Day: April 28, 2013

Coxing Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

By

What do coxswain seat races entail?

I think the same thing as regular seat races … do a piece or two, switch, repeat.

Personally I think coxswain seat races are a waste of time because I look at every practice as being a seat race. They should be going out and practicing like the coach was making the decision on who was going to cox the boat based on how well they did that day. It’s also impossible to do a seat race for coxswains. Some coaches might have come up with a way but nearly every coach I’ve ever had or talked to about this has said it’s just not possible. There are too many variables that can’t be controlled, unlike with regular seat racing. You’re getting switched into a boat that you’re not used to and who isn’t used to you.

In addition to that, you could be a not-so-great coxswain who gets switched into a good boat that can function fairly well regardless of the coxswain they have whereas the coxswain who is normally with that boat gets switched into a boat that isn’t as good, isn’t usually coxed very well, and is in a mental and physical hole before they even start the piece. The “good” coxswain is at a serious disadvantage and the “not good” coxswain is at an advantage. The only thing that I can even think of that would be worthwhile is seeing who steers a better line but you can do that anytime and even then it can be affected by who’s rowing, the weather conditions, the boat itself, etc.

Related: Coxswain evaluation tag

Instead of seat racing I’d suggest coaches do formal evaluations, listen to recordings, get feedback from the rowers, maybe actually coach the coxswains and pay attention to what they’re doing on the water from time to time, and then make a decision. There are a lot of things that go into coxing that can’t all be displayed or summed up in one practice 2k.

Coxing High School Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

By

I’m a varsity coxswain for my high school team and we have 4 coxswains and 3 boats to race, so the younger girls are in competition for the 3rd seat. For the last 4 races, I won the “coxswain seat race” and raced the important ones. Today she coxed at an unimportant medals race and I was given the important one for next week and I’m so nervous and I know I’ll cox well but I need the boat to move faster then it ever has before so that it’ll guarantee I get to cox at Mid-Atlantics and Stotes –  HELP.

I get what you’re saying, I really do but I’ve gotta caution you on something. Don’t ever say you need the boat to do something in order for you to be able to cox. They have their job and you have yours. Neither person is obligated to do anything for the other. Obviously you want to row hard for each other but you can’t say “row hard so I get this boat” or “row hard because I want this boat” … that makes it all about you and SURPRISE it’s not all about you. As long as each person does their job to the best of their ability, that is what makes boats move faster than they ever have before.

Don’t be nervous or too cocky. You’ve clearly been doing something right if you’re consistently winning seat races and being given boats to race at the important regattas. Keep doing what you’re doing, work with your crew to come up with a solid race plan, and work your ass off during practice this week. Push your crew to work hard and let them push you as well. Stay calm, be confident, and let your goals motivate you to be the best coxswain for your boat. If you do all of that you’ll be making an undeniable contribution to the boat that will most definitely help it go fast this weekend.

Coxing Q&A

Question of the Day

By

What do you usually bring in the boat with you? It’s hard to bring a backpack when you’re in a bowloader and you can barely move your arms…

I coxed a few bow loader fours in high school and my bag then consisted of a drawstring Nike bag, which was easily contorted to fit whatever space I was in. I’d take a wrench or two, some extra spacers, one rigger’s worth of nuts and bolts, my recorder, my phone, a pen/pencil, a small notebook, Hot Hands (depending on the weather), sunscreen, and a LOT of band aids and tape. I’d generally sit in my lap so it wasn’t getting totally crushed and to prevent it from getting wet should any water get into the boat.

Coxing Q&A

Question of the Day

By

I need advice. I am a novice coxswain for my school’s rowing team but apparently the captains think I have a natural talent for it so I am not that bad. The boy’s first boat have expressed interest in having me as their coxswain next year and I’m really happy about that. However, I am studying abroad for 3 months in the fall and will not be able to cox during fall season. Do you think that will be a contributing factor in choosing me over other coxswains for the spring?

Do they know that you’ll be studying abroad? If they already know that and are still saying they want you to cox them, they must think you’re worth waiting for. If you haven’t told them yet, tell them as soon as possible so they know. If they have another coxswain in the boat for three months and then kick them out as soon as you get back, that could cause some unnecessary tension on the team, which obviously no one wants. I wouldn’t necessarily make any decisions now though as far as who’s coxing who next year. I’d wait until you get back and then do some kind of coxswain evaluation between you and whoever coxed in the fall, that way it’s at least fair to the other coxswain.

Q&A Rowing Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

By

So I’ve been rowing for 6 months now and I work really hard and do extra coaching sessions and am super passionate about it, but I feel as though I’ve recently stopped improving. Is it normal to plateau for a while in terms of your rate of improvement with rowing? Also, when rowing a double scull what does each seat mean? I was put in bow seat. Thanks!

I got an email about this the other day that asked a similar question. I think the plateau is fairly normal, to be honest. It’s very much like losing weight. First the weight loss is rapid and then it starts to gradually slow down as you continue to lose more. Eventually it gets to a certain point (i.e. those last five pounds) where you level off and it feels like you aren’t losing anymore. After a period of time you’ll find a way to jump start your system, either by ramping up your exercise, changing your workout routine, or making additional tweaks to your diet, that will get the process going again. When the body gets used to something it tends to become desensitized to it to the point where it stops responding, essentially because it’s bored. If you’re going out and doing the same workouts on the water over and over and over day in and day out, your body is probably thinking “eh, been there, done that, I’m over it”.

Talk with your coach and see if you can change up what you do during practice by throwing in some different drills and pieces than what you’ve been doing. After a week or two of going that you’ll probably start to notice some changes because you and your body will be excited again. Also make sure you’re recovering properly in between sessions.

Related: 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?

Check out the post linked above – I wrote it awhile ago in response to a question about who goes where in the boats. This person asked about where people go in a quad and an eight, but the responsibilities of each seat are the same regardless of what kind of boat you’re in. The only change is that as move down towards the smaller boats, people tend to pick up more responsibilities. Your best answer to this question though is going to come straight from your coach since he/she is the one that put you there. If you’re curious as to why you’re in a certain seat, always ask!