Day: September 25, 2014

College Q&A

Question of the Day

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I went on an official visit about two weeks ago. I am very interested in this school but I am still looking at some other schools (that don’t have rowing). I want to keep up a relationship with this school but I’m not sure what to say in an email to them. Thanks!

Well first, I probably wouldn’t wait two weeks to email them after your official visit if you’re really interested in keeping a relationship with them. (I’m assuming you didn’t email them a day or two later but if you did … good!) That’s something that would stick out to me if I were the assistant coach doing all the recruiting stuff but I’m also anal about little details like that whereas most people aren’t. I still think it falls under “good manners” though to follow up on stuff like this a little sooner.

In your email I’d first say thanks for inviting you, you enjoyed being there/meeting the coaches/seeing the facilities/etc., one thing you enjoyed about attending practice, and one thing you enjoyed learning about the school itself. Reiterate that you’re very interested in this school and that it’s currently ranked #___ on your list of [however many schools you’ve applied to/are planning to apply to]. It’s OK if they’re not number one so be honest if they’re #2 or #3.

Related: What can I do during an official visit that will help my chances of being a recruit? I am one out of 35, and they choose about 10. Also, do you have any links for previous posts on this subject? Thanks!

To wrap it up I’d mention when your first race is or when you know your next planned erg test is and let them know that you’ll update them with the results (the boat you were in, where you placed, what your erg time was, etc.) later that week. Thank them again for bringing you to campus and leave it at that. Keep the email brief and to the point while hitting most or all of those points. From there I would just keep them in the loop in terms of any major regatta or erg test results (one email per month would probably suffice).

Coxing Q&A

Question of the Day

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All of the 4s on my team are bow loaders. We have 2 boats that we use mostly for lightweight lineups because they’re a bit smaller so I fit pretty well in the coxswain seat. But lately I’ve been in one of the other shells and I’ll probably be racing in it for most of this year. The bow is longer than in the other boats. The headrest is all the way up but there’s there’s still a lot of room between my feet and the end of my seat. To keep myself from sliding around I realized my entire body ends up getting really tense (which is probably not good). I’ve also noticed that for a few days after being in a 4+ both my hips hurt every time I take a step or try to lift my leg. Do you have any tips for fixing that problem?

Ugh, yes, this is a huge part of why I hate bow loaders so much. They are just not at all friendly to short people. One of the things I’ve found that helps – marginally, but at least it’s something – is to stick a soccer ball or a slightly deflated beach ball in the bow to put your feet against. It helps keep you propped up and your muscles don’t need to be in “death grip” mode to keep you from sliding around.

People will tell you to stuff life jackets down there but a) that’s stupid, don’t do that and b) they’ve clearly never done it otherwise they’d know that it does absolutely nothing since there’s a giant HOLE in the middle of them, they constantly shift around, and your feet can get tangled in them (probably dangerous if you flip). I seriously don’t know a single coxswain who’s found this to be a viable option.

Coxing High School Q&A

Question of the Day

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Hey! I’m the head cox on my team now (I’m a junior in HS) and I’m packing my very first fanny pack. Right now I have electrical tape, a 7/16 wrench and a Vespoli tool. Do you have any recommendations about what else should go inside? Also, I’m looking to buy a voice recorder. Obviously I want one on the cheaper side but it also obviously needs to be good. Any recommendations on that? Thanks so much!!

Definitely check out the post linked below for some ideas since you’ve pretty much got the basics already. I’d also throw in maybe a small role of athletic tape and some band-aids and then depending on how big your fanny pack is, maybe also keep a pencil and a small notebook in there (the small 3×5 inch ones), some Hot Hands for when it’s cooler out, and some chapstick (coxing with chapped lips = torture), preferably with SPF.

Related: Miscellaneous coxswain gear

For recorders, check out the ones in the post linked below. The problem with most of the cheaper ones (usually $40 and under) is that they don’t have USB ports, which means there’s no way to get the audio off your recorder and on to your computer. That’s pretty inconvenient since you wouldn’t be able to store anything. The ones I’ve included in that post are from Sony and Olympus – I’m partial to Olympus because that’s what my recorder is and it still works great after 10+ years so that’s typically what I recommend. Out of those options though, this Sony one and this Olympus one would be the two I recommend, though you really can’t go wrong with any of them.

Related: The best recorders for coxswains

Since most recorders don’t have a clip or way to attach it to your body some kind of carrying case would also be worth looking into. You could get a waterproof phone case and put it in there to carry around your neck or get a soft case like this one that’ll keep it protected if you sit it on the floor of the boat. I’ve done that in the past and haven’t had much issues with it getting thrown around or anything. I’d probably recommend the waterproof case though, just to be safe. One other recommendation I’d make is to buy some Duracell or Energizer rechargeable batteries to use with it, that way you’re not throwing batteries away all the time (depending on how much you use it). I’d keep a fully-charged spare set in a plastic bag or something in your fanny pack too just in case it dies while you’re on the water.