Preparing for Varsity Tryouts

At my club, you are only allowed one novice year no matter your age. I started my novice year in the fall of 2018  so my novice year is up and I had to tryout for varsity this fall. I’m not going to lie I was a nervous reck about it. But there is a couple things I needed to do to be prepared for varsity tryouts.

If you did a rowing summer camp at the beginning of summer, odds are that you’ve been out of the water for more than a few weeks, and there is nothing wrong with that, you always need a break in order to not burn out. However, now that it is tryout time, you need to get ready.

Listening to Coxswain Recordings

 Listening to coxswain recordings is always a good way to get back in the hang of coxing; also, going over old notes from racing or training pieces. Another option, is to watch videos of people rowing to get back into that train-of-thought. Go over commands in your head that you know you need to say at one point during practice. 

Prepare your Tool Bags

This is something I recommend everyone does this no matter what sport you practice, everyone has a bag with things they need for practice. After the season is over I recommend you put that bag away somewhere you cant see it. So when the season is about the start you can restock your bag with all the stuff you need. As a coxswain, I like to prepare a bag with all my layers (remember I row in the North East where it gets cold) and another bag with all my tools that I need in case something goes wrong.

Email the Coach

This one does not apply to me because the varsity coach was my coach over the summer. But, if you have never talked to the coach for the team you are planning to tryout for, even once, I recommend you email the coach and schedule a meeting. Use that to introduce yourself and let the coach know that you care and that you are really into this full time. Explain to him why you believe you’d be a great addition to the team.

Well, that’s all for this post. Do you have any strategies you use to prepare for tryouts? Share it in the comments!

 

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