The Etiquette of Selection Camp

Yes, it can be rough, so have someone to talk to outside of selection camp—a “rowing therapist” willing to listen and support. And beware of cliques!

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Congratulations! You’ve been invited to selection camp. Whether for the Olympic team, the U19/U23 team, or pre-season tryouts for high school or college, how athletes approach the opportunity can determine their success.

Success at camp requires arriving prepared. This means being physically fit, healthy, rested, and enthusiastic. Find out ahead of time whether or not there will be erg tests at camp and, if so, prepare for them. 

The erg test at selection camp is like a free throw in basketball; the pressure is on but it’s a golden opportunity to score some points. Balance training with good rest, since showing up exhausted or burned out is a quick way to miss out on selection. Same with an injury; get this addressed before camp.

Once at camp, recognize this fundamental disconnect: The coach wants to pick the fastest boat, but you, the athlete, want to make the boat. The more you can adopt the coach’s perspective of “how can I make this boat/team faster?” the better you’ll do in the selection process. If all you do is focus on trying to make the boat, rather than on making the boat better, you’ll be at odds with the selector and less likely to provide what the coach is looking for. Yes, you must be somewhat selfish, but by focusing on the greater good of boat speed, you help yourself best.

Camp requires flexibility and, ideally, curiosity. Things will be done differently than at home. Do not assume otherwise. It’s your responsibility to adapt and understand the purpose of what’s being asked of you. Why this training? Why this drill? If something doesn’t make sense, ask about it. It’s nearly certain that what confuses you is also confusing others (who may be too shy to inquire and attempt mistakenly to fake their way through). If something is unsafe—physically or emotionally—speak up, but otherwise save any concerns for after training.

Selection camp is a full-time endeavor. Behave like a professional athlete. Prioritize rest and recovery. Get to bed early, take naps, take care to warm up and cool down properly, and eat right.

Camp can be rough, so have someone to talk to outside of camp—a “rowing therapist.” It may be a coach at home, a teammate, a sibling, or significant other. It helps if they know rowing, but what really matters is that they’re willing to listen and support.

Beware of cliques. It’s valuable learning from those who’ve been to previous camps. Pay attention to their behavior if they’ve made the team previously, but don’t assume they have  all the answers. Frequently, the “returners” will coalesce around each other and, intentionally or unintentionally, freeze others out. 

This is destructive to boat speed because it hinders finding better boat-movers from among the newer athletes. Returners who do this may make the team but find themselves in a slower boat than they could have raced had they been open to others.  New athletes can assume, mistakenly, that everything the returners do is worthy of emulating and the key to being fast; it’s not. Younger and newer athletes have to discern what’s worth imitating and what’s for show, and thus forgettable. New, unsure athletes can ask the coach who sets the best example and follow him or her.

Finally, don’t take it personally. Selection camp is designed to find the current best boat-movers, not the best people or the rowers with the brightest futures. If you make the boat, it means only that the coach thinks you’re a better boat-mover than others. If you’re cut, it means only that the coach thinks that today you’re not as good a boat-mover as others.

Tomorrow is another day, and there’s a lot more to life than rowing.

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