I’m in 10th grade. I’m 5’5″ and don’t have very good erg times. I feel like it would be best if I tried to be a coxswain if I want to make it into college, but I’m also afraid I’d be too heavy. How much should a 5’5″ cox weigh and how should I talk to my coach about letting me cox sometime? I feel like it’s the way to go for me, but I don’t think my coach would let me when we have a bunch of perfectly good 5’0″ girls.
Well, the minimum for a coxswain on a women’s team is 110lbs and 120lbs for a men’s team. Weight can be an uncomfortable and tricky topic to discuss when it comes to coxswains, so I’ll just say this: you want to be as close to the minimum as you can be while still being healthy. The school you go to will dictate how rigidly you need to stick to these minimums. Division 1 schools are strict about it because it is the highest level of competition – it’s to be expected. Division 3 is much less strict because it’s typically a club sport not ruled by NCAA, so you don’t have to have the “stereotypical” coxswain’s body. The varsity D3 programs though are gonna approach it the same way as D1 though – you should be as close to racing weight as possible.
It’s hard to say what you should weigh, but if I had to give a vague, overarching answer, I would say that if you are 15+ lbs OVER the minimum, you might consider adjusting your diet and making time in your schedule for exercise. That doesn’t mean though that you should strive to be 110lbs. That isn’t normal or healthy for everyone and it can’t be expected that every coxswain be the same weight. For you specifically, since I don’t know what you currently weigh, I would say you should try and maintain a 3-5lb range over the minimum. That’s based PURELY on your height and nothing else, since that’s all I know about you.
If you’re interested in coxing, just say so! Before you do though, think about your reasons for wanting to cox. Are they based purely on poor erg times or do you genuinely think that you could perform the duties of a coxswain at the level your team (and a collegiate team) requires? Can you be a leader and motivator for your team? Can you be your coach’s right hand man? Can you authoritatively run a practice and get things done? Do you have the skills to be able to point out what the rowers are doing wrong and what they need to do to fix it? If you can confidently answer all of those questions with a “yes”, talk to your coach. I’m not going to say that height and weight don’t matter because they do, but if your coach thinks that you can handle those responsibilities as well as your vertically challenged counterparts, I don’t see why he wouldn’t give you a shot. Ask if you can try running a workout or a practice over the winter. When you get back on the water (if you’re already off), ask to go out with the novice crews. Everyone will be on the same footing in a novice boat, so there won’t be as much pressure on you.
Be prepared though for him to say “Thanks for your interest, but we already have more than enough coxswains. I’d really like to see you stick with being a rower.” If he says that, don’t take it personally. It’s purely a logistical thing and not a reflection on you. If that’s what he says, say “OK, I understand. I’m still discouraged about my erg times though and know that I need to improve. What can I do to work towards bringing my times down?”. Ask for their advice on what you can do to improve and then go from there. A couple people have asked me similar questions on here. If you search the “ergs” tag or the “Q&A” tag you’ll come across them (eventually).
Part of being a coxswain is being confident. If you go into a conversation with your coach thinking he won’t let you cox since you already have a bunch of “perfectly good 5’0″ girls”, you’re already failing the first step towards becoming a great coxswain. If it’s something you want, be confident, recognize your potential, and GO FOR IT.
