Anyone can be good at rowing.

I think these days people are quick to believe that they can't do things. We hear it from an early age. For example "Your very good at maths but not writing. Your great at studying but not sport." One of the main reasons I think people from Asian countries are better at maths is that they are expected to be good. There is not this excuse that people can easily fall back on that we use frequently in many western countries. 

There is always this perception that if you're not built for it or you don't have the right genes then you can't be the best. In my view this is pretty stupid. Unless you are way way way below the physical average then there is no reason you can't get anywhere you want to in rowing. 

In the lightweight men's double at the 2012 Olympics the Danes won. Stroke man Rasmus Quist was 5 foot 8 inches. I’d say many coaches wouldn't give a guy his size the time of day but did that stop him? No. He wanted to be the best in the world and he did it. He didn't listen to people who told him he couldn't do it. (which I’m sure he heard many times over the course of his rowing career) 

People are quick to say you can't do it when in fact its not impossible but just that its going to be harder than normal to do it. The danish rower had to train twice as hard as the guy in the new zealand boat who was 6 foot 3 but only came third( yes I know they weight the same but there is 8 inches between them ). Another thing people forget is that they all Olympians started out not being able to row. They had to work hard and enjoy working hard. 

As a coach it is my job to help people achieve their goals in rowing. I believe that you should never tell someone they can't do it(most people are good at putting themselves down as it is). At the same time I think people must be realistic in what they are willing to put themselves through. If someone is willing to face the challenge of 2 to 3 times a day training 6 days a week (at the right intensity) for 4 years then yes by all means lets go to the Olympics. Otherwise they must be prepared to realign their goals toward something more realistic.

Many people want to be great rowers but not as many want to do what it takes to become great rowers.(I can't stress that enough) That said I firmly believe anyone can do it if they want to more than anything else and they are willing to train their asses off. Don't listen to people who say you can't. Prove them wrong and do it.