Rowing Tests 101

Rowing tests are an intergral part of competitive rowing, but they are also useful with new rowers and younger rowers for several reasons. So what is a rowing “test?” What are the rowers being “tested” for?

Lets start with some basics. The distance of all sprint rowing events is 2 kilometers so distance that all rowers train for is 2 kilometers. Even the Fall races (head races) that are longer are designed to build the endurance needed to complete a 2k sprint. The indoor races that the high school aged kids do in the winter are also 2 kilometers. Considering that most distances that are considered "sprint" distances in other sports take a few seconds to complete, the fact that a "sprint" in rowing is 2 kilometers is pretty crazy!

There are 4 main tests that we do with the rowers at different times. The tests involve rowing different distances as hard as they can. We record the results and use them in several ways. The tests are 100m, 500m, 2k and 5k. Obviously, we don’t want to kill the rowers and do them all on the same day, so we spread them out.

How Coaches Use Rowing Tests

So how do we use these tests? They do several things for us:

• They give us an indication of fitness level of the rower. Obviously with kids in middle school and high school, we have to take where they are in terms of growth and development into consideration, but the numbers we get from the testing still tell a story.

• They act as a benchmark for improvment. The 2k, 500m and 100m tests are done again at the end of the season and, if the kids come to practice and put in effort during the workouts, they should improve. this gives them direct feedback about how their effor is paying off unlike any other sport!

• They give us an indication of where a rower might need some additional work.

Also, as an FYI, those of you that may be thinking ahead to college recruiting, the first thing that a college coach will ask your rower is “what is your 2k time”.

We use these times more as motivation for the kids and we try to make a big deal out of it when we see them improve. We give PR (personal record) medals at the Spring Banquet for anyone that sets a Personal Record on their 2k test durint winter season! Again, if they are coming to practice and putting in the time, we tend to see improvement.

What's a good 2k time?

One of the questions that I get a lot is “what is a good 2k time”. It’s a fair question, but unfortunately, I don’t have an answer. We really stress to the rowers that times are VERY individual and you shouldn’t compare yourself to others. We do not use 2k times to make fast boats (it doesn’t really translate that way, but that’s another subject). Times are based on where you are in your individual fitness, your growth and development (both physically and mentally - sometime we see kids improve just because they grew since their last test), and your experience. What we look for is effort. The rest tends to take care of itself.

How to support your rower

As a parent, the main thing that you need to know is that rowing tests are hard. They are supposed to be. Like rowing a race, they test your personal limits like few other things. One of their functions is to get rowers ready to race both physically and mentally.

The coaches go over all of this with the rowers, but what they eat before a test definitely matters. The 500m and 100m tests are not as big a deal, but for the 2k and 5k tests, what you eat the day of the test, and what you eat right before the test definitley matters! People do throw up during and after 2k tests, so what you have in your stomach can very definitley make a difference. I don't recommend eating anything within 2 hours before the test. I also don't recommend anything greasy or heavy the day of the test. I have seen kids that ate a big old burrito for lunch before a 2k test and it didn't go well 😬

Ask your rower how they did and how they felt doing their test and tell them you are proud of them not matter how they did! These tests are hard, so no matter how a rower does, it's good to know that someone is supporting you. Help them process their disappointment if they don't think they did well. These are opportuniteis to learn for next time, not the end of he world. Rowers can have setbacks for lots of reasons. The goal is to learn from it and do it better the next time!

If you have questions at any time about any of the tests, please feel free to reach out to any of the coaches!