• Learn and be a part of a new and upcoming sport
• Be a part of a team with incredible teammates who may become your lifelong friends
• Have connections to hundreds of alumni in countless career fields
• Learn how to endure, push yourself, accomplish your goals, and be your best self
• Learn valuable life skills that you can’t learn out elsewhere but can be applied anywhere

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!

• A walk-on rower is an athlete in their first year of collegiate rowing.
• At Ohio State we specifically design a program that will teach our walk-ons everything they need to know to compete with, and against, other elite athletes.
• 90 percent of our walk-on team has no previous rowing experience.
• On the 2016 NCAA team (that placed second in the nation) 12 of 25 athletes started on the walk-on team.
• After their first year on the team, athletes transition to the varsity squad where you compete with the best rowers from the U.S. and around the world.
• You bring the grit, we give you the training.

• Walk-on rowers typically have little to no experience in rowing.
• The term simply means you are new to the team and potentially new to the sport. Most NCAA Division I rowing teams and all Big Ten Rowing teams use this designation or something similar like ”novice” or “talent transfer” to organize teams.
• This term is widely used in rowing to organize teams, classify races, and develop training strategies.
• If you choose to join the Ohio State Women’s Rowing team as a novice, you are a varsity athlete and you represent the university much like any other Buckeye would.

No, Ohio State Rowing is not a club. We are a fully funded NCAA Division I team that competes in the Big 10 Conference. Ohio State does have a club team that operates as a separate entity.

Someone with a combination of the following:

• Grit and determination– the willingness to show up to practice every day and give the team your full effort no matter what
• Resiliency – ability to learn, adapt, and progress
• Athletic Background
• Team player
• Height (5’8” or taller or tough enough to make up the difference) and long wingspan
• Competitiveness and strong desire to win
• Great work ethic
• Individuals who value integrity and inclusion and strive to create a positive and productive environment for those around them
• Willing to represent Ohio State with pride and be a Buckeye!

Not very tall but still want to be a Buckeye? We have the perfect thing for you. Be a coxswain!

What is a coxswain?

• The coxswain is an essential part of our team as they are responsible for steering the boat, communicating with the coaches and coordinating the power and rhythm of the rowers.
• We retain 4-6 coxswains on the walk-on roster each year
• There is only one coxswain in each boat so it is a competitive position.
• A typical coxswain is 5’5” or shorter and weighs around 110lbs.
• We look for athletes that have clear communication skills, have a desire to be a leader, and are competitive and motivated.

• Ohio State rowing has won three NCAA Championships.
• We made history in 2018 by sweeping the Big Ten Championship; winning all seven events (five varsity and two walk-on).
• The two gold medal walk-on boats were full of student-athletes who had never taken a stroke before their first year!
• We have also won 10 Big Ten Championships, the most in the conference. You can be a part of the legacy of champions.

• In the fall semester, we practice 4-6 days a week.
• Practices are held at the Schumaker Complex and at our Griggs Reservoir Boathouse on the Scioto River.
• Fall practices start the second week of class.

We start with basic technique on the erg (indoor rowing machine) and functional movement/strength. From there we progress to rowing on the water while always expanding your cardio base and core strength. We use our winter season to get fit – consisting of running, erging and strength training. As soon as the weather allows we get back out on the water and row. Each day we build on the day before (physically, mentally and technically) to be as prepared and as fit as possible when we race at the Big 10 Championship in May.

• We start building a new team at the beginning of every fall semester with information meetings and tryouts beginning in late August – early September.
• Check our news feed here or on social media to learn more about when and how to get started or if no information is currently posted or the dates for tryout interest have passed contact the walk-on coach, Cailly O’Toole at otoole.64@osu.edu
• When you first join the team, we run you through a tryout process. This is your opportunity to try a new sport and see if it is something that you are interested in pursuing and it is an opportunity to see if you have what it takes to be a Buckeye.
• Tryouts are only for current Ohio State students.

The best thing that you can do to prepare for your first year as a rower is to be active. There are many sports and physical activities that can grow your aerobic base, and the fitter you start the faster we will be for the Big Ten Championship.

If you have time over the summer you can register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Getting this done in advance can save some time later in the year, but you don’t have to do it before you try the sport.

We understand that you didn’t come to Ohio State with the intention of joining the rowing team. For this reason we work around your current class schedule by offering several different practice times each day. As a varsity athlete, you will have priority scheduling for the spring semester and beyond which makes it easy to accommodate both classes and rowing. When making your fall class schedule in your first year, do your best to keep 6-9:09 a.m. free on any given day of the week. If that is not possible, try to keep 3-6 p.m. free of classes.

We know that you have come to Ohio State to be a student first. Throughout the year we gradually build on the time demands of being a varsity athlete to give you the opportunity to adjust. The 2023 team had 76 rowers who earned scholar-athlete honors in a wide variety of majors so academic and athletic success is attainable! Student-athletes on our team have majored in engineering, neuroscience, biology, business, architecture, and more. As a varsity athlete you have access to academic support throughout the year.