Rowing has become a popular sport in the Quad Cities over the past few years. Recently, the Y Quad Cities rowing team has competed in many regattas including the Canadian Henley where the Men’s U19 double placed 1st and the Saratoga Invitational Scrimmage where the team earned 13 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 1 bronze medal. They also raced at the 2022 Midwest Junior Rowing Championship which led them to qualify 11 boats for Youth Nationals.
(Alexa Mueller)
The dedication and rigorous training done by rowers leads some people to wonder if it is all for college admissions and scholarships. However, this is usually not the reason people choose to row as scholarships are a very small part of the sport. People row for various reasons such as the team aspect and the health benefits.
Senior Alexa Mueller is a member of the Y Quad Cities rowing team and decided to start rowing because of the team aspect and the positive effect she expected it to give to her mental health. “Scholarships are a very small part of the sport, full rides are unheard of for men, and for women full rides take a really rigorous training schedule and national level race results,” Mueller said. 
The hard work and determination that the Y Quad Cities rowing team has had has led many members to row in college. College acceptance and scholarships come as a result of being extremely committed to the sport and having the right mindset. Most people row because they enjoy it, not because they want to get admitted into a prestigious university. “In order to get a scholarship, you really need to have a fundamental love for the sport and the work that goes into it”, Mueller stated.
The Y Quad Cities rowing team practices before school for around two hours and spends hours practicing after school as well in the spring six days a week. During the indoor season in the winter, the team spends time weight training three times a week and practicing on ergs to build stamina and improve their technique six days a week. This work ethic of the Y Quad Cities rowers is one of the reasons why many members of the team are given scholarships.
(Alexa Mueller)
Sophomore Prerna Vanga is also a member of the Y Quad Cities rowing team. “I decided to do rowing because of the team environment. When you row, you have to be completely in sync with each other. Honestly, if you are putting that much time into getting a scholarship, you could probably do other things that could get you a scholarship and save more money,” Vanga stated.
Rowers put in countless hours of effort into their sport because it is something they are truly passionate about, not just something that could give them college acceptance. If rowers are granted scholarships for college, they have to continue rowing in college despite the amount of diligence and strenuous work they are bound to put in. Rowers have to really appreciate the sport of rowing and have a motivated mentality to pursue it in college.
