1, based on my experience with a son who did crew in high school.[/quote]

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