We hear you're fond of close quarters, heaving bodies, and a sense of camaraderie that's hard to fake in a boat smaller than your grandma's dinner table. Oh, and water. You kind of have to like water, too.

Were you nodding enthusiastically while reading that entire paragraph? If so, rowing (or crew, if you're fancy) may be the sport for you. Or maybe it already is.

And why not? Rowing has been around since antiquity (now who's fancy?) and was used for transportation in the ancient world. The sport was even present at the beginning of the modern Olympic games (source).

However, cost can be a significant barrier to entry for wannabe rowers. Unfortunately. Eights, which are the longest boats (or shells, to bust out some rowing parlance) used in competitive rowing, can cost over $25,000 (source). Ergometers, which are the de facto training tool for rowers, can cost over $1,000 (source). Not exactly the kind of money you drop on the average Thursday afternoon.

Hey, got a couple thousand bucks lying around? (Source)

The tradeoff is that rowing is a fairly easy sport to pick up. Unlike other sports, where a long track record of excellence in the field is required before you can even be considered, athletes who haven't been competing since their second grade graduation can still become awesome rowers.

We're not saying that a multiple-junior-championship winner is going to get displaced by the first pizza-eating freshman who shows up in a trou, but it's comparatively easier than other NCAA sports.

The primary variations in rowing are the size of the boat (and therefore the team), and the kind of oars used: scullers use two oars, sweep rowers use one. There are also boats that include a coxswain (or not). The coxswain (rhymes with "toxin") is usually the smallest and loudest person on the boat, and they steer since the other rowers are facing the opposite direction. These tiny, howling creatures are arguably the most important members of any successful crew. Don't make them mad.

Charter member of Future Coxswains of America. (Source)

Aside from being yelled at, what can an aspiring Division-I rower expect?

Well, first of all, Division-I rowers are all women. But this isn't actually the world's worst oversight. The NCAA established a women's rowing championship, but not a male equivalent. Because of this, there are more than double the amount of Div-I varsity female rowers (source).

Sorry, bros. You're plum out of luck in that regard.

But don't worry—there are plenty of rowing clubs where those who love the sport can row to their heart's content. And considering the intense, brutal workout that rowing can be, your heart will be quite fit once you've been rowing awhile. In fact, rowing is legendary in its physical demands. We won't judge you if you love the burn, Shmooper.

Beyond the physical rewards, fans and rowers alike love the intense amount of focus, concentration, and teamwork required to propel a boat across the finish line at high speed. Here's a famous person talking about how incredibly rewarding it is to win a rowing race.

On the subject of rewards (or lack thereof), rowing is an equivalency sport. This means that a school only has a certain amount of scholarships to give out, but can divvy them up however they please. So there aren't a lot of full rides to go around, but more athletes can get some scholarship coverage.

Needless to say, we wouldn't recommend trying to finance your entire education on a rowing scholarship. For example, the money awarded in 2014 only covered about 30% of an athlete's college cost (source). That means snacking on a lot of mac and cheese for four years.

As rough as it is to make it as a Division-I rowing champion, though, it's even harder to make it as an Olympic rower. U.S. Olympic rowers are the third-largest delegation to the Olympic games (source), but that still only amounts to 48 athletes. Let's do some quick Shmoop math to examine your chances of getting to the big stage—er, boat.

There were 1,947 male rowers and 5,841 female rowers competing at the Div-I level in 2014 (source). Even if we don't consider D-II, D-III, NAIA, or club athletes, all of whom are also extremely qualified, that's already over 6,000 athletes competing for less than 50 spots in the Olympic delegation.

Is your soul crushed yet?

If not, then welcome to NCAA rowing. You'll fit right in.