Updated August 2026
The goal of the University of Toronto varsity program is to embody the values of teamwork and collective excellence by developing crews that will help the team compete for Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championship and Canadian University Rowing Association (CURA) Championship banners. Selection to the team will be based on the following:
1.) General Criteria (see below)
2.) 2,000m Ergometer Score
3.) Seat Racing Results
4.) Note: all athletes must successfully pass a lifeguard-administered test for basic swimming proficiency prior to being allowed on the water
Varsity Team:
The varsity team will be made up of athletes selected to represent the Varsity Blues at the OUA and CURA Championships. All athletes with prior rowing experience, including first-year university students, will tryout for the varsity team. Erg testing will be used to create our initial rankings and sort out who will be considered for varsity crews.
In order to be sure of consideration for the varsity team, athletes must meet varsity minimum erg standard for their gender and weight class. Meeting standard is one prerequisite for consideration, but not a guarantee of final placement to a varsity crew. All crew assignments after initial 2,000m erg rankings will be based upon a combination of on-water assessment, seat racing performance and technical compatibility with other athletes. Selection to OUA and CURA boats will be based on individual ranking within the team and crew performance over the season. The CURA Championship team size is limited to the top 14 varsity athletes of each gender—typically eight openweight and four lightweight rowers, plus up to two coxswains for each gender—who have not exhausted their 5 years of eligibility. Because of these roster and eligibility caps, some varsity athletes who compete at the OUA Championships may not compete at the CURA Championships. As a matter of general practice, athletes with CU’s eligibility will be considered for the boat classes offered at CU’s (Open 8+/2-/1x and Lwt 4+/2x/1x) while athletes who have exhausted their CU’s eligibility may be considered for the OUA-only boat classes (Open 4+/2x and Lwt 8+/2-). Initial placements onto the varsity team at the completion of training camp will be subject to ongoing evaluation over the fall.
Junior Varsity (JV) Team
The JV team will be a subgroup within the varsity team, comprised of athletes with prior rowing experience that have been identified as needing further development in order to be ready to compete in varsity events. Athletes on the JV team will use up a year of their OUA/CURA eligibility, and will compete in all regular season regattas, culminating at the Development Regatta the Friday of OUA Championships. Should circumstances create need on the varsity team, certain athletes on the JV team may, at the coaching staff’s discretion, be moved up to row in varsity events. The JV team will typically be capped at six men, six women and two coxswains to ensure availability of equipment and quality of coaching supervision. Any additional athletes accepted beyond this number will be at the discretion of the coaching staff. The JV team will be a mix of lightweight and openweight rowers. Because of the limited athlete capacity on the JV team, spots will be prioritized to the six athletes of each gender with erg scores closest to the varsity standard for their weight class AND who have at least two years left in the program. It is the expectation that athletes will be able to reach varsity standard on their second-year attempt, so athletes will normally be allowed only one year on the JV team. Bottom line, the JV team is meant as development vehicle for younger athletes who show future potential and spots will be prioritized accordingly.
Summary on Selection Philosophy
Due to constraints on coaching and equipment resources, the program can responsibly support a limited number of athletes. Spots on the team will therefore be offered based on: i.) demonstrated athleticism that can be expected to contribute toward team banner points and/or ii.) athletic potential. Individuals who are released from the program during or at the end of the selection process may discuss with the head coach the possibility of training with the team in the winter in order to prepare to tryout the next fall.
GENERAL SELECTION CRITERIA
- Full-time student in good academic standing
- Demonstrates commitment to team values & goals
- Contributes to positive team atmosphere of shared purpose and high-performance
- Models positive, respectful interactions with teammates, coaches, competitors, and community members
- Demonstrates commitment to academic and athletic success year round
- Consistent attendance and commitment at all trainings and regattas
- Making personal choices that enable a high-performance lifestyle both on and off the water
- Acting as a positive role model for our program both on and off campus by holding to high standards of personal behavior and conduct.
- Positional Needs of the Team/Squad
SELECTION CAMP TIMETABLE, METHODS & BOATING PRIORITIES
Selection to the varsity team will begin with a pre-season evaluation camp. Returning athletes and first-year university students trying out for the varsity team should attend evaluation camp. Athletes with personal circumstances that they feel necessitate a late arrival to camp should document the reasons and speak with the head coach no later than August 1
st. Barring extenuating circumstances, returning athletes must attend evaluation camp to be considered for the varsity team. Extenuating circumstances are generally limited to the following classes of case: family emergency, documented illness/injury, or participating in international competition as part of a national team. Non-essential choices to show up late for camp will be weighed under the “general selection criteria” around attitude, commitment, and seriousness towards the program when coaches are making roster decisions. First-year university students who did not find the posted information about evaluation camp in time to participate will be given the chance to pull a make-up 2,000m ergometer assessment no later than the first day of classes. If, and only if, they meet an ergometer standard for their gender and weight category, will they be considered for further selection to the fall team. Anyone wishing to join after the first day of classes will be encouraged to commence training with the team at the start of winter indoor conditioning.
Day I: On-Water Technical Assessment: August 31st:
On the first day of camp, coaches will be experimenting with different lineups over the course of the two morning practice rows, in order to get a sense of technical proficiency and crew compatibility. Small boats and fours will be heavily utilized to highlight boat moving ability. Anyone arriving after Day I will pull their 2k first and will be invited onto the water only if they the standard for their gender and weight class,
Day II: September 1st : Demonstration of Fitness—2000m Ergometer Assessment:
The ergometer assessment will be utilized to create our first ranking of the team and, together with technical evaluations from Day I, sort athletes into potential Varsity and Junior Varsity streams for further evaluation over the rest of camp. Athletes with erg scores falling beneath the standards listed below, may be released from camp following the conclusion of this assessment.
Athletes wishing to row lightweight must weigh-in on the morning of the erg assessment at a maximum of 75kg for men and 61.5kg for women. Those who miss the lightweight cutoffs will have their erg score assessed under the openweight standard. Achieving varsity erg standard is one perquisite for, but not a final guarantee of, making a varsity boat. It will ultimately depend on where an athlete ranks relative to teammates versus number of seats in the varsity boats. Making the JV team will ultimately depend on where individual athletes rank, relative to each other under the usual cap of six men and six women. In limited circumstances, coaches may offer a one-season probationary acceptance onto the team for a first-year undergraduate or previous year’s novice, provided: i.) they fall within 4 seconds of JV standard, ii.) there is space within the department-mandated roster cap of 41 athletes, along with adequate equipment and coaching supervision to enable their continuing with the program, iii.) they have participated fully in evaluation camp, and iv). their on-water camp performance has demonstrated strong potential for development onto a future varsity team. Requests to re-pull for a better ergometer score will not ordinarily be considered unless there are medical or other extenuating circumstances. Given the shortness of the season and in fairness to athletes who did achieve a standard on the day, coaches will need to make a determinations of who will continue in camp with the team after the 2k ergometer assessment. This is necessary in order to have proper time to identify and trial potential racing combinations over the subsequent weeks before finalizing crew assignments.
Policy on Medical Circumstances and “Close Calls”
Athletes with a medical condition that delays their participation in the 2000m ergometer assessment must present documentation from the McIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic as soon as the condition is known. This documentation must state any accommodations needed. Athletes in this situation may utilize the ergometers at the boathouse or Athletic Center for their physician-proscribed return to training protocol, but will only be allowed to begin training in crew boats after they have been successfully cleared to attempt a 2000-meter ergometer assessment. If a returning athlete has a chronic medical condition that prohibits them from pulling a 2,000m ergometer test at all, or they miss varsity erg standard by 1 split (4 seconds) they may be allowed to row a 3k time trial in the single and must achieve at least 83% of Gold Medal Standard time for their gender and weight class to be considered for the team. If an individual is both unable to row a single and is unable to pull a 2,000m ergometer assessment, they will not be considered for the team and will be encouraged to tryout in a subsequent year when they are either able to safely erg, or have gained enough experience through a club program to be able to safely and competently row a single.
2000m Ergometer Standards
| |
Men |
Women |
| |
Open |
Lwt** |
Open |
Lwt** |
| VARSITY |
6:34
|
6:48
|
7:34 |
7:48
|
| JV |
6:48 |
7:00
|
7:48 |
8:00 |
Drag Factor 130 Drag Factor 120 Drag Factor 110 Drag Factor 110
**Max Weight 75kg **Max Weight 61.5kg
Days VI-VII: September 5th-6th: On-Water Ranking
Time trials and seat switches and/or matrix racing will be used for ranking athletes identified to the varsity team. Racing format will be head-race style and may be conducted in pairs and/or coxed fours for sweep selection and singles and/or doubles for sculling selection. Only those achieving a varsity standard for their gender and weight class may be considered for inclusion in varsity seat racing. Lightweights achieving lightweight varsity standard will be considered for seat racing for the openweight eight over openweights who achieve only the JV open standard. In order to keep seat racing to a manageable timeframe and number of pieces, coaches will review ergometer performance and on-water small boat performance to-date and, if necessary, may exempt top performing athletes from seat racing for big boat crews in order to be able to run a matrix with an even number of athletes. Coaches will have the authority to adjust lineups after seat racing as the fall progresses, based on individual and crew performance in practice and racing.
Comparative Rating For Overall Ranking:
The top erg score will be given 100% of the erg rating and subsequent erg scores will be expressed as percentages of the top time. The same methodology will be applied to seat racing. Both percentages will be averaged to create an overall comparative rating.
| |
2k Erg Score |
Seat Racing Score |
Technical Evaluation |
|
|
| |
00:00.00 |
|
Min |
00:00.00 |
|
Min |
Bladework |
Power
Application |
Swing
Recovery |
10 |
|
good |
|
|
| |
00:00.00 |
|
Max |
00:00.00 |
|
Max |
1 |
|
poor |
|
|
| |
00:00.00 |
4 |
range |
00:00.00 |
6 |
range |
-90 |
|
range |
Overall Results |
| |
50 |
|
value |
50 |
|
value |
0 |
|
value |
Score |
|
| |
2k |
|
|
Seat |
|
|
10 |
10 |
10 |
good |
|
|
Comparative |
|
| Name |
|
Side |
Weight |
Erg |
Rk |
|
Racing |
Rk |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
poor |
RK |
|
Rating |
Rank |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comparative Performance Rating Tool (developed by M. Purcer)
Coxswain Selection
Coxswains will be selected to varsity crews based on a combination of the following:
- Safety awareness
- Steering ability & clarity of calls
- Ability to competently execute practice and race plans
- Quality of technical feedback and tactical acumen
- Compatibility with the crew (i.e. “the intangibles”)
Weather is frequently a delaying factor where we row, but the
intended timeline for coxswain selection is as follows:
Phase 1: Experimentation Period (Evaluation Camp-mid-September)
Coxswains will have the opportunity to rotate through different crews (men/women/open/lightweight) to help coaches gauge ability, adaptability and compatibility in a variety of situations. No coxswain boating or squad assignments will be finalized in this period. Coxswains should be prepared to record their practice sessions and races.
Phase 2: Evaluation and Finalization Period (Mid-late September)
Following the first regatta or regatta simulation practice, coaches will evaluate one voice/video recording from a practice and one from a racing situation. Speed Coach GPS course data, and athlete feedback forms will also be utilized to give as full a picture as possible. Coaches will hold one-on-one meetings to provide feedback on each coxswain’s selected practice and race recordings, captured GPS course data, and selected athlete feedback before informing the coxswain of their final squad assignment (i.e. men/women/lightweight/openweight/JV). It is the goal of the coaching staff to have coxswain assignments finalized 1.5 to 2 weeks before Head of the Trent*
*In years where coxswain depth is strong, there may be some further selection for the CURA Championship team coxing positions after Trent, but these will wrap-up by Brock Invite at latest.
**Note on weight: Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) mandates a minimum weight for coxswains of 55kg. Generally speaking, coxswains should weigh between 52-60kg for shell weight distribution purposes. Athletes that fall outside these parameters who wish to tryout for a coxswain position should speak with the coaches no later than the first day of training camp.
Boating Priorities
The Varsity Blues Rowing program celebrates teamwork and collective excellence. Eights are the ultimate embodiment of these values and are critical to the attainment of CURA and OUA Championship banners. Accordingly, eights are our top priority boats and selection focus will be primarily to identify our fastest combination for the eight. From the eights lineups, top athletes will be further selected for the small boat events. For OUA’s, the #3 boats may be filled by athletes who do not make the eight. Adherence to this order in any given year will depend on overall program depth.
OUA Priority Events
| # |
Open Men |
Open Women |
Lwt Men |
Lwt Women |
| 1 |
8+ |
8+ |
8+*/4+ |
8+*/4+ |
| 2 |
2-/1x/4+ |
2-/1x/4+ |
2x/1x |
2x/1x |
| 3 |
2x |
2x |
2- |
2- |
CURA Priority Events
| # |
Open Men |
Open Women |
Lwt Men |
Lwt Women |
| 1 |
8+ |
8+ |
4+ |
4+ |
| 2 |
2-/1x |
2-/1x |
2x/1x |
2x/1x |
*
Note for OUA’s—in years where numbers do not allow the possibility of boating both a viable open eight and lightweight eight, the open 8+ will be prioritized since it is a CURA event. In such a circumstance, openweight and potentially top lightweight athletes, will be selected to the open 8+. In years where top lightweight athletes are included in the open 8+, coaches will determine subsequent lightweight events to target based on potential for competitive success in medals and banner points.
Post-Selection Expectations
Earning a seat in a Varsity Blues crew is an honour and athletes should continually be striving to improve themselves and their boat while exemplifying the values of teamwork and perseverance. It is the expectation that student athletes will continue to follow the requirements of the program throughout the season in order to continue to represent Varsity Blues Rowing. No matter which crews an athlete races in,
everyone has a role to play in our program’s performance. It is therefore each athlete’s and each crew’s responsibility to take ownership of their assigned event(s) and strive to attain the highest possible finish for the Varsity Blues.
General Factors That Could Lead To Non-Selection or De-selection
- Failure to abide by the Varsity Blues Expectations of Behaviour
- Loss of academic eligibility
- Demonstrating a lack of seriousness towards the program
- Missing practice or regattas for non-essential reasons/being consistently late to practice
- Valid reasons=sickness/injury, academic obligation that cannot be accommodated through normal departmental processes, or unforeseen family emergency
- Disrespectful attitude or behavior towards other teammates, coaches, officials, competitors, or community members either in person or online
- Lack of consistent engagement with the team: e.g. must have at least 75% winter training completion to remain on the team for spring racing season
- Acting or presenting oneself in a way that brings disrepute to the program—this includes social media presence
Concluding Note:
The coaching staff will attempt to make selection procedures as objective, valid, and reliable as possible, however there may be times when subjective criteria i.e. “the intangibles” need to be factored into a selection decision. Coaches will exercise their best judgment in making final decisions on lineups, taking into consideration the interests of the team. At each stage of selection, athletes will be debriefed on specific areas for improvement regardless of their results. Athletes will have the opportunity to request reevaluation at their post-selection meetings, if they can demonstrate that extenuating circumstances adversely affected their performance in selection. The decision to grant any such appeals will ultimately be at the discretion of the head coach.
Any questions should be directed to:
Mark Williams
Head Coach-Rowing
University of Toronto Varsity Blues
mark.williams@utoronto.ca
