Month: December 2012

Coxing High School Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

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So this might come out bitchy and trust me that is my very last intention, but I don’t like my cox. First, I should probably tell you that she and I are the “babies” of the varsity team, we’re the only sophomores, everyone else is a Jr. or Sr. We only have one other cox who is a senior but my cox is more skilled and is almost always placed in the top boat, as am I which is great ya know, power to the underclassmen, but I just really don’t respond well to her tone of voice/style etc. I’ve tried making suggestions b/c the last thing I would want to do is disrespect a teammate or insult her abilities but she really only implements the suggestions made by the older girls which peeves me to no end. I get the idea that she sometimes thinks she’s better than me which is also really frustrating especially b/c she messes up the workouts/stroke ratings/stoke count multiple times a practice. Not saying I’m perfect and or don’t mess up I just feel like I’m that kid in class who always has their hand raised but the teacher just never freaking calls on me. How do you think (from both a coach & teammates perspective) I should handle this?

My first thought was she’s taking the older girls’ suggestions because they’re more experienced, so she thinks they know more, whereas you and she are the same age so you probably wouldn’t know what you’re talking about in comparison (if that makes sense). My other thought is maybe she’s friends with the older girls and that’s why she listens to them. What’s your relationship like with her? If you’re not friends or you butt heads, she might ignore your suggestions out of spite.

Have you tried talking to her one-on-one regarding your suggestions? Part of what makes a coxswain “good” is the ability to take constructive criticism or suggestions from the boat (including from the rowers you don’t necessarily like) and implement it, even if means adjusting how we do things. Unless you flat out tell her she’s doing a terrible job, I don’t think that would be insulting or disrespectful to approach her and say what you’re thinking. Another approach would be talking to the senior coxswain and asking for her advice on what to do. As a coxswain, she might be able to talk to this girl and explain that you have to take into consideration the suggestions of everyone in the boat, regardless of your personal relationship or feelings about them.

What about your coach – have you tried talking to them about it? If it’s affecting your rowing and really bothering you, I’d have a conversation with them and ask for their advice on how to handle it. They might be able to give you something more substantial to work with since they know you and your coxswain (whereas I don’t). If you talked to her and she still didn’t respond to your suggestions, I would pull her aside and say the same thing that I’d say if I were talking to her coxswain-to-coxswain … regardless of how experienced or inexperienced a rower is or how you feel about them outside of the boat, if they say something’s not working for them, you have to look at yourself and see what you can do to improve. It does suck because we tend to be perfectionists who think what we’re doing is always right, but in the end we have to do what’s best for the boat. A coach doesn’t want a coxswain that ignores what her boat says because that gives the rowers minimal reason to listen to her, which leads to all sorts of drama and problems.

What is it specifically about her style or tone of voice that you don’t respond to? If you can think of the specifics, that will be a lot more helpful to your coach and coxswain that just saying “Oh, I don’t respond well to her”. This will at least give her something to work with whereas just saying you don’t respond to her style could be construed as “Oh, I just don’t like her and this is how I justify not listening to her” (which I doubt is what you do but that could be how she sees it).

If she’s always messing things up in practice, that’s also something your coach should know. That wastes time and the energy of the rowers, which is annoying all around. One thing coxswains often forget (I’m guilty of this sometimes too) is that rowers can count. Even though we’re counting for them, they still know their 1-2-3s. If they hear the coach say that you’re going to do 20 on, 10 off, etc. and you count 22 on, 9 off, etc., that’s going to piss them off. It makes them question if you’re paying attention, which can then lead to a whole other set of issues. If that’s part of the problem with your coxswain too, bring it up with your coach. They want the rowers focused on JUST the rowing, not on what the coxswain is (or isn’t) doing.

Defining the role of the coxswain: What coaches look for in a coxswain

Coxing Teammates & Coaches

Defining the role of the coxswain: What coaches look for in a coxswain

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I was going through row2k’s poll archives and came across this one that asked “What do you look for most in a coxswain?” That’s such a loaded question – how do you pick just ONE thing that you look for the most when there are so many things that a coxswain has to be able to do?

This is a pretty accurate representation of where you should be focusing your energy so if you’re a novice coxswain wondering what you should be focusing on in order to become an asset to your team, here you go.

EXECUTION – 37.8%

Execution encompasses practically EVERYTHING you do, from the time you get to the boathouse until the time you leave. This includes getting everyone in the same place to start practice, getting them on the ergs to warmup, getting them to the boat, getting the boat (safely) off the racks and down to the dock, getting out on the water, going through the warmup properly, knowing what the plan is for the day, etc.

The rule of thumb is to always have a plan. Proper execution cannot happen without a solid plan that has that has been discussed and communicated amongst all involved parties. At the beginning of practice you should get together with your coach and ask what you’ll be doing today. Go over the warm up sequence, drills, pieces, etc. and determine the focus for each one. Regarding drills, if you haven’t done a particular drill before, ask for it to be explained to you before you get on the water. Make sure you have an understanding of it’s purpose and how it’s carried out. A good way to test your understanding is to repeat it back to the coach or to another coxswain, that way if something is incorrect you can be corrected on it before you tell it to the rowers. It’s important that you understand how the drills are done so that time isn’t wasted doing it multiples times because it was done incorrectly the first time. The amount of time we have on the water is limited, so coaches rely on coxswains to use that time as efficiently as possible.

The winter is a good time  for coaches to begin getting a sense of how well coxswains can execute practices or pieces without the pressure of being on the water, which is why I strongly encourage you to not waste these few months by sitting around and just “watching”. Make yourself useful by offering to call the shifts during erg pieces or leading a core circuit. If you’re a novice, don’t be intimidated and assume you can’t do it – if you’ve seen other coxswains do it, you should already have an idea of how it’s done. You’ll have to lead a group of people eventually, so your best opportunity to “practice” is in a low-stress, low-pressure environment. Conveniently, winter training provides just that.

STEERING – 28.6%

Steering is one of the hardest skills for a coxswain to learn. Like rowing, it’s something we pick up quickly but then spend years perfecting. I’ve been coxing for ten years and I still make it a point to practice my steering every time I go out on the water. The most obvious reason why coaches look for coxswains to have good steering skills is because NOT having them is a huge safety issue. If a coxswain is bouncing off either side of the river bank, they are endangering not only their crew but also any other crews that are on the water. It also wastes a significant amount of practice time if the coach constantly has to be telling the coxswain to get on the correct side of the river. Traffic patterns are there for a reason and it is your responsibility as the leader of your crew to know what they are and abide by them.

Prior to the start of the season, varsity coxswains should take it upon themselves to familiarize novice coxswains with the body of water you’re rowing on and explain what the traffic patterns are so that they are aware of them before they get on the water. Spend some time also explaining how to steer and how the boat responds to touches on the rudder. Not all boats are the same and some have different steering mechanisms than others (namely Vespoli’s handle steering in bow-loaded fours vs. the standard string steering).

Related: How to steer an eight or four

Another reason why coaches (and rowers) expect coxswains to have good steering skills is because it can win you races. It can also lose races if those skills are not up to par. During a sprint race, a straight line is CRUCIAL and truly can make the difference between first and second place in a tight race. One of the reasons why coaches often have binoculars during these races is not just so they can see the action from far away – it’s to watch their coxswain’s line coming down the course. The worst thing you can do is bounce off the buoys for 2000m. The phrase “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line” is something all coxswains should have at the forefront of their mind during the spring season. Bouncing off the buoys adds meters to your race which in turn adds seconds to your time.

With regards to head races, knowing what the best line is for a particular course and knowing how to take it can eliminate several seconds from your overall time. Since it’s hard to practice steering for head races, studying the course ahead of time will help you determine what the best line is. Rowers appreciate a coxswain who fights for the inside of the buoys because it shortens the course and eliminates any question that they’re exerting more effort than they have to, which is what happens when coxswains take a bad line.

MOTIVATION – 20.4%

I don’t particularly like the term “motivation” because I think it gives the wrong impression of what a coxswain’s duties are. I’m a firm believer that rowers need to have some kind of motivation already in them before they get in the boat, otherwise how can a coxswain be expected to push them if they can’t even push themselves? But, for the sake of “lack of a better term”, motivation is what we say.

When the rowers are in the pain cave during a race and can’t focus on anything but the burning feeling in their legs, what can you say that pulls them out of their heads and back into the boat? One of a coxswain’s most respected skills is the ability to reach in and pull something out of a rower that they didn’t know they had. It’s a coxswain’s responsibility to talk with their rowers and figure out what they want/need to hear and then use that to help them make their calls during a race. A coxswain that is fired up and pushes his/her rowers to do “the impossible” gains far more points with the coaches than one who is a simply a cheerleader.

COACHING – 11.2%

On the rowing totem pole, coxswains are second in command after the coaches. (Rowers are at the bottom — they have minimal authority. Shh, don’t tell them.) When we’re on the water, we are in charge of the crew and are expected to act as the liaison between the rowers and the coach, in addition to our other responsibilities. Think about what your coach does — they provide guidance, leadership, technical advice, and are considered highly knowledgeable with respect to the sport. Now think about yourself … aren’t your responsibilities similar, if not the same?

Ideally, a good coxswain should be able to go out and run a practice with minimal input from the coach. They understand the technical intricacies of the stroke and can make the call for the necessary corrections, they have a thorough understanding of the drills (why we do them, how they’re done, what the focus is on, etc.), and they are able to effectively communicate with and provide feedback to everyone in the boat.

A coxswain who can truly function like a mini-coach is rare, which is why “coaching” isn’t a skill that coaches particularly look for since they tend to take that entire responsibility upon themselves. If a coxswain does possess this skill though, it makes them a HUGE asset to the team.

WEIGHT – 2.0%

I was happy to see that this was last on the list of things coaches look for but I was also irritated that it was on the list at all. The weight of a coxswain is as sensitive of a topic as it is with lightweights. We’re expected to be petite twigs so as to not add any additional dead weight to the boat, which is understandable, but coaches often take it too far when discussing it with their athletes. I have another post centered on this topic that I’m working on so I’ll keep this brief. The rowers are already moving several hundred pounds down the race course and despite our importance to the crew, we are dead weight from a physics standpoint. Any additional weight we add to the boat has the potential to slow it down (although by how much is a hotly debated topic).

The best advice I have regarding this is to always be mindful of your weight. Some coxswains, like myself, are naturally under the weight minimum and don’t need to worry about it. Others are above the minimum and frequently stress about it. I think you can safely get away with being 3-5lbs over racing weight before it becomes worthy of discussion. The more important issue is that of your health. We’re expected to set an example for the boat and it’s hard to not be considered a hypocrite if we are pushing the rowers to be healthy while partaking in an unhealthy lifestyle ourselves. Bottom line is this – there is a written weight minimum and an unwritten weight maximum. They’re there for a reason and should be acknowledged.

Image via // @rowingcelebration

Coxing Q&A Training & Nutrition

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What do you eat before you row? Why do you prefer coxing?

Some good stuff to eat before practice is food that has a good balance of carbs and protein – a bagel with peanut butter or a PB sandwich, yogurt, a bar of some kind, a banana, etc. If you’re eating RIGHT before practice (like 30 minutes or less), stick to fruits and vegetables, stuff that is easily digestible. 2-3 hours beforehand (i.e. around lunch time) you can eat PB+breads … that stuff takes longer to digest so you don’t want it sitting in your stomach right when you get on the water. The carbs and stuff from that will give you a good energy boost when you get out there though.

Once you’re off the water make sure you drink some water, chocolate milk (it helps with muscle recovery), etc. After you finish rowing, if it’s been a hard workout and you’re like, physically dead, you’ll need to eat something high in carbs to replenish the glycogen in your system. You’ll also need to replenish the electrolytes you lost through sweating. If eating solid food makes you sick, try Gatorade or another high-card drink. You shouldn’t wait to eat after you get off the water. A few hours after you get off, try and eat a solid meal that’s fairly high in carbs so you can continue to replenish your system. Orange juice, pasta, raisins, bananas, and bagels are all good post-workout choices. Don’t forget about the protein too…chicken is a good addition to your post-workout dinners. Peanuts are a good snack for right when you get off too.

Part 2 of your question … why do I prefer coxing. Coxing to me is just as intense as rowing is but instead of it being physical, it’s mental. I love strategizing and coming up with race plans. I love all the pressure there is on the coxswains to execute everything perfectly. Rowers only have to worry about one thing – getting from point A to B as fast as possible. Coxswains are responsible for getting out on the water on time, going through warmups, making sure the boat understands the race plan, making sure they know what this call means and what that call means, getting to the line on time, getting the best point possible so you have to do minimal adjusting when the race starts, steering a straight course, etc. There’s SO much mentally that goes into coxing and that is what I love about it.

As much of a team sport as rowing an eight is, I really think of coxing as being an individual sport in itself. When I cox, I’m hypersensitive to everything that’s going on around me but at the same time, I’m in my own little bubble, almost inside my own head. In that split second before I make a call to adjust the rate, start the sprint, take a 10, etc. I go through 10 different scenarios in my head as to how it could play out, is this the right spot to do this, what if it doesn’t work, are our catches together, is this going to mess with our timing, can they pull this sprint off and walk from 2nd to 1st, etc. There’s SO much that I love about coxing but the mental aspect of it is definitely one of the greatest parts of being a coxswain.

How To Q&A

Question of the Day

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Hey, I was wondering if you have any advice on oar painting. In the past all our team has done is just use regular spray paint over the old cracked paint job (obviously a mistake), but our coach has put me in charge of the repainting this year and I want to do it right. I’ve stared working on sanding down the blades but am unsure how to go about painting. Should we just use regular spray paint with a protective finish? I’ve read that some people use automotive paint.

It’s been awhile since I last painted any oars myself but I have a general idea of how it’s done so hopefully this helps. For paint, automotive paint is definitely the way to go. You can also use marine paint but automotive paint has more color choices.

1. Start with a low-grit sandpaper (180 is good) and sand the oars until ALL the shine is gone. Rinse the oar off and let it dry.

2. Prime the oars with a lacquer or enamel primer (lacquer works best but enamel is fine too) 2-3 times, letting it fully dry each time between coats.

3. After you’ve applied the last coat and let it dry, go over the oar with a high-grit sandpaper (400 is good), rinse, and let it dry. This will help the top coat adhere to the primer and create a stronger bond between the paints.

4. Once it’s dried, begin applying the topcoat. Make sure you use the same type of paint for the topcoat that you used for the primer – i.e. if the primer was lacquer, use a lacquer top coat. Add 3-5 layers of topcoat and make sure you let it dry fully in between each coat. After the final coat, let the oar dry for at least 8 hours (or overnight) before you start adding any designs.

5. Use painters tape and/or stencils to add your team’s design to the oar. Before you paint the design, lightly sand the area that you’ll be painting with the 400 grit sandpaper. If you’re adding multiple colors/layers to the design, let each layer dry before moving on to the next one.

6. Once you’ve completely finished painting, use a clear coat to seal in the color and design. This will also help protect the oar as well as give them a nice shine. Add 2-3 coats, letting each one dry in between.

Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

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Advice from a coxes perspective would be great. I’ve been lucky enough to have the same cox for 2 years & he used to be amazing. Recently, it’s felt very much like he’s lost interest. He’s just in the boat, not part of the crew. He’s going through the motions. It makes it very hard to stay motivated, given everything else that’s crappy. He’s also coxing the elite men, maybe he sees them as his chance to win & we’re just the disorganized cranky old women he coxes sometimes. Should I call him on the change?

Ah, I know this feeling. Sometimes I recognize it right away and other times I don’t realize it until after the fact. It’s possible that you’re right – he identifies more strongly with the men and recognizes their competitiveness as a chance to really exercise his coxing muscles so that’s where he’s shifted his focus. I get that because I’ve been in similar situations.. If your crew really is the “disorganized cranky old women he coxes sometimes” then that’s most likely what’s going on. Guys coxing women is tough to begin with but the one consistency I’ve noticed with the few guys I’ve discussed it with is that when the rowers start typical “girl” drama, they get disinterested pretty fast.

I completely understand why it’s hard to stay motivated when your coxswain makes it obvious, either intentionally or unintentionally, that they don’t want to be there. As a crew, I think it’s well within your right to sit down and talk with him. I would hope you’d do the same for any rower displaying the same attitude. Ask him if he’s free for a boat meeting one day (ideally after practice or on a day when you’re not going on the water) and then make a short list of what you want to talk about. I find that boat meetings are much more effective when there’s a set agenda. Explain to him that you’ve noticed over the last few weeks/months that something has changed and he doesn’t seem as into the boat as he used to be. Avoid directly accusing him of liking the elite men better since you don’t actually know that’s the issue. First ask him if everything is ok – maybe school or work has been really hectic lately and he’s just been low on energy. Everybody’s been there so hopefully the crew can understand this. If he says everything is fine, then you can broach the subject of the elite men.

Explain that you’ve noticed that since he started coxing the elite men, he seems less interested in coxing your boat. Again, don’t be accusatory – state what you’ve seen and let him explain from there. Tell him that if that’s the case then it might be best for him to take some time and decide if he wants to continue coxing you guys. Explain that you’re happy that he’s coxing a crew that has such high potential but your focus is your boat and you need a coxswain who is just as invested in this crew as the rowers are. If he says he’s become disinterested or less motivated, ask him why. Be prepared that he might say it’s because of the crew, for whatever reason. Don’t be offended or defensive – take what he’s saying as an opportunity to improve and make some changes.

For me, I tend to lose interest really fast when I’m working with people who aren’t as invested, motivated, or “into” whatever it is we’re doing. If I can see that I’m putting in all this effort but they aren’t, why should I continue doing what I’m doing if I’m the only one doing it? Having coached a couple teams at the same time over the last few months, I’ve also noticed that when one team is at a 3 and another team is at an 8, my excitement, enthusiasm, and effort is naturally going to go to the team at an 8. I tend to notice this after the fact but now that it’s something I know, it’s helped me prepare for future coaching situations.

Like I said, I wouldn’t just look at him being a flake … look at the team and see if the attitudes of the rowers or the crew as a whole could have played a factor in his declining levels of interest. Coxswains need to feel motivated and inspired too so when it doesn’t feel like the rowers are giving 100% coxswains can interpret their role on the team as being pointless, which makes it really hard to get into practice.

Q&A Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

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Hi, I can’t erg due to feet injuries, so I was wondering what I should do for upper body/core workouts? I find stuff online but I can never stick with it.

It depends on the extent of your injuries. If you can’t erg I’m assuming putting any kind of pressure on your feet is out of the question. If you can handle doing planks and stuff like that then core routines are a perfect go-to. Have you tried something like the Nike Training Club app? If you can’t do anything with your feet, check out the arms, back, shoulders, and ab/core workouts. Gotta commit though – find something you like and stick with it.

College Q&A Recruiting

Question of the Day

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I know a coxswain who just applied and got into UCLA. I heard that all she had to do on her application essays was write “athlete”. Does this ever happen? Or is it just like huge colleges if they really, really want you…

This sounds … unlikely. Admissions offices don’t care if you’re an athlete – yes, your coach can speak on your behalf and give his/her input on what you can bring to the team and to the university, but if the people reviewing your application don’t think that you’re a good fit academically, you won’t be accepted. I’m sure there are athletes that can get away with doing this but rowing is the last sport that I think it would happen in … and like I said, even if it does happen it’s gotta be a rare occurrence.

Simply writing “athlete” on your essays is a really gross display of arrogance in my opinion. Your grades matter, as does your ability to put pen to paper and demonstrate your critical thinking skills. Admissions essays are how the university gets to know you – it’s like an interview. It’s your opportunity to say “this is who I am and this is why you should accept me.” Would you walk into a place of business with a job application that just has the job title you want scrawled on it? I certainly hope not. Colleges “really, really want” students who are going to succeed in the classroom, get a degree, and go on to become successful citizens who make the university look good. Yes, they might be really excited that a 5-star recruit is applying there but they won’t be accepted simply on their athletic skills alone. Does it happen? On rare occasions, of course it does. Does that make it right? No.

I know this might sound like a naive plug for college but I promise it’s not. It’s coming from experience as someone who participated in D1 sports and as someone who worked with one of the countries most well-known D1 football teams (aka the exact type of people who you would think would just have to write “athlete” on their applications). Education matters and simply writing “athlete” undermines every person, athlete or not, who has ever taken the time to put down a thoughtful response.

Q&A Rowing

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Hey, as a coach you might be able to tell me, in a quad how do you decide who goes where? And the same for an eight? Where you’re placed in the boat, should this tell you anything about where you “sit” compared to the rest of the crew?

I assume where people go is decided the same way it is for an eight or any other boat. I’ve seen coaches get super methodical about it and put lineups together based on tried and true methods and I’ve seen others put them together based on … nothing. Not every coach follows what I’ve written here but it’s what I’ve seen the coaches I’ve been with do so it’s what I know to be the most effective method of putting together a crew.

Regardless of the boat class these tend to hold true for each seat across the board.

The most basic determination of a lineup is based on weight. Lighter rowers are in stern and bow pair and the heavier rowers are in the middle four. This has a lot to do with boat physics. When selecting sides, some coaches will ask the rowers which is their dominant hand to help them determine whether they should row port or starboard. If you think about it, it makes sense. Feathering requires a lot of muscle control and that motion is made easier if the dominant hand, which has a more developed sense of fine motor control, is the inside hand.

With the exception of the coxswain’s seat, bow pair is where your smallest rowers (height and weight wise) will be. The hull is at it’s narrowest back there, so having a smaller rower there ensures that they won’t be impeded by the sides of the boat while trying to row. The main job of bow pair is to stabilize the boat, ignoring the fact that they sit in a very unstable part of the shell. Because of this, their technique needs to be pretty good. Movements and adjustments are felt more strongly back there and tend to have a greater effect on the boat compared to similar adjustments made by rowers in other seats. Thus, these rowers need to be precise. Even though no one is following bow pair, the ability to mirror the movements of the stern pair is critical. The farther towards bow you get, the worse the rushing becomes, so it’s important that they be able to zone in on stern pair’s blades and follow them closely. In boats without a coxswain, the bowman takes on an additional responsibility of being the pseudo-coxswain. They steer the boat with their toes (hence the phrase “toeing the quad”), so their sense of precision has to be heightened. They’re also in charge of making calls for shifts in stroke rate, power, etc. so it’s imperative that they have a good understanding of how the boat moves and be able to assess the situation like a coxswain would.

Seats 3, 4, 5, and 6 are known as the “engine room”. Their only job is to produce power. They sit in the widest, most stable part of the boat, so any movements or adjustments they make have little effect on the rest of the boat. (Don’t read that and think “oh, well, I don’t have to make adjustments then if no one else is going to notice”. WRONG-O!!) These rowers are typically the tallest and heaviest, meaning they naturally have the ability to produce more power. Since that is their focus, they aren’t always the most technically sound members of the crew. If you read that and assume you can get away with shitty technique, you’re 0-2…technique is still extremely critical to making a boat fast. These rowers simply have a slightly different role in the boat than everyone else. Lineups are usually built around seats 5 and 6, where the strongest of all eight rowers are usually placed. Like the stroke, they need to be consistent, although instead of with stroke rate it’s with their power production.

Stern pair is where you want your most consistent (and ideally, technically sound) rowers. They must also be some of the most physically fit members of the crew. Their job is to set and maintain the pace of the boat – they think for the rest of the crew in a way the coxswain can’t. The stroke must have good communication skills in order to be able to relay feedback to the coxswain so they can make the necessary calls. 7-seat acts as a buffer between the stroke and the rest of the crew. Their role in stern pair is to maintain the stroke rate and rhythm set by the stroke and to “pass it back” to the rest of the boat. While the technique of these rowers is usually very good, particularly the stroke’s, it can be affected by focusing too much on the rest of the boat. As stroke, you’re not focused on just one thing like the engine room or bow pair is. This is most often why coaches will put the stroke in 6-seat for a practice or two. If this happens, don’t freak out. It’s not a demotion or indication that you’re not up to par. It’s a good thing because it gives you a chance to row without worrying about the seven other people who are looking to you to set the rhythm. It gives you the opportunity to focus on and clean up your technique before moving back up.

In smaller boats, the responsibilities of each person in a given seat is still the same with the exception of the middle pair in 4s. They have to take on the characteristics of not only the engine room but also those of bow pair and stern pair.