Month: May 2013

Q&A Rowing Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

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My coach always says she values experience, commitment and attitude. I’m one of the more experienced rowers on the team and I’m always trying my hardest to be positive and row my best. I’ve been spending most of the season in the third 8+ even though she’s told me before she thinks I’m really strong and a good rower. She’s put me in this boat for all of our major regattas and when I ask for an explanation, she doesn’t give me a straight answer. I know its supposed to be for pushing the lower boats and such, however, it’s really demoralizing for me because I feel like I’m never given a chance to show my full potential as a member of the team. I’d also really like to win, which my 8+ rarely does, whereas the first and second 8+ s are always taking gold and silver. What do you think I should do?

Hmm. I never really understood how putting a competent rower in a lower boat was supposed to “push” the other rowers but that’s just me. It’s definitely not something I’d ever do. I mean, there’s other reasons why I’d move a rower down but that particular reason isn’t one of them. Have you told her that you find it demoralizing to be put in lower boats when the feedback you’re getting indicates that you have the potential to be in a higher one?

I would try talking to her again and making it abundantly clear how you feel. It’s possible that she’s not giving you a straight answer because you’re not making it known in a clear enough way that this is bothering you. If you beat around the bush and don’t say exactly what you’re thinking/feeling, your coaches aren’t going to know why you’re asking. If they think you’re just asking because you’re pissed you’re in a boat that you deem “lesser” than your skills, they’ll write you off as being whiny. I doubt that’s the case here but it is a possibility. You never know until you ask. Have you asked or has she told you why she thinks having you in this boat pushes them? I know it’s not the most profound piece of advice I’ve ever given but I think the best thing you could do is sit down with her and talk about why you think you deserve at least a shot at the upper boats, what she thinks or had hoped your role in the 3rd 8+ should be, etc. Clear the air on both sides, if that makes sense. There’s probably a lot being lost in limbo right now because no one is asking the right questions.

Until then though and most especially since we’re creeping closer towards the end of the season, commit yourself to the 3rd 8+. The frustration you have for not being in the top boats should not be noticed, sensed, or felt by anyone in the boat you’re currently in because it’s not fair to them. Keep working hard and put all your energy into making the 3rd 8+ as fast as possible. Have a good attitude and try to find something positive about the experience. If you can think of something before you talk to your coach, tell her that – for example (this is completely hypothetical), being in the 3rd 8+ and doing all the technique work you did really helped you to focus on engaging the legs immediately at the catch and having a solid drive instead of disengaging them by shooting your tail and relying solely on your upper body. Epiphanies such as this sometimes cause coaches to reevaluate a rower’s position in the boat, so it’s worth a shot.

Coxing Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

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Once we are underway with an outing or actually in a race, I am completely in control and able to respond to any situation and keep a level head, which is what I think makes me a good cox. I find it difficult to keep that same composure on land or as we navigate up to the start. I panic and stress that we are missing a rower/ late/ something has gone wrong. I find it difficult to not get irate with my crew and my coach tells me to stop stressing but I don’t know how. Help?

I’m the same way. I have a tendency to try to micromanage things so I’ll get nervous if another boat gets in my way or in an undesirable situation, worry that we’re going to be late/miss the race, etc. I’ve gotten better at internalizing all of it so it’s not as obvious that I’m freaking out but it still happens sometimes. I’ve never gotten angry with the crew though unless they’ve directly played a part in me being nervous (i.e. being late to get hands on, forgetting something important, or just being a general annoyance by doing those annoying rower things…). The second you get irate with your crew though is when they start losing respect for you and not wanting you in the boat. You have to stay composed regardless of the situation. If the rowers think you’re incapable of handling the situation, they’ll mutiny. Not in the fun Pirates of the Caribbean way with rum and sea turtles and Johnny Depp either – they’ll just straight up stop listening to you and/or try to take control themselves. Rowers should never feel like they have to be the ones in control of the boat, which is why it’s so important for us to always act calm, even and most especially when we aren’t.

If you’re worried about something related to the rowers (showing up on time, remembering important stuff, not talking, being present, listening to you, etc.), tell them that. They probably know that you’re a bundle of nerves on the way to the start but have no idea why so they can’t do anything differently to help alleviate some of the stress. Before your next regatta, either at your boat dinner or after practice some time (never the day of or right before going out) talk to them and say that you need their cooperation to make sure things run smoothly. You have a million different things to watch for on your way to the start and spending unnecessary amounts of brainpower worrying about what the rowers are doing, etc. stresses you out. There’s nothing wrong with saying you get stressed by things. I used to think it made me a less-than-capable coxswain by admitting that I feel stressed in certain situations but it really, really doesn’t. You only have control over so much when you’re at a regatta but making sure that you are 100% in control of the things you do have control over goes a long way. If something goes wrong, close your eyes for a second, take a deep breath, and figure out what needs to happen to rectify the situation. Stay calm and do exactly what do when you’re on the water.

I hate when people tell me to just “stop stressing” because it’s like … how do I do that?? Don’t you know the eight million things I’m dealing with right now?! How you avoid getting stressed is something you’ll have to figure out on your own because it really is different for every person. It’s not possible to not get stressed though, which is something I learned to accept pretty quickly as novice. What you can do is adjust your reaction. Is this something I can deal with on my own or do I need help? Who do I need help from? (Asking for help is OK. Do as I say, not as I do.) What happened and what do I need to do? Am I missing some information? What do I need to know and where can I find it? When we were on the water going to the start I told my rowers that I needed them to be absolutely silent unless our team was coming down the course, in which case we’d obviously stop and cheer, because if it felt for a nanosecond like they weren’t giving me/the boat their full attention, it took my focus off of getting us to the line quickly and safely. It was a necessary plea but I had a good enough rapport with them that it didn’t come off as being dictator-ish or bitchy and they understood, without me giving an explanation, that in order for me to be the best coxswain for the crew, I needed them to do this for me.

The next time something pisses you off or doesn’t go as planned, right before you want to totally lose it, close your eyes. I promise you, it helps. Close your eyes and take a slow, deep breath. Rationalize your thoughts and make a serious effort to approach the situation differently than you have in the past. Talk with your boat and/or coach and explain why you get stressed and what they can do to help you be less stressed in whatever situations stress you out. Talk to yourself too. I found that part of the reason why I would get so stressed is because I would try to micromanage everything, which very rarely every works when your stressed. Don’t stress until you have to and even then, be calm about it.

Q&A Rowing

Question of the Day

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Hi! So I have unfortunately not been able to get on the water and row for about a year due to family/medical issues. I can now luckily start again and get back on the water this summer in a non-competive program. I’m just really scared that I forgot what to do and I will be the worst one there. Is there any advice you have for getting back in the swing of things? Sorry for the stupid question, thanks!

This isn’t stupid! I’m actually glad you asked this because I felt the same way when I started coaching last spring and coxing over the summer. I was really worried that after spending such a long time away from the sport that I had forgotten everything I needed to know about rowing. I eased into it with coaching and it was almost like I’d never been away but I was more concerned with coxing because it’s not so much what you say or in my case, remember, but how you say it, your demeanor, etc. What if I didn’t have that “spirit” anymore? I was on pins and needles the whole time we were out and was driving myself nuts trying to think twenty three steps ahead but the first hard burst we did, my long-repressed inner coxswain came out and just like with coaching, it was like I’d never left.

Rowing is like riding a bike. Its the same repetitive motion over and over which makes it impossible to forget how to do. The first time you get on a bike after being off it for awhile might be a little wobbly but it only takes a minute or so before you’re back to impersonating Lance Armstrong. When you get back in the boat, it might look and feel a little rusty but don’t get frustrated by that. You already know it’s going to happen so just accept that and pre-commit yourself to making immediate changes as soon as you hear or feel that something isn’t right. You’ll know what changes need to be made too – that stuff is inherent.

Start visualizing the stroke when you’re just sitting around not doing anything … legs, back, arms, arms, back, legs. Swing into and out of the finish. Get all your body angle by bodies over. Unweight the hands at the catch. Grab the first inch, engage the legs, press. Legs and hands move together. Quick around the turn, get your hands to speed with the boat, and be patient on the recovery. Roll up early so you’re ready for the catch. Inside hand feathers, outside hand applies pressure. Support every stroke with your core. Chins and shoulder stay up, brains and eyes stay focused like a laser. Oh, and don’t forget – be confident. Attitude is everything.

Coxing Q&A

Question of the Day

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Thoughts on coxswain evaluations? How should they be approached as a coach? And as a coxswain? What is the most effective method you have seen?

How they should be approached as a coach

Gather the team/boat together, explain the purpose of the evaluations, why they’re important, how the coaches use them, and what the coxswain can/should gain from them. Give a detailed explanation of how they should be filled out (if it’s a ranking system (1-10), short answer, or both) so that there’s no confusion. When not explained properly people take the “short answer” phrase a little too seriously and only leave one or two words, which isn’t helpful to anyone, least of all the coxswain(s).

Also explain that coxswain evaluations are not popularity contests and behavior such as that won’t be tolerated. The coxswains are to be evaluated strictly on their ability to handle the boats, not on whether or not you’re BFFs off the water. If it were me, I would read through the evaluations first when they were returned, give them to the coxswains to read, and then set up a time to go over the together and discuss what they said.

Related: How are coxswain evaluations conducted?

How they should be approached as a coxswain

Do not bribe the rowers. Do not try to sway the lightweights with donuts in return for positive reviews. Stay out of it. When the evaluations are returned, go through them and take note of what is said – positive and negative. Don’t ignore the negative stuff and think you’re above whatever was said, regardless of who said it. Make a list of the positives (things you should keep doing and continue improving on) and the negatives (things to work on and strive to do better) and then order the from “most important” to “least important”.

Also go over the evaluations and your list(s) with your coach and get their feedback. Discuss why you’ve placed certain things higher than others, put together a plan on how you’re going to work on the things that need to be improved upon, and tell your coach what you need from them to help you work on them. Stay neutral and don’t treat anyone differently based on the feedback you receive. Don’t take it too personally either. Remember, you’re part of the boat too and just like you are trying to help the rowers improve, this is there way of helping you.

Related: Coxswain evaluations

Most effective method

The effectiveness of coxswain evaluations really depends on how the coach puts them together and how willing the rowers are to put the time in to adequately answer them. If the coaches aren’t willing to put together evaluations that ask the right questions and if the rowers aren’t willing to take the time to provide thoughtful responses, it’s a waste of time for everyone. In terms of an effective eval that generates good feedback for the coxswains, something that rates their skills on a scale of 1-5 and gives the rowers space to write comments on various aspects of their coxing would be ideal.

College Q&A Recruiting Rowing

Question of the Day

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Hi, I was just wondering when you would suggest talking to college coaches? Like, 6 months before you start college? A year? 2 years? I’m a bit lost! Thanks! 🙂

You should start looking at schools when you’re a junior, reaching out probably mid-year to the ones you’re interested in (start by filling out the recruiting questionnaires on the team’s website and follow up with an email introducing yourself), and then beginning to send them regular updates on your progress, race results, etc. starting that spring. Then over the summer if they’re interested in you they’ll reach out to set up an official visit for that fall.

For more on recruiting, check out the “recruiting” tag.

College Coxing Racing Video of the Week

Video of the Week: Harvard, Penn, and Navy

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This week’s video is a good opportunity for coxswains to learn what to do when there’s two separate pieces happening within one race. You’ll notice that after Mass Ave. Harvard’s got a solid length’s lead on the other two crews. If you’re the Navy or Penn coxswain, what do you do? You obviously don’t want to keep telling your crew that you’re a length or more down on Harvard and continue the increasingly futile attempts at chasing them down, so at that point you have to, in a sense, concede that race and focus on the one you can still win, which in this case would be the one between Navy and Penn.

Basically what I’m saying is that you have to recognize when you’re racing for first and when you’re racing for second. First place was established about 500m into the race but 2nd is still up for grabs, so the focus should shift towards the crew you still have a chance at beating. There’s some psychology behind this that you’ve got to wrestle with but ultimately you’ve got to recognize the situation and understand that you lost this battle but you can still win this other one, and then in the midst of all of the racing you’ve got to get your crew to buy into that within the span of 3-5 strokes.

In that same vein, if you’re the Harvard coxswain, what do you do? You’re not racing anyone anymore, so how do you keep your crew from getting complacent? Just as you have to work hard to keep them engaged when you’re a boat length down, you also have to work hard to keep them engaged when you’re a length up.

In one situation, you’re behind and you’ve got to claw your way back to the top. The rowers can’t see anyone behind you so they know they’re behind and that creeping feeling of “shit, we’re losing” is taking over. The bodies aren’t quitting yet but the minds are. You as the coxswain have to shut that voice up, eight, sometimes nine, times over. In the other situation, you’re ahead and the rowers can clearly see they’re ahead. This gives them an opportunity to think “well, we’re ahead, we clearly have the lead … let’s back off a bit, save some energy, and coast through the finish line”.

At regattas where you’re part of a progression and you’ve got to go through heats and semis before reaching the finals and you’ve established a solid lead during your heat, yea, you can back off a little. That’s on your call though, not theirs. Make sure that is established ahead of time. You want to save your energy and your best rowing for the final so backing off a bit in the heat once you’ve secured a spot in the semis or finals is fine. When you’re in a finals-only race like this one between Harvard, Penn, and Navy though, you should be going all out from start to finish. At the very least, it’s good practice.

If mid-race you find yourselves in a one-crew race you’ve got to assess the situation and figure out what you can do to still make the piece worth something. Yea you might win but what else did you get out of it? If you race all the way across the line instead of coasting across it, that gives you the opportunity to push your bodies so that when you are racing all the way to the end your bodies don’t prematurely give out with 200m to go because you haven’t been tested all season.

Coxing High School Novice Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

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This is my second season on my team and although I rowed in the fall, I was drafted to cox this spring by my coach. The novice girls had widely out-shined the novice boys (beating their times twice in the fall) and that was exacerbated by the loss of everyone but their bow four and five seat. Five seat quickly became a sculler, and a walk-on became our other coxswain. She’s super friendly and I love her to death, but her steering and calls need improvement. I’ve busted my ass to become what the varsity and head coxswains have called “the best novice cox on the team”, and have medaled with my girls four at every single regatta this season, even though the four is usually an afterthought. The other coxswain had not medaled yet, and has crashed several times. However, she got to take out the boys in our BRAND NEW Vespoli bowloader, while the girls are relegated to a slightly old stern loader.

Due to her being a sophomore, I was sent with the boys to states and had a week to practice in our other bowloader, while our head got the new one. I worked to keep the boys in check, and was not afraid to be frank with them, also being professional and focused in the boat. In a week, they went from placing 8/16 to second at states. She was with the novice girls, and screwed up their start which resulted in them not making finals, and had at least three people say something along the lines of “I wondered what would have happened if you…” We got back to practice today, and she was allowed to take out the boys in our brand new bowloader while I was sent with the girls. I love my girls and we had a great practice but I had three out of the four boys say they wanted me back in the boat and my bow pair ask me to specifically not do things she had done. I just feel like ALL my hard work with the boys is being ignored and I’m probably being ridiculous but it just feels so unfair to me because I worked so damn hard to help them get that medal. Sorry if this was long, I guess I just wanted some coaching input on why this decision was possibly made. Thanks for reading, I needed to vent.

I get the frustration. Have you tried talking to your coaches? They’d be able to give you actual insight into the situation vs. my speculation. It’s worth doing if you haven’t already. It’s possible that they don’t realize how irritating this situation is for you so it’s not even something they’re thinking about (which isn’t an uncommon thing with coaches and coxswains). I wouldn’t bring up the boys saying they wanted you back or the other coxswain messing up the start (because it’s never just one person’s fault, although I understand what you mean) but instead focus solely on what you’ve done since joining the team, what you’ve accomplished, why you think you’re the best coxswain for that boat, etc. State your case.

I can’t really say why your coach(es) would put a coxswain with a history of crashing into a brand new boat but if I had to venture a guess I would say that they’re hoping the responsibility of coxing the new boat would force her to pay more attention to her steering and make better decisions while she’s out on the water. Trial by fire, almost. It really bugs me when coaches do that though rather than just teaching the coxswains what to do and how to do it properly.

Have you talked to this other coxswain and offered to help her? Like, give her tips on steering or things to say when she’s in the boat? You obviously don’t have to give up all your secrets but if you see she’s taking the guys out again, tell her that saying _____ really helped when you were doing this drill or when you were halfway through a piece and then explain why it worked. What helped you when you were first learning to steer? Help her out and give her some advice on how to not hit things (without being sarcastic, which can be tough in situations like this…). Part of being a good/great coxswain is sucking it up when you really don’t want to and helping the other coxswains, even the ones who might be coxing the boat you want/deserve. It shows a certain level of maturity that everyone will appreciate for different reasons.

If after talking to your coaches they end up keeping her in that boat, say OK and let it go. Focus on making the boat you’re in the fastest boat on the water. Being bitter over a coxswain who is not as good as the boat she’s coxing (sorry, I don’t know any other way to say it) getting that spot over you does absolutely nothing for anyone – trust me, I’ve tried it. Be proud of your accomplishment in being part of the 4+ that got 2nd place at States but if you end up having to cox another boat, commit yourself to them. Even though you’re not outright saying you want to be with the guys, it can be obvious through your body language or you hanging out with them before/after practice that you’d rather be with them and the boat you’re currently with is your second choice. Try to help her out though and give her pointers if you see she’s having trouble. Ask her how practice was, how that last piece went, etc. You’re still teammates and the overall success of the team requires everyone working together to get better.

Coxing High School Novice Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

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Hi, I am a exchange student and I joined our crew team. Since I am pretty small I am a coxswain. I am now moved up into our first boat but I never know what to say during a race. The problem is I am not a native speaker and so I have even more problems to make good/clear calls. Do you have any tips for Nationals (YES we qualified) and Stotesbury?

Do you have a race plan? If you have a race plan that you can go off of, that tends to make it easier to come up with calls vs. not having one and doing everything completely on the fly. It allows you to have a “skeleton” to go off of for about 50% of the race and then the other 50% you fill in as you go based on what you’re seeing happen around you. Below is a hybrid of some of mine:

Starting 5 (pry, 1/2, 3/4, lengthen, full) + high 20 + settle 10 (5, 6, 7, let’s lengthen in 3, 2, 1, lengthen boom).

10 at 500m (what it’s for is based on what I see…it could be to push a crew back, to walk, or just for ourselves, so I’d call it to push our puddles back, to feel the acceleration, etc.)

Related: One of the varsity rowers told me about a certain race move/call-10 for pairs? Like having all 8 take a 10, but emphasis for specific pairs. I’m not sure how to call that, can you help me out?

3 + 20 at the 1000m (3 to build into a 20 at the 1000m. No change in stroke rate, just building the power on the first 3.)

5 at 750m to regain composure and shift our focus to the last 1/3 of the race.

15 at 600m to make one final move on the field, either to walk or walk away.

10 at 400m, final 3 building into the sprint (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, shift up to our sprint (7), over three (8), two (9), and one (10)…sit up and go)

Related: When do you call power 10s, both on the erg and the water?

Last 250-300m is an all out sprint, driving for the line

10 in the last 100ish meters to charge the line, get the bow ball ahead if necessary, etc.

As far as calls go, talk to your rowers and ask the what they want to hear. I tend to ask them to tell me one technical and one motivational thing they want me to call and then I’ll write that down and try to work it in somehow over the course of the race. They are your best resource though for figuring out things to say because you want to make calls that resonate with them.

How a collegiate coxswain earned her crew’s respect

College Coxing High School How To Novice Teammates & Coaches

How a collegiate coxswain earned her crew’s respect

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After yesterday’s post on respect went up, I got an email yesterday from a coxswain that I wanted to share. I think most of can say “yup, been there…” and relate to what she’s saying. She brings up a lot of excellent points so I hope everyone is able to take something away from reading this and apply it to your own situation.

Related: RESPECT

“Here’s my story on how I gained respect on my team.

I rowed three sprint seasons at an all-girls’ high school prior to becoming a coxswain in college.  When I joined the team, they were so short on coxswains that they bumped me right up to varsity – in the men’s boat.  Now, I realize that my coxing style is definitely one that works best with men’s teams, but when I joined the team, I was a shy first-year student trying to adjust to life in college who only had experience with women’s rowing and sprint races, and who had clocked in only a few hours in the coxswain’s seat previously.  I was terrified, and although I like to think I didn’t show my nervousness to an extreme degree in the boat, I certainly did not sound sure of myself, and that led to a bumpy season with regards to team dynamics.

Later on in the season, we had a really bad race.  The crank that turned my rudder had corroded to a point at which it would not even turn the rudder to port slightly.  Pair that with steering that still was at a novice level, and you get a race that left us all, including myself, even more unsure of my abilities as a coxswain (I won’t go into details – but it was hairy).

That was when I talked to my coach, who told me to meet with my stroke seat to come up with a game plan and a list of goals; my coach’s logic was that if you have one of the rowers on your side, the rest are more likely to follow suit, especially if it’s the stroke seat who naturally assumes a leadership role in the boat.  There, he told me something that has stuck with me.  This particular comment only applies to my situation, but the general sentiment, I think, applies to all crews.  My stroke seat didn’t mince words, looked me straight in the eye, and said:

“We are a boat of eight big, cocky guys who all think we’re better than everyone.  We’re bigger than you, stronger than you, older than you, and we don’t give a shit that you rowed longer than most of us have.  So we’re not going to give you respect; you have to take it from us.”

Let me first say that the guys I coxed that season are not the brand of asshole that you would think after reading that comment. And obviously it wasn’t meant to be – nor was it taken as – an enumeration of my flaws. It was just a glimpse into the mind of a college men’s crew.  But it was exactly what I needed.I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that within a week of having that conversation with my stroke seat, my coxing did a total one-eighty turn.  I started as a timid little freshman and ended as a coxswain who would kick her crew’s ass and push them to their limits. And, more importantly, I finally understood something really important about coxing that I think all novice coxswains have to realize, one way or another: you have to know who you’re coxing.  It’s obvious, and you say that on your blog all the time, but that was when I learned it, and it made all the difference in learning how to deserve and earn the respect I wanted.

In my case, I had to (for lack of a better term) sack the fuck up and be willing to get a little mean, because I was coxing men who respond best to (constructive, not over-the-top) aggressiveness and a no-bullshit coxing style.  In cases like yours, it might be figuring out how to bridge the age-gap, if a coxswain is much younger than his or her crew.  In all cases, it’s a matter of being flexible and letting WHO you’re coxing inform you HOW to cox them.  For me, I gained respect by yanking it away from them and claiming it as my own, making it absolutely clear that I am not to be messed with.  For someone else, it might be totally different.  But the underlying principle is the same no matter what: respect has to be earned, not just given, not because “ree-rah I have the microphone so what I say goes” and not because of some divine right thereto.”

Image via // NBC Olympics