Why erg scores don't pick the boat
Ergo scores measure fitness, not boat speed — why coaches use seat racing to decide crews, and what to expect if your child's squad uses it.
It's a natural question every selection season: if one rower has a faster erg score than another, why aren't they automatically in the faster boat? The honest answer is that an ergo measures how fit and powerful someone is on a fixed machine. It doesn't measure how well they move a boat — and those two things, while related, are genuinely not the same skill.
What boat speed actually depends on
A boat moves well when the whole crew works together: timing, balance, how cleanly each blade enters and leaves the water, how well people row to each other's rhythm rather than their own. A powerful erg score doesn't guarantee any of that. Some athletes with modest erg numbers are excellent in a boat because of how well they row with others; some strong ergo scorers take longer to translate that power onto the water. Selection has to account for both.
What seat racing actually is
Seat racing is how coaches measure boat speed directly rather than guessing at it from erg scores. Two crews race a short piece side by side, then swap a small number of athletes between the boats and race again. If a boat speeds up after an athlete joins it — and the other boat slows down after they leave it — that's a real, direct measurement of the difference that athlete makes to boat speed, with conditions kept as equal as possible between the two crews.
A "pairs matrix" is a related idea: athletes are rotated through different pairings across several pieces, so a coach can see how combinations of people work together, not just how each person performs alone.
Why this is fairer, not less fair
It can feel less obvious than "fastest erg score wins," and that's worth explaining rather than assuming it's understood. Seat racing exists precisely because erg scores alone would make selection less fair, not more — it would reward one specific skill (power output on a fixed machine) over the actual thing selection is meant to measure, which is who makes a boat go fastest. Coaches also weigh technique, attitude and how someone fits into a particular crew — human judgement that a number alone can't capture, made openly rather than hidden behind a single score.
What to expect around selection season
Selection events are usually flagged in the training programme in advance, so seat racing or pairs-matrix sessions shouldn't come as a surprise. The evidence behind a selection decision — who raced, the swaps, the conditions — is recorded properly, so a decision can be explained afterwards if a family has questions about it. An athlete never sees another athlete's individual results from this process — that stays between the coach and the people involved; a parent can ask about their own child's selection, not anyone else's.
If your child isn't selected
Missing out on a particular crew is a normal and expected part of a competitive squad, and it isn't a verdict on effort or worth. Coaches make these calls using real evidence, gathered fairly, and they're generally glad to talk through the reasoning if you or your child want to understand it better.
Who to talk to
Your coach is the best person to explain a specific selection decision, and clubs expect these conversations — asking isn't a complaint, it's a reasonable question. If something about a selection process feels unclear or unfair even after that conversation, your club's committee is the next step.
Last updated 2026-09-13