Category: Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow October 22, 2014

Hi! I’m a freshman coxswain on my college’s club crew team and I coxed for four years in high school. My team is going to our first race this weekend and it’s a head race. We only have about 1000 meters of water to use when we practice, so we haven’t actually rowed a 5k at practice and my boat has only really had one practice together. How do I go about coxing a head race when my boat hasn’t been together very long and some of the boys in my boat have never even rowed 5000 meters continuously?

There’s a first time for everything, right? Obviously things aren’t going to be perfect because as you said, you haven’t rowed together for very long and where you train doesn’t allow you to actually practice the distance you’ll be racing so one of the things that you could/should do is try to keep the focus on maybe two or three basic things (i.e. the set, the sequencing, and the timing). You know how you cox hard steady state pieces during practice where you’re not racing but there’s still that intensity about the piece and the focus is mainly on the technical aspects of the stroke, having enough power and ratio to get some good run on the recovery, etc.? That’s what I’m talking about. I’d approach it like that while including some hard 10s and 20s as you see fit.

Related: All about Power 10s

Having your expectations adjusted accordingly lets you (and your crew) shift your focus to things that can actually help you get better in the long run. Rowing 5,000 meters for the first time, both individually and as a crew, might not be easy but if you go into saying “here are our goals, this is what we’re going to focus on” then you can come off the water hopefully being able to say that you worked on them and felt them get better over the course of the race, in which case you could say that you had a successful race … vs. going into it with the sole goal of getting from Point A to Point B as fast as possible and only making calls about walking on other crews, “power 10!”, etc., all while knowing that none of those things are realistic for your crew to be trying to do right now. Hopefully that makes sense too.

The pressure of being in a race situation is obviously something they need to experience and learn to manage but your biggest responsibility will be to keep them focused on whatever goals you or your coach gives them (set, sequencing, timing, etc.) and not let everything fall apart once they start realizing how difficult it is to row full pressure at 30+ SPM over the course of 5,000 meters. Pacing will be important, especially at the beginning when they’re like “huh, this isn’t that bad… *tries to row full pressure at 38spm with no semblance of timing, set, or technique*”. As an experienced coxswain this is definitely something that you’re capable of doing so those would be my suggestions for how to cox them. Make sure you talk with the rowers and coach sometime in the next couple of days to figure out what they feel the current strengths and weaknesses are so you can start planning your calls accordingly. Good luck!

Coxing How To Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow October 7, 2014

How do you beach launch? It’s going to be my first regatta and I haven’t beach launched yet. My coach isn’t showing any signs of teaching me. Is it similar to regular launching off the dock? Thanks!

Beach launching, also known as wet launching, is when you walk the boat into the water (usually until the water between mid-thigh and knee deep) and roll the boat into the water like you would on a dock … except when you roll it to waist the water is right there instead of you having to bend down to put it in. The great thing for coxswains is that if you ask reeeeally nicely and your boat reeeeally likes you, they’ll carry you in and out of the boat so you don’t get wet.

When you’re going out, you want to walk the boat in deep enough that the fin isn’t going to hit the bottom and then have four people grab oars and four people get the seats/oarlocks like you would on land. To avoid people having to walk all the way around the boat to get their pair partner’s oarlocks undone (which can be a pain since you’re walking through water and that’s not usually a quick process…), we usually work it out so, for example, 2-seat and 3-seat get oars for bow four and bow get’s their and 3-seat’s oarlocks (since they’re on the same side) and 4-seat gets their and 2-seat’s oarlocks (since they are on the same side). Same goes for stern four. Not only does that keep people on the boat to prevent it from moving around (due to wind, wake, etc.) but it’s just always been the faster way to do it in my experience.

During this whole “getting the oars and putting them in” process the coxswain should still be standing on shore. When you’re ready to get in the boat someone will (hopefully) carry you out and put you in your seat. It’s hilarious and adorable – embrace it, particularly now since it’s not exactly warm out in many places outside of Southern California. During the late spring and summer it’s not as big of a deal to walk in on your own. From there, all the rowers should be standing on one side of the boat. The best way to have them get in is by pairs, starting with bow pair and working your way forward. I personally like starting with bow pair because it’s adds some stability to the back of the boat since I’m already in it up front and keeps the boat from getting pointed into shore as people get into the stern and inevitably swing that end out. When it’s time for the stern pair to get in they’ll usually walk the boat out another step or two before getting in (sort of like a push and shove kind of thing) and then once they’re in I’ll have bow four start rowing us out. Another benefit of starting with bow pair is that the stern rowers can hold the boat relatively straight so that the stern doesn’t get pushed into shore and the fin get bent or broken. I’ve also done it where we go bow pair, stern pair, 3+4, and finish with 5+6. (It’s really up to you how you do it so don’t feel like there’s a right or wrong way to go about it.) When the rowers get in, all they’ve gotta do is lift their leg up over the side of the boat and hoist themselves in (it’s not hard to do at all).

One quick thing, before you walk the boat into the water you’ll want to stop and have everyone take off their sandals and give them to whoever is carrying them back to your tent/trailer for you. Make sure they’re wearing something that’s easy to get off (no tennis shoes or anything like that) and that they’re careful when they walk in the water so they don’t cut themselves or anything else.

When you’re coming in to dock, you’ll want to take note of the wind, current, wake, etc. to determine how far out you need to position yourself. You should never come in with more than one pair rowing though (stern or bow pair is usually fine). Do what you’ve gotta do to get yourself parallel to the shoreline and then have your bow man hop out and pull you in closer, if necessary. Don’t stop so far out though that when they get out they’re up to their shoulders (or more) in the water. I’ve seen that happen so many times where some poor rower will get their legs over the gunnel and then slide out only to end up with water two or three inches over their head. They never expect it either, which is the worst. Anyways, if they need to pull you in closer to shore then can walk the bow in and then as everyone else gets out they can pull the boat in more as needed. Before they start taking the oars out make sure you get out too – you don’t want to be in the boat with no oars to stabilize it otherwise you’ll roll right over. Once you’re on land and they’re getting the oars out you can either have everyone get their own oar+oarlock or do it the way you did when they put them in and have four people do one thing and four people do another. Usually if we’re pressed for time I’ll do that, otherwise everyone will just take care of their own stuff.

When you’re ready to roll it up it may be a little trickier (particularly for novices) since the boat is already at waist level and it can be tough to roll it up over heads with just your arms but most of the time it’s not that difficult. I usually skip the “up to waists” call and go straight to “roll it up and over heads, ready up“. From there it’s “split to shoulders and walk it up” as usual. Once everyone is out of the water, stop for a sec and let them slip their shoes on before walking it up, particularly if you’ve got to walk a ways to get to wherever your boats are. Bonus points if you’ve got a towel that they can quickly wipe their feet dry with too. Walking all that distance without shoes is just asking for someone to step on something and cut themselves so I wouldn’t recommend doing it unless your boats are literally directly across from where you’re launching.

Overall, wet launching is an easy process. It only becomes tricky if it’s really windy and even then it’s really not that bad. Below are a couple videos that should give you an idea of what it looks like … although don’t do what this first coxswain did and get in the boat before the oars are in. Trust me, one clumsy knock of the boat and you’re gonna roll over.

College Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow October 7, 2014

I have decided not to go through the recruiting process but am going to a college that has a D1 team. What would they think of a walk on with rowing experience?

If you’re a good rower and have decent erg scores they’ll probably love you, to be honest. Experienced walk-ons are great. If you know you aren’t going to go through the recruiting process you can still email the coach(es) and say that you’re interested in rowing at the school and are planning on walking on in the fall. Most, if not all, places will invite you to start at the beginning of the year when all the other recruits start instead of waiting until walk-on tryouts to join the team.

There are a lot more experienced walk-ons than you think too so it’s possible you won’t be the only one on your team. Some people don’t want to go through the recruiting process because of the time/effort it takes (which is understandable), some don’t want to make the commitment just yet, and others get to college not planning on rowing and then realize they actually miss it so they start up again.

Nobody’s going to think you’re lame for not trying to get recruited. Being recruited is cool but it borders on being overrated. If you want to row, email the coaches and get some info from them on how being an experienced walk-on will work. Walking on actually gives you a bit more flexibility to decide in the first semester if this is something you really want to commit to for the next however many years so you might as well take advantage of that and just go for it.

Q&A Racing Rowing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow October 6, 2014

Hey, I was wondering if you could explain the difference between seat racing and matrixes? Thanks!

Someone recently shared this PDF with me that opens to a chapter on crew selection written by Kris Korzeniowski. I’d recommend reading through the first six pages because it explains the entire process of seat racing much better and way more thoroughly than I could. This PDF also explains it well.

Here is another (simpler, I think) explanation that I saved from a Reddit post a couple months ago.

“Say the coach wants to compare rower A to rower B. Rower A starts in boat A and rower B starts in boat B. They race. boat B and boat A tie. Rowers A and B switch. They race again. Now Boat A, with rower B in it, wins by open water. Rower B won the seat race. The only thing that changed was the switch between rowers A and B. When rower B switched into boat A they went faster than boat B and won. Clearly, rower B can make the boat go faster than rower A.”

With the stroke rate and four of the five people in a crew staying constant, the strength and technique of the rowers who are switched (the variables in the equation) will pretty much always tell you who is the faster one of the two because the better the rower’s strength and technique, the more distance they’ll be able to cover.

The “pros” of seat racing are that they simulate race situations fairly well and are easily repeatable. The “con” is that the races can take a lot of time if you have a lot of switches to make in addition to making sure you have equal and adequate amounts of rest time between pieces, the pieces themselves, etc.

Related: Words

A pairs matrix is pretty similar to seat racing except all your rowers are in pairs (hence, the name), are paired up similar to what’s in that table to the right, and there’s more data to work with in the end (which may or may not be a good thing depending on how much you like math). They also take for-freaking-ever. The one time I did this we had like … I donno, maybe five pairs, and it took well over four hours.

The “pros” to doing a pairs matrix is that if you row well technically in a pair then you’re probably going to row well in the eight. Rowing in a pair has a tendency to highlight and sometimes exaggerate your technical ability, for better or worse, so you’re able to look at that a bit more closely than you’d otherwise be able to in a four or eight. The “cons” are the amount of time it takes (did I mention it’s forever…) and that it can favor smaller/lighter rowers who can in turn get crushed in the big boats because the other guys are stronger, heavier, etc. Some people just work better in different boat classes. You have the same issue with seat racing too (which tends to favor the heavier guys) so this isn’t something that’s exclusive to pair matrices, it’s just that it’s a bit more visible.

Related: How to cox a seat race

Hopefully all that makes sense. We did some seat racing this morning and I think I actually have a much better understanding of it now than I did previously (and before I started answering this question). I’d say if it’s something you’re confused by or don’t really understand, see if you can go out on the launch with your coach and record the times. Carefully looking at the numbers and talking it through with the other assistant coach that I went out with (and basically making him explain it to me like I’m 5…) finally cleared up the one part of the process that was confusing me.

Coxing Q&A Rowing Technique

Question of the Day

By readyallrow October 2, 2014

Calls to control rush? There’s only so many ways to say “control the recovery” and “slow the slides.” Thanks!! 🙂

I’m a big fan of “patience”, “looong“, “relax”, “feel the recovery”, etc. When we’re paddling I’ll usually say something like “Guys, there’s not a lot of slide control right now and it’s causing us to [do X and Y]. We need to focus a bit more on [doing A and B] and [staying patient] on the recovery as we come into the catch.” Usually whatever call I plan on using (usually one of the ones I said at the beginning) I’ll say where it says [staying patient], that way they hear me saying it and understand what I’m referencing vs. me just randomly saying “patience!” during a piece with zero context whatsoever.

From there I’ll combine that call with whatever “A” and “B” was and get a more combined call that addresses all the issues instead of just part of the problem, if that makes sense. So, if the lack of slide control was causing a few people to row it in because they weren’t giving themselves enough time to get the bodies set, I’d say something about body prep, control coming up, and locking on for probably two or three strokes to help them get the rhythm and ratio back. Starting at the release and as the hands come away, “pivot”, as they start the roll, “patience”, as they lift the hands into the catch, “lock”, and then finish it out with a powerful “send” before repeating that again for another stroke or two. “Pivot, paaatience, lock, send…“.

Obviously this is a little easier to do at steady state rates (18-22ish, maaaybe up to 24) and less so at the higher rates but if you can work calls like this into your warmups, steady state pieces, etc. (both when there is and isn’t a rush problem, just to reinforce the message) then if you experience rush at the higher rates you can simplify the call to something that won’t take as much time to say, like “patience, send” or whatever. As long as you’re consistent with the terminology you use, breaking it down into a shorter call like this can/will still get the message across because they’ll be able to reference the longer call you made before. Sometimes at higher rates when I do this (during practices, not so much races…) I’ll say “Starting to feel a little rushed, let’s get that rhythm back we had the other day. Pivot here … pivot here. Now relaaax into the catch, loose in the legs, LOCK and send … LOCK send…“. It’s spread out over the course of 3-4ish strokes (I try not go more than five, max) and that one long call is broken down into two shorter ones.

Does that make sense? Basically what I’m getting at is that it’s easier to maintain a rhythm with how you should be saying the first call at lower rates than it is at higher rates. If you try to say “pivot, patience, lock, send” right now it’s going to sound more controlled when you say it slowly, which is what you want if you’re trying to get the rowers to exert more control on the slides. Trying to say all of that in the space of however much time a stroke at 30spm takes (…I guess that’d be about two seconds, wouldn’t it…) is a little harder because you won’t have as much control and rhythm in your voice because you’re trying to get out a lot of words in a really short period of time, which in turn is going to negate, in a sense, what you’re trying to communicate to the rowers about being more patient and relaxed. So, at the end of the second paragraph, even though I’m saying more words than I was before, the actual calls that I’m making are shorter so that I can still say them with the proper inflection and rhythm.

Hopefully that wasn’t too convoluted and you can kinda see what I’m getting at. It’d probably make a lot more sense to hear me say it than to read it so whenever I’m out next I’ll try to record myself so you can hear what I mean. Also, check out the posts in the “rush” tag, you might some ideas for what to say in there too.

Coxing High School Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow October 2, 2014

Hey, so I’m the head varsity cox on my high school team and my coaches have never really paid attention to my weight. I’m really muscular from our strength program at school and I’m also a swimmer. However, I’m physically fit and am short (5’0″). But since I’m really muscular, I weigh a good 15 pounds over the minimum of 110. We just got 2 new assistant coaches who come from collegiate programs and I’m worried that they’ll ask about my weight and then pull me out of the coxing position. But I don’t think its physically healthy and possible for me to get down to 110 or 115. I don’t want to be put in the humiliating position of not being able to cox and do what I love because of my body type. What do I do? Also, coxing for men isn’t an option because I go to an all girls school.

Unless they bring it up to you I wouldn’t worry about it. I don’t think they would say anything just because they’re coming from college programs either. The coxswain’s weight is of slightly more importance at the more competitive collegiate schools for obvious reasons but unless you’re one of the very top junior crews in the country, it really doesn’t make a difference. Even at the top junior programs, coaches that obsess about their coxswains weights should probably re-think their priorities. Usually (but not always, unfortunately) that’s something that is discussed amongst all the coaches before a decision is made. If yours have never paid attention to your weight before it’s highly unlikely they’re going to suddenly care now. Weight is (usually) pretty low on the totem pole of things coaches use as part of the metric to decide who’s coxing what boat so as long as you’re executing everything else at a level your coach and crew(s) are satisfied with, it seems pretty unlikely that someone is going to suddenly pull you out of the coxswain’s seat and say “here’s an oar, you’re a rower now”.

Related: What coaches look for in a coxswain

If they do bring it up to you don’t automatically assume they’re going to make you stop coxing just because you say you’re ~125lbs. Tell them what you weigh, you’re also a swimmer, etc. and if they press you on it after that just say that you don’t feel comfortable trying to get down to that weight for X, Y, and Z reasons. Personally I don’t think you should have to give a reason outside of it’s not something you’re comfortable doing but you’ll have to gauge that situation if it comes to that to determine whether or not they’ll be OK hearing that and nothing else. Like I said though, if your coaches haven’t cared before I doubt they’re going to care now.

How To Q&A Rowing Teammates & Coaches Technique

Question of the Day

By readyallrow September 30, 2014

What the hell do I, as a stroke seat, do to calm outrageous rush?

If you’re already setting a reasonable pace and they’re not following you, it’s unlikely that things will improve if you try to forcefully resist the rush because that’s just going to result in the timing getting way off, which will cause other problems (obviously). I’ve occasionally had strokes that will try to hold their finishes a little longer but that’ll tend to only work for a few strokes before it gets out of control again (and their backs start to hurt).

If you haven’t already, talk to your coxswain and coach about it. When you’re on the water you should consistently be communicating with your coxswain whenever it feels like you’re getting pushed up the slide. During water breaks or on land, you should bring it up to your coach so they can observe the crew to try to determine what/who is causing it and/or so they can adjust their practice plan, if necessary, to focus on slide control for a bit. Fixing the rush tends to be a collaborative task, at least in my experience, and really requires you and your coxswain to be on the same page whenever you’re on the water. Off the water, you have to communicate what you’re feeling to the coach. The coxswain can explain how it feels to them but we don’t feel the rush the same way you do in stroke seat so it’s important that you tell the coach where you feel it the most during the stroke, if it only happens at specific rates or if it’s a regular and consistent problem, if you notice it more when a certain pair comes in (i.e. if you’re rowing by 6s and you only feel rushed when 3 + 4 are rotated in), etc.

One thing that I’ve consistently heard from my stroke seats over the years is that they’re not going to take the rate above what feels comfortable for them. If we’re doing pieces at a 28 but they feel like shit because of the rush, they’ll row at a 26. If it still feels like shit, they’ll go down to a 24. This obviously requires communication between you, your coxswain, and your coach so it’s something I’d definitely try to discuss before going out on the water but there are other times when you just need to make a game-time decision and tell your coxswain “this feels awful, we’re taking the rate down two beats”. You’re the one responsible for dictating the pace so … assert yourself and do that (without being an ass about it). One of the things that rowers need to understand in general is that there’s no point rowing at a certain rate if it feels terrible just to say you did your piece at a 28 or a 32 or whatever. Find a stroke rate that feels good (even if it’s really low), row at that rate for awhile, then bump the rate up and try to get that same feeling. Emphasizing slow recoveries and making sure your coxswain is calling out the people who are early at the catch are going to be two of the best things for your crew right now. It’s also going to be important for you to tell the coxswain when something changes, either positively or negatively, so they can assess it and make the appropriate call to either reinforce what the crew did well or to continue trying to elicit a change from them.

Another thing you can do is ask your coach/coxswain to do pause drills during the warmup. I’ve talked about this before in the post linked above (scroll down to #3 and check out the other links in that section too) but pause drills are great for getting everyone on the same page and really thinking about what they’re doing. I like to break it down into pairs and fours when I can, just because it puts a little more responsibility on the individuals, and because it helps me (as a coach or the coxswain) pinpoint the specifics of what that rower is doing that is contributing to the problem. Obviously that has nothing to really do with you but it’s something you can suggest if they aren’t already part of your warmup or the drills you do.

Also, make sure you talk to your 7-seat (off the water). Their main job is to back you up and maintain the pace you’re setting. That obviously puts a little more pressure on them to resist the rush but at the same time, they can’t be part of the problem by contributing to it. They probably feel it just as much as you do if it’s really that bad so just remind them that you need them to back you up and help set the rhythm.

Bottom line, what it comes down to as far as what you can do to calm the rush is to make sure you’re aggressively and consistently communicating what you’re feeling to the people around you. Effective communication will be your biggest asset here. Let your coxswain (first) and coach (second) be the one to communicate what you’re saying/feeling to the crew as a whole but make sure you’re also talking with your 7-seat off the water or quietly during breaks about how things are going.

College Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow September 29, 2014

Hey! I really want to row for a U23 program such as Vesper or Penn AC this summer. I am a sophomore this year and my erg scores are right around what they are asking for. I’m planning on filling out applications once they open up, however I was wondering if it would be beneficial to go visit, introduce myself etc. or would that be weird? Thanks!

Eh, I don’t think it’d be weird but unless you already go to school in Philadelphia and have a really solid personal contact at either of the clubs, I don’t think it’s worth the effort. The boathouses on Boathouse Row aren’t like your typical boathouses – they aren’t just open and available for anyone to walk into. Even when we were there for Penn AC we had to pretty much hope that there was someone there to let us in every day because all the doors have code-locks or key cards or something. I would just fill out the application and wait until they get in contact with you (which, if you’ve got good enough scores, they will).

Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By readyallrow September 27, 2014

I am in a very difficult position right now with my new team. There are a couple girls on the team who are very (and I mean incredibly) conceited, cocky, and sassy. They think that they are always right so whenever they make a mistake they try to blame it on me, or the coach does not see (or want to believe that it is anyone other than my own fault), I get in trouble. Every time I get yelled at I lose a chance to make a competitive boat and have to be in the launch. I understand that sometimes it is my own fault and that the coxswain does have to take responsibility for the boat but when these girls are not listening to me and when they do their own thing and I get in trouble and they don’t it gets really frustrating. I even tell them they need to listen and become stern with them when my job requires me to but nothing is working.

Also, I know typically in situations like this one you would go talk to your coach about it and have them help you. However, I do not know what to do when even your coach hates the coxswains. Yes, he puts a lot of responsibility on us because that is our job, but he doesn’t always keep us in the loop and then gets mad when we do not know what is going on, he never answers our questions then gets mad if we mess up, and he is just plain rude without giving us any constructive criticism.

I know this sounds awful, because trust me, it is, I just need advice! Hopefully you can help me out even a little! Thank you!

Wow, I’m really sorry you’re dealing with all that. I think this is one of those situations where employing the “safety in numbers” tactic is going to be your best option. I get the impression that all of you are experiencing the same basic problems (lack of communication, respect, etc.) in addition to your own individual issues (in your case, favoritism) so talking to him as a group would probably be the best way to clear the air, so to speak, with minimal repercussions (i.e. keeping people out of boats for speaking up, etc.). With regards to the favoritism stuff that you’re dealing with, I’d bring that up and say that you’re having serious issues with the girls in your boat(s) not respecting your position on the team, undermining your authority, and making you the scapegoat for their individual mistakes. Make it clear that you understand you have to take responsibility for the boat but also make it clear that you know that getting thrown under the bus for their problems is not one of those responsibilities. I have a major problem with rowers who think they can make the coxswain their bitch and expect them to just sit back and take it but I take even more issue with coaches who reinforce that behavior by doing the exact same thing.

I’m not saying you should lose control or cross any lines in terms of how you approach this but I think you also need to get a little bold here and tell your coach that when he punishes you for X, Y, and Z instead of investigating the issue further and/or acknowledging your repeated claims of the rowers doing A, B, and C, he is reinforcing the idea that they don’t have to respect you (as a person or a coxswain) and can keep doing whatever they’re doing because you’ll always be there to take the blame for them. That’s bullshit. You know it, I know it, and everybody reading this knows it. And, as I say below, it’s not going to stop or change until you stick up for yourself and say “this is not acceptable”. Have some self-respect and don’t be afraid to, as Tyler Oakley/Nicki Minaj says, not accept the pickle juice.

I’ll give you the same advice that I gave to someone else via email last week. The situations are a little different but similar enough that I think what I said to that person would apply to you as well. Here’s a copy/paste of part of that email:

“I think what someone needs to say to your team as a whole (and feel free to say that I said this too, as a completely unbiased outside perspective…) is that if things really, truly are as bad as you say they are (and I do believe they are) that for the good of the team this year and in the future, everyone needs to forget about what boats they may or may not be passive aggressively placed into and just go talk to your coach. Why do you think SO. MANY. PEOPLE. get away with the shitty things they do day in and day out? Because they know that the people who could or want to do something about it are only NOT saying something because they fear retaliation. The minute you stop being afraid of how someone will react and put the good of the team ahead of your own individual desires is when you can start to enact real change. Does it suck? Yes. Is it fair? No, but unless you want to deal with this for two more years that’s what you’ve gotta do.”

I hope there’s something in there that you can use to make this situation a little better. Keep me updated too, I’m interested to hear how this all plays out. Also, if you haven’t yet, check out the interview linked above where I asked Pete Cipollone how to handle situations where the rowers took their frustrations out on you, amongst other things. I think your situation is far past what we discussed here but I also think that there might be some words of advice in there that you can use going forward.

College Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow September 25, 2014

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.

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).