Month: February 2014

Coxing Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

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Hey! So during races, do you think it’s acceptable to yell to your own crew that “the other coxswain is swerving and looking nervous” or something like that? Is that abusive to the other lanes? And also to say for instance “lane 1 is gone, they are dying”. Are those decent calls? Thank you!

I’m definitely the kind of coxswain that gets way too much pleasure out of messing with other coxswains and crews but I do think you’ve gotta draw the line somewhere. There’s a difference between saying “5-seat’s not getting her blade in” and “their coxswain can’t steer” because saying something about their coxswain steering just seems like a cheap shot to me. Whether or not it is, I donno, but it’s probably just because I’m a coxswain that I think it’s not OK to say something like that. I wouldn’t say it’s abusive but in terms of good sportsmanship I think it’s questionable.

Related: What are some calls you make during a 2k when you know the other crews can hear you to get in their head and psych them out?

Plus, you’re the only one that’s going to care about whether or not she’s steering straight. If you say that during a race the rowers are probably just going to think “HA sucks for them” (if they think anything at all) but not really do anything different with their own rowing, whereas if you say “5-seat’s not getting her blade in” you can follow that up with “let’s take 5 for sharp catches to show ’em how it’s done”. When I’ve noticed other coxswains swerving a bit I just keep it to myself but commit extra hard to steering as pin-straight as possible for the next 10-15 strokes. Depending on how much the other coxswain’s steering is off it can be an easy way to grab a seat on them.

I do think it’s OK to say something about someone in another crew looking nervous because if you can see them looking out of the boat at you or you can hear the coxswain saying something about you guys coming up on them, trying to make a move to hold you off, etc. you’ve already started to break them. From there it’s up to you to capitalize on that. If you listen to this recording around the 1:30 mark you’ll hear the coxswain say they’re going to go off the other crew’s move. That can be huge for your crew if you call for them to take a move like that. Knowing that the other crew is already nervous that you’re breathing down their necks is just a nice psychological boost on top of all that for your rowers. Same goes for saying stuff about other crews fading.

All in all, I think whether or not they’re decent calls comes down to how you say them. If you’re saying “her steering sucks, their bow seat can’t row for shit, etc.”, that’s not OK. That’s just poor sportsmanship. Instead, phrase them in a way where you’re not sparing their feelings (because let’s be honest, where’s the fun in that) but you’re still getting the message across that you’ve found their weakness and now you’re going to exploit it.

Erg Playlists

Music to erg to, pt. 28

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Since this week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, below are the links to the posts I wrote last year on eating disorders and some of the issues that arise when you combine rowing (and coxing) with an eating disorder, in addition to pointing out the different types of eating disorders, what the signs and symptoms are, and how they can impact your rowing.

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Eating disorders defined + explained
Part 3: Warning signs + symptoms
Part 4: Coxswains
Part 5: Lightweight Rowing
Part 6: Personal experiences with rowing & EDs

The post on lightweight rowing has been by far the most popular one so if you’re a lightweight rower, I encourage you to check that one out.

https://play.spotify.com/user/1241641027/playlist/75we64lOOyOZwUh2LkeSGu

Coxing Q&A Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

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Hi! I’m a high school women’s coxswain and I recently weighed myself for the first time in a while. I weigh 124 and I’m 5’3″. I know this is heavy for a women’s coxswain and I know that I didn’t weigh this much during the summer. I’ve decided that I want to lose about 7 pounds by monitoring what I eat more and doing a little more exercise. Do you know about how long that would take me? Also, if you could suggest some workouts I could do at home that are good for losing weight, it would really be appreciated. Thank you so much!

How long it takes depends on a lot of individual factors but if you loosely followed the “suggested” guideline of losing no more than 2lbs per week I’d say it’d take maybe a month, give or take a week. Workouts that get your heart rate up will be what you want to focus on so going for a 45-60 minute bike ride or run would be good. Just make sure that you’re making healthy choices with the foods you eat – working out isn’t going to make any difference if you’re still eating crappy food.

Also, don’t weigh yourself every day because you’re not going to notice a difference. The average person fluctuates +/- 2-5lbs every day so if you want to get an accurate idea of how much you’ve lost, try to only weigh yourself once every few days.

Ergs Q&A

Question of the Day

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Hi! I am doing a 15 minute erg, free rate although, my coach says to keep the rate above 26 spm, but I was thinking of building up the rate towards the end and I was just wandering how you would recommend I pace myself. P.S. This erg will determine the crews for a national competition we have coming up.

If the minimum stroke rate is 26 I’d say you’d wanna keep your base rate at 26-27 for as long as you can. Since it’s seconds that are ticking down and not meters, you’re not going to be done any faster if you speed up your stroke rate so it’s best to keep it low to avoid flying and dying. If you wanted to build it up I would probably not do anything until you’re inside of 90 seconds to go and then go up maybe 1 beat or so every 30 seconds so that you finish around 30spm.

Coxing How To Q&A

Question of the Day

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Hi! I’ve never been especially comfortable in docking and with spring rolling by I want to go back into the season with some more insight. What are the different types of docks and how would you approach them? Thanks!

It has taken me for.ev.er to get to this (sorry!), mainly because I had no idea how to answer it. I wasn’t immediately sure what you meant by “different types of docks” so I just posted pictures below of the three most common types of docks I’ve encountered and how I go into them. I used screenshots from Google Maps of Cornell’s docks, Marietta’s docks, and the docks at Occoquan (Sandy Run Regional Park) as examples so the instructions are somewhat specific to those ones but it really applies to just about any dock that’s set up similarly.

Related: Any tips on how to properly dock an 8+?

To be honest, pretty much every dock is exactly the same so as long as you know the traffic pattern you need to follow and use your common sense. I’d say docking as a skill is about 85% common sense and 15% knowing how to give proper instructions. By your 2nd year of coxing though you really should/need to be proficient at it. Problems only arise when coxswains overthink things and lose control of the boat because they don’t know what to do, which then opens up the door to the other eight people in the boat who all think they’re the one with the solution to start shouting out their opinions. The best thing you can do is just take your time and go slowly. 99.9999% of coaches would rather you creep into the dock at a snail’s pace and not hit anything than come in really fast and damage your $35k+ boat.

Collyer Boathouse, Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)

*Note, this isn’t necessarily how the coxswains there dock. It’s just how I would do it based on observing them and my own experiences.

Step 1

Below the red dot you can be rowing by 4s, 6s, or all eight  – it doesn’t really matter. At the red dot you want to weigh enough and spin so that you’re pointed straight into the dock (which means you need to first know which dock you’re supposed to be landing on). Knowing where to stop ensures that you won’t have to row across and then spin again in order to be lined up. When you spin it you don’t want/need to use all the rowers either since you’re only turning about 45 degrees. If you use all eight rowers you will inevitably over-turn and then you’ll have to readjust and that’s just a massive waste of time. Unless it’s really windy out you should be able to use just stroke and bow to spin.

Step 2

Once you’ve spun you want to make sure that you’re pointed just off the side of the dock that you want to land on. You should always be able to see the entire dock that you’re trying to land on; if you can’t there’s a pretty good chance that you’re lined up directly with it instead of off to the side. In this case, if I’m trying to land on the inside of Dock 3 I want my starboard oars to look like they’re overlapping with the dock. When I line up to go in, if I’m looking at it from the red dot, I should appear to be just to the right of center between Dock 2 and Dock 3. (Looking at the picture below, pretend that the “collision” boat is trying to dock on the left side of Dock 2 (the middle dock).)

Step 3

From the red dot to the green dot I would row by pairs. The coxswains there will probably disagree with me but we saw a lot of collisions with the dock (or they missed it completely) because they were rowing by fours and coming in too fast. Unless it’s like, hurricane-ing outside, slower is always best when you’re trying to dock. (Use your common sense with your interpretation of “slower”.)

When going in by pairs, as I’ve said many times in the past, do not use anyone in bow four. You can row in with stern four if you want – that’s totally fine – but as you get within two lengths or so you need to drop down to pairs. You always dock using stern pair only regardless of what kind of dock it is. I literally don’t understand why that has to be explained as many times as it does but I’ll probably punch something if I have to explain it again to someone. Logically it does not make sense to do it any other way. You need someone to catch the dock when you’re rowing in, bow pair is the first one to get there, THUS they are the ones that have to reach a hand out and grab it. Also, if you’re coming in too fast, they’ve gotta be the ones to grab the dock and try to slow you down. Please tell me how they’re supposed to do any of that if you have them rowing. (Don’t though because whatever explanation you try to come up with is wrong.)

Step 4

When you’re within about 1/2 a length at the very least (yes, this requires you to know what that looks like) you should weigh enough and just float in to the dock. At this point you should say “oars up” so the crew knows to lean away and lift up their blades so they don’t ram into the dock.

Carl Broughton Boathouse, Marietta High School (Marietta, OH)

Step 1

Rowing upstream you want to stop at the first red dot, check to make sure no traffic is coming down the river (also the 2k course), and row across. When crossing I aim for a general area rather than a specific point since I know I’ve gotta stop and straighten out anyways so I usually shoot for somewhere about two lengths below the dock. If there’s traffic waiting to get on the dock I’ll either wait to cross if there’s more than one boat ahead of me or I’ll just aim below the boat in front of me.

Step 2

Once you’ve reached red dot #2 you want to weigh enough and get pointed (again using as few people as possible) upstream towards the dock. Same as with the first scenario, you want your oars lined up with the dock and the boat itself lined up just to the right of it.

Step 3

From here all you’ve gotta do is row by pairs up to the dock and weigh enough once you’re within half a length or so.

Sandy Run Regional Park (Occoquan, VA)

*I’m not positive if I labeled the right docks in terms of launching and docking but let’s pretend this is right…

Step 1

Docks like this that are set at an odd angle in a narrow stretch of water can be tricky only because of the traffic that can accumulate. Other than that, they’re actually the simplest ones to get into because you don’t need to stop rowing unless you have to because of traffic.

This one requires you to lightly steer as you come around the curve and then once you hit the general area of the red dot you can do one of two things. Unless you’ve been told otherwise, in tight spaces like this where there’s not a ton of room rowing by fours is your best option. When I’ve been at Occoquan or similar areas we’ve never been allowed to row by more than that anyways.

Step 2

If you’re rowing by fours (in a starboard rigged boat), in the vicinity of the launching dock and the red dot I would have 6-seat drop out and 5 + 7 increase their pressure while you steer around to starboard. It usually takes minimal effort to get lined up with the dock so you should be able to drop out 5-seat and coast in with your stern pair. The other thing you can do if you want/need to stop is have everyone weigh enough and then have your starboards check it down. This will also get you roughly pointed towards the dock, at which point you can make a quick adjustment with bow pair if you need to before rowing it in with stern pair.

General tips

Below are the general tips that I originally posted in the post I linked to at the beginning. If you do these things, take your time, maintain your composure, and give clear, concise instructions, you’ll be fine.

  • Never come into the dock with anymore than stern pair rowing.
  • NEVER come into the dock with bow pair rowing. I don’t know WHY some coaches teach this because it seems so completely illogical to me. If you think about what part of the boat is hitting the dock first, wouldn’t it make more sense to have the rowers who are hitting the dock last be the ones rowing?
  • Don’t try and point towards the dock from the middle of the river. The current will pull you downstream and by the time you actually get to the dock, you’ll be at a 90 degree angle. Set yourself up so that even when you’re two or three lengths away, you’re only two or three feet off the dock from the end of the starboard side’s oars.
  • If you end up taking too sharp of an angle to the point when your bow is on the dock but you are five feet off it, have your stroke back row.
  • Account for the speed of the current and the wind as you make your approach.
  • If you’re a novice, freaking out about docking is only going to make the actual event that much more shiteous (shitty + hideous). Yes, there is probably a 99% chance that you’re not going to get it right on your first try – most of us don’t. Your coaches know this and thus, they should be on the dock to catch you and prevent any avoidable damage to the boat. If they’re not there to help you, they’re more at fault than you are because you’re still learning. However, that does not exempt you from using your common sense. Be smart about docking and it will come much quicker and easier to you.
  • Tell the rowers to be quiet so they can hear what you’re saying. Due to the trickiness of it, the rowers need to be listening at all times in order to hear when to lift their blades, when to lean away, etc.

Q&A Rowing Technique

Question of the Day

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Hey! So last year I didn’t make a varsity boat though my ergs scores are very good, my technique was very bad. We just had our first day of practice of the season today, and I have another season and summer training under my belt now though, so I was hoping things would go better. But I seem to be having a lot of technique problems again. When your erg scores are bad, you just pull harder (though I’m worried I can’t repeat my erg scores from last season), but fixing technique isn’t concrete so it’s a lot harder to learn for me since I don’t really have a good sense of hand eye coordination and the smaller details of the stroke just seem so much for difficult for me than others. I mean, a lot the brand new freshmen yesterday already seemed better than me!!

Fixing technique issues can be really tricky because once you’ve developed a bad habit it takes twice as long (or longer) to break it. I was having a similar conversation with someone at practice today and what I told them was that it requires a frustrating level of concentration on your part because you’ve got to think about what each part of the stroke is supposed to look like and then consciously think about what your body currently looks/feels like in comparison. (If you’ve got some video of yourself rowing you can compare it to videos like the ones linked below too.) It helps if you can have a coach or experienced rower/coxswain sit with you for a bit before or after practice while you erg to give you some feedback on what you need to work on but at the end of the day it all comes back to you being willing to self-critique and force yourself to make the necessary changes.

Related: Technique: Good and bad technique on the erg

If you know you’ve got specific issues that are really apparent when you’re on the water, talk to your coach/coxswain about that and have them watch you/your blade for a few minutes so you can get some direct feedback from them after practice on what you need to work on. Coxswains can usually tell a lot about your body just based on what your blade is doing so ask her what she’s seeing while you do your warmup or are rowing steady state. Work with her too and let her know that it’d be really helpful for you if she could work in a couple calls that relate to what you’re doing, even if it’s a just a simple reminder like “hands up at the catch”, “sit tall”, etc.

Comparing yourself to the freshmen isn’t going to do anything for you. Who cares if they pick it up quickly or not? Focus on yourself. You’ll be a lot more satisfied at the end of the season when you realize you focused your energy on the right things (like training) instead of on something dumb like worrying about other people being better than you.

College Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

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I’m a 3rd year coxswain and last week I made a pretty big statement about wanting to go to Nationals to my coach. He said he’d try me out in the 2nd boat and he did for 2 days, but he took me out even though my boat was doing well and he gave to the girl who’s always on the launch. This week though, the boat I’ve been in has had an attitude problem and I tried to stay positive and encouraging but the negativity kinda got to me. I talked to the coaches today but they said they’d talk to the girl and then my head coach said I’m part of the problem, which OK, I can see that I was frustrated because I was unsure where I was and why he just took me out of the boat, but saying that just felt a little unfair. He said I had to make the boat I’m in go, which I also get, but I feel like I’ve shown him throughout this season and last season that I can make boats better. I drove the JV8 last year and we got 3rd at WIRAs, when our coaches thought we’d do shit. I’m just so close to quitting, because I just don’t feel like anything I do makes any difference. I’m conflicted though, because this is the start of regatta season and I just don’t want to make it seem like I’ve abandoned the team when “I’m needed”, though I suspect they won’t need me. What should I do? I feel like crew really affects me mentally and I just have so much on my plate that the last few weeks I’ve been a wreck. When I talk to the coach it just feels like a brick wall. It seems like he doesn’t see that he plays favorites and I’m just over busting myself for something that doesn’t enrich my life anymore.

First off, I wouldn’t read too much into him taking you out of the boat after two days. Like you said, we’re only at the start of the season … it’d be foolish of him to switch you into a brand new boat and just leave you there for the next three months. Trying out a new coxswain is like test driving a car you’re thinking about buying. You don’t go into the dealership and say “hey, I wanna try out this car” and then drive off the lot and never come back. Pretty sure that’d irritate a few people. You take it out on the road for an hour to see how it feels, how it maneuvers, etc. That’s what your coach did with you, he gave you a two day test-drive. Once he thought he saw everything he needed to see, he put someone else in to see what they were like. Don’t confuse someone saying they’ll try you out with a new boat as them saying that boat is now indefinitely yours because that’ll come off as having a serious sense of entitlement which will ultimately garner you no favors with the coaches.

Regarding the crew with the attitude problem, what was the cause of that and the negativity? Did you try to handle the situation yourself before the coaches got involved? I know that’s not always possible and it can be really hard to try and be positive when everyone around is doing the opposite but as the coxswain, it’s your responsibility to work with the crew and figure out a solution so the coaches don’t have to get involved. I’ve definitely been in similar situations before where you don’t realize you’re part of the problem until someone says something and yea, at first you’re like “WTF, rude…” but you’ve gotta remember there’s a big difference between saying something to hurt another person and giving them criticism/feedback in an attempt to help them improve themselves. I think your coach was giving you some harsh but necessary feedback in this situation. The best way to handle it is to put emotions aside, accept it, and say “OK, I see that now, I’ll try to act differently in the future”. Saying that it’s unfair that he said that because you didn’t know why you were in that boat isn’t legitimate because you don’t need to know why you’re in the boat you’re in – you just need to get in there and cox. Take whatever he said about why you were part of the problem and reflect on that so you can figure out what to do differently the next time you’re in a similar situation.

I agree with him that whatever boat you’re in you’ve gotta commit to making them go fast, regardless of whether it’s the boat you want to be in or not. You’ve proven up to this point that you’re an effective coxswain but you have to keep proving that every day you’re at practice. It’s like seat racing – rowers think that seat races only happen when the coaches say they do but they’re actually happening every day. Same goes for the coxswains. Every move you make, every interaction you have, every task you’re given is seen and evaluated by someone and all of that is later brought to the table as evidence of your skills and abilities when it comes time to make lineups.

I don’t think it should ever be a problem to sit down with your coaches/superiors/whoever and ask, in their opinion, what they feel you bring to the table. Particularly if you’re feeling like you’re not being used to your full potential, this would be a good opportunity to lay that all out on the table. Far too often I’ve found that people think when you ask that that you want them to stroke your ego and sing your praises so they ultimately refuse to do it but that’s really not what the point of the conversation is. Reiterate your goals for the season and how you’d like to make a run for nationals and then ask him what he feels your strengths/weaknesses are because at this point you aren’t sure where you stand with him, compared to the other coxswains, etc. and you’re looking for some honest feedback as to what you can improve on so that you actually can help make whatever boat you’re in go fast.

If he asks where this is coming from or why you’re bringing this up now, just say what you said up above about how crew has been affecting you in a way that is starting to make you question it’s place in your life and that you want some reassurance one way or the other about your role on the team so that you can make an informed decision going forward about whether or not it’s worth it for you to keep coxing. It’s not an easy conversation to have (trust me, I’ve had it before) but things tend to go a lot more smoothly when both sides are honest and up front about what they need from one another. The only side of this that you have any control over is obviously your own but if you go into it with an open mind and a willingness to hear what he’s got to say about how he hopes to use you this season, you might find that your value to him and the team is a lot higher than you think it is.

College Q&A Rowing Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

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I’m a college freshman, last semester I was one of the top rowers on the team, over winter break I tried to keep in shape but I was having back and knee pain so it was minimal. I came back slightly out of shape but got back into the rhythm. This semester has been a lot more competitive as far as erg scores and recently I’ve been having more knee pain. I’ve been going to the athletic trainer but they’re not 100% sure what it is, but they think it is my meniscus. There are days when I can’t erg because of the pain so I’ve been on the bike. When I do erg my scores are really bad (bad for me). It gets me really frustrated and I’m letting this injury get to me. I get flustered over bad workouts and it kills me inside when I can’t erg. I want my knee to get better, but I don’t want to take time off and fall behind and not make the 1st boat. It’s especially important this year because we’re going to Women’s Henley this summer. Any suggestions on getting over this mental block? (PS I was never told not to erg, so it’s not like I’m working out against what I was told to do.)

I sympathize with being injured and not being able to work out and I get how frustrating it is psychologically when you know you’re capable of performing better but what I don’t and never will understand – and this goes for everyone – is why athletes refuse to take the time off to let their injuries properly heal before they start trying to work out again. What is logical about pushing through an injury, being 50% all season, and then having to take off more time later when you could take the time off now, come back at 90-100%, and be in a much better position to contend for a spot in the top boat? There’s not always going to be an answer for every ache and pain and usually in those situations when the doctor says the best thing you can do for it is to rest, he’s not blowing you off or giving you some bullshit answer. That really is exactly what you need to do. Just because you weren’t told not to erg doesn’t mean you should keep doing it.

If it is your meniscus, being on the bike is just as bad as being on the erg or going for a run. I’ve had a dislocated knee before and have dealt with years of pain as a result. It was always thought that I’d partially torn one of the ligaments and my meniscus but since they were very minimal the doctors said they’d heal themselves and I’d be fine without surgery. The pain started acting up again pretty badly two years ago and I also thought it was my meniscus that was the issue. With all the traveling, walking, stair climbing, getting in and out of boats, etc. that I’d been doing it seemed like a legitimate possibility that I might have irritated it in some way.

When I went to the hospital to have it looked at, the two doctors I spoke with both told me to avoid anything outside of normal activity that could aggravate it further, which included biking since bending my knee (even slightly) was excruciating and it was thought that if I did have a torn meniscus that biking could tear it more if the already-torn flap became caught in the joint (which would then lead to a locking of the knee, which is when the torn part is caught in the joint and doesn’t allow the knee to straighten all the way).

The issue isn’t that you’re letting this injury get to you … the injury is getting to you because you’re not taking any time off. This isn’t a “mental block” situation. You can want your knee to get better all you want but until you suck it up and realize that that means no erging, no biking, no nothing until you figure out exactly what the issue is, you’re going to keep experiencing the same physical and mental pain that you’re dealing with right now. Do you honestly think that you or anyone else is 1st boat material when you’re not 100% anyways? I wouldn’t even consider putting someone in the first 8+ if I knew they were injured, regardless of how minor or severe it was. If you’re not 100% you can’t give 100%, simple as that.

I’ve said this a few times already to other people and I’ll say it again: there are few things within this sport that piss me off more than people who don’t take care of themselves, regardless of whether it’s conscious or not. Why does it irritate me so much? Because it’s not all about you. If one person is injured, the other eight people in your boat all might as well be injured too. Ignoring your injury and thinking you’re “pushing through it” for your teammates is bullshit. Ignoring and pushing through it so you can be in a good boat is even more bullshit. Anyone that needs me to explain why that is should seriously reevaluate your definition of what a team sport and team player is.

College Training & Nutrition Video of the Week

Video of the Week: Nutrition for Rowers

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I recently got an email from Kelsey, a senior coxswain and team president with the UNH men’s team, with a link to her senior thesis project on proper nutrition and training for rowers. There’s a ton of great information in here so it would be very well worth your time to sit down and watch it when you’ve got time (it’s about an hour long).