Day: March 17, 2013

Q&A Teammates & Coaches Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

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What’s your opinion about teammates drinking? Personally it kinda bothers me but I don’t know if I’m over reacting. I never drink because I just don’t think I need to in order to have fun but if other people want to that’s ok with me. It just bothers me when teammates are out drinking the night before practice or a race. I think it’s sorta disrespectful and just downright stupid especially since we’re high schoolers. If I was to address the situation how would you suggest doing so?

If people want to drink and stuff, by all means, that’s your prerogative and I’m certainly not going to stop you but it should really be kept to a minimum during the season – or not done at all (which I get is a lot to ask of college kids).  There’s a reason why a lot of college teams are “dry” in the spring and why there are consequences for anyone caught drinking during those periods. And yea, underage drinking isn’t the smartest decision but I’m not going to get on a pedestal and tell you all the reasons why you shouldn’t do it … you should be able to figure that out on your own. If you can’t then you’re probably not mature enough to be the type of teammate this sport requires.

Related: What’s your opinion on rowers smoking/drinking? Do you think there can ever be a balance or should athletes just avoid it?

If you’re drinking before practice or a race and you show up hungover, you deserve to be taken out of the boat. Don’t think that people can’t tell that you’re hungover (or still drunk) either because they absolutely can. I’d find some way to make that clear to your teammates that if it’s suspected you’re hungover, you’re not rowing.

Related: Hi, I’m a novice coxswain for a men’s collegiate team. We have 3 8+’s and 4 coxswains so one person always has to sit out. During one of our races, the other novice coxswain got to cox 2 races while I had one. I don’t understand why the coaches picked her over me. She shows up to practice hungover, misses at least one practice a week, and has crashed the boat 5 times. The coaches keep commenting on how impressed they are with me but she always gets the better positions. Do I confront her? My coaches? Or should I shut my mouth and deal with it?

Unless you’re an upperclassman/team captain though, I’d caution against trying to address it with your teammates just because they could take it the wrong way and then there’d be all sorts of unnecessary drama happening. I’d discuss the issue with your coach (especially if they don’t know it’s happening) and then let them figure out the best way to handle it.

Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

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I’m debating with myself whether or not to quit coxing (at the end of the year of course, I would never quit midseason) and I was wondering if you could listen to my reasons and offer some advice?

1. Although I get incredible highs from coxing, I also get fucking awful lows. The lows aren’t beaten by the highs, I actually go into depression. I get really negative and self loathing.

2. It’s making me paranoid. I’m constantly paranoid about everything, other coxswains, coaches opinions, rowers opinions, and its driving me crazy.

3. Pressure. I feel this incredible pressure from everybody, everybody expects me to be this amazing cox but in reality I’m not, every time there’s a race I feel like I’m disappointing everybody, and however hard I’m trying to become better I feel like it’s not coming through.

4. Weight. I’m naturally about 92 lbs (or was last year) and everyone knows (coaches, rowers). Its become a source of teasing. Summer races are coming up, so I will need to weigh in. I’m paranoid that I’m going to be over and as a result of this I’m starting to cut down on how much I eat. My friends already say that I don’t eat enough but I’m just so worried I’ll be over.

I enjoy coxing, I enjoy winning (we rarely do though), I enjoy the training, I like the people, I like the coaches, I like the jokes. I’m just concerned about how this is affecting me psychologically, and making me this paranoid, negative person. Thank you.

When you’re involved in something, whether it be sports, a relationship, etc. and you start thinking all of that, it’s time to take a break. Not necessarily quitting but taking a pre-determined amount of time off to clear your head and look at things more rationally. Not that you’re being irrational right now, but when you’re consumed by something 24/7 you don’t look at it the same way as you do when your head is clear.

To address each of your reasons…

1. I’ve been in this position, so trust me, I get what you’re saying. I’ve definitely engaged in a little self-loathing behavior, especially if I get off the water knowing our practice didn’t got as well as it should have or that I could/should have done better. I try to never let myself get too low though because the last time I got to that point I completely walked away from rowing with no intent on ever returning. If you’re getting to the point where you’re actually experiencing depression-like symptoms, that’s not healthy and would definitely warrant taking some time away.

2. I think it’s OK to be a little paranoid but in the “aware of everything going on around you” sense, not the “conspiracy theory” sense, if that … makes sense. The opinions of the rowers and coaches are really important to me but I’ve definitely put more weight on them than they’re actually worth sometimes. The thing to keep in mind though is that you think about other people’s opinions of you way more often than they’re actually thinking about you. It’s good to care what they think but don’t dwell on it or try to find some hidden meaning in everything they say. Like you said, it starts to drive you crazy after awhile. If someone tells you good job, 99% of the time, they mean it. If someone asks you to do something differently, it doesn’t mean they hate you, think you suck, want you out of the boat, etc. They’re trying to think of ways to help the boat and obviously, as the coxswain, you are the catalyst for change, which is why they’re coming to you.

3. Most of the time, the pressure is a good thing. If you’re not feeling any pressure (the good kind) then where’s your motivation to get better? Unless people are pissed with you after a race, you made common sense mistakes that you know better than to make, etc. there’s no (or little) reason to feel like people are disappointed with you. People say “oh, don’t let the pressure get to you” but they tend to forget that the pressure we put on ourselves is way higher than most outside pressures. Sometimes though you do have to get away from everything so you can clear your head and alleviate not only the outside pressure but the pressure you’re putting on yourself too.

4. I hate when people tease you for your weight, regardless of whether you’re under, over, or at a normal weight. I weigh 95lbs and people make comments about it all. the. time. You don’t have to make negative comments about someone’s weight either for it to irritate them and most people don’t get that. You’re 18lbs under the minimum right now – being over it is not the end of the world. I’d venture a guess that about 85% of coxswains are over the minimum. For most people, it’s not realistic to weigh 110lbs – it’s definitely not realistic for me so I tend to not think about it. If you want to be the best coxswain for your boat, you have to take care of yourself. Don’t be that hypocritical coxswain who walks around preaching how the rowers need to do this and do that to be healthy yet look like a skeleton yourself.

If you have a good time and you enjoy the people you’re with, don’t let anything damper that. Based on #1 alone I’d say you definitely have cause for taking a break so if not rowing this summer is an option, I’d consider it. The summer is your time. For three months out of the year you aren’t in school, you aren’t obligated to any extracurricular activities, and you can do whatever you want. Don’t let your coaches or teammates guilt trip you into coxing this summer if you decide you want/need to take a break. If I was your coach, I’d tell you to take the time off and then come talk to me in August because – and don’t be offended by this – I don’t want someone coxing my boat who isn’t excited to be there, and right now you don’t sound excited about it.

Take the summer to clear your head completely before revisiting the idea of quitting. If you make the decision now it’ll be based more on all the feelings you’re currently experiencing instead of logical and rational thought, if that makes sense. The best comparison I can think of is when you break up with someone – the break ups that happen mid-argument always tend to be regretted in one way or another down the road vs. the ones that end after a mutual discussion and agreement. Sometime before school starts, look back on the spring and how you felt vs. how you feel now after having a break. You’ll either realize that you still feel the same way about coxing and maybe it’s best that you not do it anymore or you’ll feel rejuvenated and excited to get back on the water. Either way, the decision is completely yours and there is on right or wrong answer. Whatever you think is best for you is what you should do.

Coxing Novice Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

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Do you think it’s wrong to sometimes correct a novice cox while being a novice rower myself? I don’t usually do it but in situations where we’re almost hitting something and she’s making the wrong call I sometimes can’t help myself. I definitely don’t want to undermine her but I also don’t want us to hit the bank for example. She doesn’t seem to get pissed off about it and sometimes even thanks me. But should I just shut up and let us hit things anyway?

Let’s say you and a friend had just gotten your driver’s licenses and you were in the car with your friend when he starts driving erratically, swerving side to side, and at one point nearly side swipes a parked car. You know he’s not being safe, but do you just carry on your normal conversation or do you, at some point, say “slow down”, “stop”, or “watch out”? Your natural reaction is to say “stop”. If something were to happen, you’d be involved too and at some point someone will ask you “well, if you saw he was about to hit something, why didn’t you tell him to watch out?”. If your safety was in question, would you just shut up and let him hit a guardrail, a tree, a person, etc. simply because you’d both only had your licenses for a short period of time?

Related: How to steer an eight or four

You can probably answer your own question so I’ll just leave it at that but I get why you’re asking though. There’s definitely people out there that believe people on the same “level” as them shouldn’t be offering up suggestions or corrections, which to an extent I agree with and understand, but this is not one of those situations. There’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it though, and that’s what makes the difference. If you were rude, pompous, etc. about it or tried to act as though you weren’t a novice too, that’s one thing. If you were polite, normal, and making a general suggestion for safety, like you are, or said something like “When we did the pick drill earlier, I think you forgot to do arms and bodies after arms only…”, there’s nothing wrong with that. The problem comes in when you start flat out telling them how drills should be called, how to steer, etc. That’s not OK unless you’re a coxswain too. I know this pisses rowers off because it tends to come back to “if they can tell me how to row, why can’t I tell them how to cox?” but the difference is that their job is to tell you how to row (in the general sense) whereas your job is to just row.

Your coxswain doesn’t seem to be bothered by what you’re saying, which is good. Since she’s a novice too, it’s possible that she might not see when she’s about to run into something which is probably why she’s thanking you. (Granted, the shore is kind of obvious, but regardless…) To an extent you’ve got to give her the benefit of the doubt because it is a little disorienting when you first start coxing and have to steer a 60ft. long boat when you aren’t able to ever see what’s directly in front of you. If you see you’re about to hit something or are getting close to the shore, another boat, etc., there’s nothing wrong with yelling out “Hey, there’s a log off starboard” or “Katie, we’re getting close to shore”. Don’t be annoying about it – yell it out once, make sure she heard you, and be done with it.

Related: It was commented on yesterday that I was ‘too quiet’. I think part of it is because I’m still concentrating so hard on the steering in an 8 (it’s a work in progress) that I forget the speaking part. Also, I’m coxing a boat with people in it who helped teach me to row so I struggle with the idea of ‘correcting’ them! I need to find my ability to motivate them, steer, and not panic about other boats around me. How do you multi-task when coxing? Any advice?

At some point though – and it’s questionable for everyone when the right time to do this is – you’ve got to be quiet and let them deal with shit on their own. The other issue I have with rowers telling coxswains stuff like this is that coxswains start to rely on it too much and when they hit something and no one says anything prior to it happening the coxswain will say “Why didn’t anyone say anything?? Coach, nobody told me I was about to hit anything!” to which my response will be “It’s not their responsibility to tell you how to steer, where to go, etc.”.

Going back to your friend and the car analogy, the minor swerves, too shallow/wide turns, etc. all come with the territory of being a new driver. Eventually they’ll get the hang of it and things will go a lot smoother. Until then, unless you’re that person (and seriously, don’t be that person) who freaks out and says “HOLYSHITOMGWE’REGONNADIE” every time they make a tiny move of the wheel, you can most likely be quiet for the majority of your drive. When there’s the potential for a collision to occur or the safety of the driver is in question, that is when should speak up. You’ve got to judge each situation appropriately and know when those times are.

Coxing Novice Q&A

Question of the Day

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What’s an example of novice coxes saying unnecessary things that aren’t helpful to the boat? The only thing I can think of is repeatedly “you got this, you got this come on!”

Basically anything that doesn’t tell them the strategy, their location, their position relative to other boats, what their rowing looks like, etc., it’s more than likely not helpful. If you listen to the recordings I’ve posted you’ll get an idea of what’s helpful and what isn’t. Sometimes it’s not even what they’re saying either, it’s how they’re saying it. Projecting an assertive, confident tone goes a long way in making sure your calls are effective and helpful to the crew.

Some super basic examples include stuff like “Come on guys, we’re almost there!”, “let it run” instead of “weigh enough” (they’re not interchangeable!), “I know it hurts!”, “Pull harder!”, and counting out (in a monotonous tone of voice) every stroke of a power 20 in sequence (15, 16, 17, etc.).

Related: What would you want to hear in a coxswain recording? Is there something that really makes a good recording?

The easy way to avoid saying unnecessary stuff, besides becoming more knowledgable about the stroke and sport, is to just talk to your crew. What they find helpful or unhelpful may be different than what you perceive to be helpful or unhelpful so it’s good to get feedback from them when you try out new calls.