Category: Q&A

Coxing How To Q&A Rowing Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By

I know coaches are always looking for “team leaders” but there’s this one girl on my team who TRIES to be a leader but is just ignorant & bossy. Inevitably, she only hurts herself by getting on her teammates & even coaches nerves. She’s leaving next year (along with a huge majority of my team) & I want to be an effective leader but I’m afraid of being annoying to underclassmen like this girl is to me. How do I lead w/o being bossy and making people want to straight up slap me in the face?

Ha, I know exactly the kind of person you’re talking about. It’s painful being on a team with someone like that.

Step 1. Think of all the reasons why she is a poor and/or ineffective leader and why it doesn’t work … then do the EXACT opposite of that.

Step 2. I really do believe that being a good leader involves invoking a form of the Golden Rule – lead others as you would like to be led. Do not unnecessarily raise your voice or yell at people (unless they have genuinely done something to deserve it – and if they have, let your coach handle it) and don’t treat them like crap and think you can get away with it because, like you said, inevitably you’re only hurting yourself.

Step 3. Being a team captain or leader is less about telling people what to do and more about leading by example. Think of what you want your team to be or what you want them to become and then start ACTING like that. At the start of the season, hold a team meeting and set goals for the season. Throughout the year, remind your team of what you’ve accomplished so far and remind them of the goals still ahead.

Step 4. Encourage others by pushing yourself – everything you do will be noticed by your teammates so make sure you’re giving 150% one hundred percent of the time.

Step 5. Keep open lines of communication with EVERYONE on the team – not just the people in your boat or just your friends. Let it be known that if anyone is having a problem, rowing related or not, they can come to you. No judgement either. Keep an eye out for anyone who looks like they’re having a rough time. When they’re alone, either before or after practice, let them know that if they need to talk, they know where to find you. Leave it at that and don’t push the issue.

Step 6. Embrace the leadership role. Don’t act like it’s a burden but don’t do what this girl is doing by trying to force the role upon herself. If people see that you’re dedicated to the team and you’re committed to becoming a good leader, people will be more open to accepting you as their captain. Try not to channel Napoleon and develop a complex.

Step 7. Don’t wait to become a leader – do it now! You don’t have to wait until this girl is gone to start leading your team. Don’t incite a power struggle whenever you’re around her, just start doing the things that a leader should do. It’s up to you to determine what your team needs. Talk with your coaches and explain that you’re not trying to cause drama or anything like that, but you’d like to see someone take a more effective leadership role on the team. Since you’ll be a senior (I’m assuming) next year, you felt that it would be good to begin gaining that experience now. Ask if there is anything you can help with or anything specific they would like you to do and then go from there.

Talk to this other girl and ask if there’s anything you can help her with. If she says “OMG yes, nobody ever listens to me when I try and do … (whatever)”, take that opportunity to say “OK, I’ll see what I can do” and then go do it. If she says “nope, I’m good” say “OK, well, if you need anything or get overwhelmed with (whatever), feel free to let me know” and leave it at that. Don’t make it blatantly obvious to her that she sucks as a leader and you think you can do better. Let her come to you. In the mean time, find little things you can do to start building up your rapport with the coaches and your teammates.

Coxing How To Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By

I am in my 3rd year coxing and I’m fighting for the JV boat with another girl who is in the same grade as me. I was really, really bad my novice year and wasn’t really good until now. I really want to beat her so I asked some rowers what I could do better and they said that people respect her more, and that she is more authoritative. But the thing is when I try to be authoritative people just think I’m a bitch because I’m normally really friendly and nice. How do I earn their respect?

Instead of focusing on “beating” the other coxswain, focus on improving your skills. OBSERVE HER. Ask her for advice. Yes, it’s a little “keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer” BUT seeing you swallow some humble pie will in fact help your rowers begin respecting you more. What about her demeanor, attitude, personality, etc. makes people respect her? When she’s coxing or leading the team, how does she do it? You don’t have to emulate everything she does, but if something is working for her and that same something is something you need to improve on, there’s nothing wrong with adopting the same techniques she uses.

As far as gaining respect in general, think about your parents. Most of the time, I think we can all agree that our parents are fairly chill – maybe a little uncool, but chill nonetheless. When we screw up and they get pissed at us, that’s where the learning opportunity arises. If your parents get mad and yell and scream at you, what are you more likely to do? Listen to them and do exactly what they say or ignore them, roll your eyes, and walk away? For most of us, we’d ignore them. When they get pissed and talk to you in a stern but eerily calm voice, that is when most of us are like “shit, ok, I’ll do what you want.” Tone of voice means everything. If you are less likely to listen to someone who is erractic while trying to be authoritative, what makes you think your rowers are going to listen to you if you exhibit the same behavior? Part of being an effective leader is self-control. You have to stay calm in the face of chaos and not fly off the handle at little things. Use the “stern parent” voice instead of the “she needs some mood stabilizers” voice.

Being friendly and nice is a great thing when you’re off the water but when you’re on the water you have to separate the friendly person from the in-control coxswain. You are in charge, so you must act like you’re in charge. Look to people you see every day that are in leadership roles – teachers, your coach, your boss, etc. – and see how they conduct themselves.

Your rowers also need to understand that when you’re on the water, your friendship is still on land. It cannot come in the boat with you. If they get pissed every time you tell them to do something just because it’s not something they’re used to hearing, life is going to be pretty hard for them. Explain to them that you aren’t trying to be a bitch and apologize if it comes off like that, but you’re trying to be more authoritative and it’s hard to do when they a) don’t take you seriously, b) don’t listen, and/or c) take it personally every time you say something to them. Tell them to respectfully and maturely tell you (after practice or in private) if/when they think you’re being a bitch so that you know exactly what situations they’re referring to and can work on improving or adjusting how you do things. Ask them why it comes off like that and what you can do to NOT come off like that in the future.

You can’t it personally either, even though that is easier said than done. Having a mature conversation with your rowers when situations like this come up will show them that you really are trying to improve your communication skills so that you can become a better leader, which will in turn continue building more respect between the two of you.

Also talk to your coach(es). Explain to them that you want to cox the JV boat too and want to know what they are specifically looking for in a JV coxswain. Having good rapport with the rowers is important but having the trust of your coach is CRITICAL. If they don’t think you can handle the boat in ANY situation, there’s no chance you’ll cox it. Ask them to spend some time critiquing you one day at practice and pointing out things you need to improve, but also some of the things you’re doing well (so you can continue doing them). Your coach’s feedback is just as important as your rowers so again, be mature and take any constructive criticism that you get as an opportunity to get better. You asked a great question which to me shows that you DO want to get better, so make that obvious to your coaches and rowers as well.

A huge part of becoming an all around better coxswain is force-feeding yourself multiple servings of humble pie. Improving not only our technical skills but our personal skills as well requires us to take a step back and reevaluate how we handle various situations. A true sign of maturing as a coxswain is when you can freely admit that you messed up or you could have handled a situation better, and then be able to figure out ON YOUR OWN how to do it right or better the next time.

For a few practices, focus on yourself more than you focus on “winning” the JV boat or “beating” this other coxswain. Make a list of things you think you can improve on and then work on them. Talk with this other coxswain and try not to make it blatantly obvious to everyone on the team that you are hell bent on getting this JV boat over her. Maturity, remember? Competitiveness between coxswains is fine but when one coxswain is super competitive and the other one is effortlessly just doing her thing and ROCKING IT, people will notice that and it tends to work out better for the calmer coxswain.

College Q&A Recruiting Rowing

Question of the Day

By

Hey I’m currently a sophomore & I’m interested in rowing in college. An older teammate suggested I make a beRecruited account. What are your thoughts on the website? Is it helpful? If so, what are your suggestions about keeping it updated? I feel weird writing about myself! Should I list any regatta my boat has placed in or just major races?

I do think it’s a great tool to help you get noticed by collegiate coaches but keep in mind that it’s just a tool – you’ve still gotta do the majority of the legwork. Most of the guys I’ve coached so far used it in some capacity while they were going through the recruiting process. I think if you put the time and effort into maintaining it, it can be pretty helpful. Once you get it set up I’d check it maybe once or twice a week and follow up with anyone that contacts you immediately. After each race, I’d also update it with your results. If you can get some video of your rowing, either individual video or video of your boat from a regatta, post that, because it’ll give coaches the opportunity to see you in action. (If you post video of your whole crew, make sure you specify what seat you’re in.)

Don’t feel weird either – this is your opportunity to brag about yourself, your team, your boat, etc. If your crew was the first to go to Nationals or you’ve won Head of the Charles twice in a row, that’s stuff you should be writing about. As far as what regattas to list, I would post any major regattas you’ve attended and where you placed overall. I’d also write down if your club won any overall team trophies or if they’ve won something BIG, like USRowing’s Club of the Year. That really makes an impression on coaches. The only races I wouldn’t put down are small/local races or ones that include just you and one or two other schools.

If I were a rower and was making one for myself, here’s what I’d include.

2k, 5k/6k PRs (overall time and splits)

If you’ve done watt tests, your watts PR is good to put down. (Not everyone does them so don’t worry if you haven’t done one.)

What side(s) you row and if you have sculling experience

Any notable personal accomplishments (dropped your 2k by 50 seconds since you started rowing, made the varsity 8+ as a freshman, etc.)

Who your coaches are (and their contact info)

Any camps/clinics you’ve attended

I don’t know if there’s an option to put all this down (I haven’t looked into the site that closely) but it’ll give you an idea of what might stand out to coaches.

Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

By

I’m a guy who almost exclusively coxes women at the moment. However, I rowed for an entire year up to this October and I’m pretty naturally athletic. I still run and cycle pretty quickly. When we do land training, I feel like if I got on an erg and joined in I wouldn’t be helping as I’d be faster than most of them – and your cox being quicker than you would be pretty demoralizing. The only time I’ve joined in was when we did a 5k run and I agreed to be a backmarker and make sure nobody got left behind the pack by encouraging them to keep running and not give up. Do you think I’m right that it would be demoralizing for the girls if I joined in or do you think joining in would have a “leading from the front” aspect which would be beneficial for the squad?

I definitely agree that your cox being faster than you might not make you feel too good about your own abilities. I think you’re in a unique situation though where your rowers would understand the physiological differences between men and women that come into play here. You should make clear that you’re not trying to one up them, you’re simply trying to workout with the team. I’d make sure that you stick to that too … don’t take someone’s 5k time as a challenge and try and beat them. That’s not your job. I like what you said about being the person at the back of the pack … that’s what I would expect any coxswain to do when you go on a run. Unless there are two coxswains out running (where one can be at the front of the pack and one can be at the back), I think sticking to the back and making sure everyone makes it through is the best thing you can do.

I would talk with them and just explain that you’re trying to be a leader by participating in the workouts with them and then get their opinions. Do you think it bothers them when you work out with them? If you’ve gotten the impression that it’s not helping the crew, I’d talk to them and your coach to figure out an alternative way that you can be of use to them while they’re doing land training. If it turns out it’s not a big deal, I’d keep doing what you’re doing and work out with them. I would however, let your stroke seat or the team captains set the standards as far as how hard/fast/etc. the rowers should be pulling and you just fall in line with that, if that makes sense.

College Coxing Q&A Recruiting

Question of the Day

By

Hi, I was wondering what GPA and SAT scores Ivy league colleges and D1 schools look for when recruiting coxswains and if they give scholarships to coxswains. Thanks!

The majority of the time, coxswains don’t receive scholarships as freshman, if at all. Sometimes they can be given one after their freshman year (an example being someone I coxed with at Syracuse who got one our sophomore year), but the coaches tend to save their scholarships for the rowers. If you’re looking at Ivy League universities be aware that they do not give athletic scholarships AT ALL, to anyone. It’s a conference rule.

As far as GPA and SAT scores go, it varies between universities, so it’s hard to say specifically. You can do your own research to figure that out. Obviously though, Ivy League schools are going to have much higher standards than non-Ivy schools. Several things I’ve read have said that 1800-2000 on the SAT will get you solid looks pretty much anywhere, but it REALLY depends on the school since each one has different requirements and expectations of their applicants. The people that I personally know that rowed or currently row in college (both at Ivy League and non-Ivy D1 programs) all had GPAs at or above a 3.5 (unweighted) and SAT scores of 1700+. Rowing is traditionally a “smart person” sport, so the grades, GPAs, and standardized testing scores are usually indicative of that.

Your academics matter the most and that is what is going to get you admitted but your recordings, rowing resume, etc. that you give to the coach will also be of benefit to you. Coaches go into meetings with the admissions offices and basically say “this is what this person can bring to my team, this is why I think they’re a good fit, this is what I think they can offer the university.” They then weigh that against your academics, extracurricular activities, etc. Your coxing skills won’t get you in but they can help. Make your interest well known to the universities you apply to. Sit down with the coaches and go over your academic resume. If you can explain why you have a poor grade on your report card or why you consistently perform poorly in one class compared to all your others, that will help them a lot when they talk to the admissions counselors. (This was something I had to do because I’m awful at math and the C’s/D’s I’d get in my math classes contrasted pretty sharply with the A’s I got in all my other ones.) Do your research on each school though and see what their requirements are regarding SATs and GPAs. Give yourself maybe 100 points of wiggle room on the SAT and 0.2ish points on your GPA.

College Q&A Rowing

Question of the Day

By

Hi, I’m a freshman in college. I rowed all throughout high school, and I thought that I could handle not rowing in college but I don’t think I can. It’s all I’ve been thinking about lately. I’ve asked my parents if I could transfer home and row for a local club but they told me that I need to buck up and put my education first over my love for rowing. I don’t know what to do. They won’t listen to me at all. Do you have any suggestions? I don’t want to give this up.

I hate to side with your parents but they’re right. Transferring JUST to row isn’t a legitimate reason to switch schools, especially if you’re at a good school right now. You have to think long term – rowing’s not like football or basketball where you can transfer to a better school in hopes of getting more playing time and improving your stock in the draft so that you’ll hopefully land a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract. If you wanted to transfer schools because you didn’t think you were getting a good education or you realized that the school you’re at just isn’t for you, those would be legit. If you were transferring to an equally good or better university than the one you’re at, with an equally good academic program as the one you’re currently in, then you might be able to convince them but if they know the reason you’re doing it is ultimately because you want to row, it’s going to be a very, VERY tough sell.

I would investigate opportunities in your current city and at your school. During the summer you can row at your local club at home but during the school year, like your parents said, school does come first. It sucks but it’s just how it is. If you still ultimately decide you want to transfer make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons, whatever those might be. Sit down and have a mature, adult conversation with your parents. Gather all the facts (including financial costs of transferring) and present it to them. The more mature and rational you are about the situation, the more your parents will respect where you’re coming from and be willing to listen to you (even if they still say no in the end).

Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By

My coach isn’t very chatty with us. Obviously my teammates and I still have a pretty solid relationship with her due to the endless hours we spend at practice together but sometimes I feel like she doesn’t like me. I never want to be that annoying kid so I’m generally pretty quiet and very obedient (that’s kinda just my personality anyways). Any suggestions on building a relationship with my coach without being a pest? (She’s about your age if that makes a diff.)

I wouldn’t ever assume that your coach doesn’t like you. One thing I’ve noticed (and done) is that younger coaches in general might not be very talkative outside of the typical “coaching” conversations just because we’re trying to maintain our authority (I guess is the best way to put it) because we are closer in age to you guys, which does then make it harder for the athletes to get to know us. I would open up a little yourself, maybe talk a little bit more to her, ask her about why she chose to row at the college she rowed at or why she chose that college or what her major was, etc. You don’t have to get super deep or super personal … just elaborate a little on what she offers up in a regular conversation.

Related: I row with my school (secondary school in England – so high school) and we share a boathouse/coaches with a boys school. One of my coaches is really jokey, he constantly teases us about the boys we know, he pokes fun at us, he has nicknames for us, and although I like that I never feel that I can ask him anything, if I’m unsure over something I don’t feel like I can ask anything. How can I get better at communicating with him? There is also another coach who is relatively new coaching our squad. I’ll do something right for 3/4 of a session, and then for one second I’ll mess up, and i’ll be aware that I did it wrong, but he’s straight on to me telling me how wrong it is. I’m not sure if I’m over-reacting but it really annoys me that he treats me as a complete idiot who doesn’t seem to know how to do anything, how can I change/resolve this? Thank you.

It takes a LOT for a coach to find someone annoying, even for someone with minimal patience like me. If you’re mature, hardworking, diligent, and you listen to what she says and makes the necessary changes when she tells you to work on something, she won’t think you’re a pest or annoying.

Ergs Q&A

Question of the Day

By

Hi, rowing question! Tomorrow I’ve got my first 4k with the varsity team at my school. Obvs it’s for time and the first 2k of it will be rate capped at a 24. How should I approach this piece (split and technique wise, because I’m not too worried, I know I’ll do my best) and what could I do to make it an overall great 4k? Thanks!

As far as how to approach it, go in with a plan. Write it down and look at it a few times before you start. It’s easiest if you break it into three parts – the start, the body, and the sprint.

Since the first half is capped, find that stroke rate in as few strokes as possible while going hard on the pressure. After 15-20 seconds, start to settle down into your pace, whatever you’ve decided that needs to be. Make sure it’s a MANAGEABLE split. Don’t be fooled by your body saying you can go harder…chances are if you listen to it, you’ll fly and die.

It’s OK after those first few seconds if your average split climbs up a little, just make sure you don’t let it come up too much. Say you start at a 2:00, I wouldn’t let it go above 2:05.

Holding your pace, make some pushes every so often like you would in a real race. At the 1500, 1000, 750, and 500 are all good spots to take a 10 or 20.

Coming into the last 500m, start thinking about your sprint. You’ll want to up your power a bit and bring your split down a second or two. Hold that split until the last 300m, take 5 to build into your sprint, and then GO. Make sure you’re still holding a 24, but going all at it with the power. Use your recovery time to wind up the legs and then power through each stroke until the end of the piece.

Watch your technique as you get more fatigued. If you don’t mind someone coxing you while you erg, have one of the coxswains give you a 10 or 20 or remind you to sit up at the finish as you get into the last 500m. Take a deep breath before you start and don’t focus on anyone or anything else except for YOU and YOUR monitor. When you finish, make sure you stay on the erg and paddle lightly for at least 5 minutes or so. Have a water bottle beside you so you can get a drink without having to get up.

College Coxing Novice Q&A Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

By

I’m currently a novice coxswain at my school’s club team. I weigh about 125ish. I’m thinking about transferring schools but I still want to do crew. One of the schools I was looking at was D3 and they said that coxswains should weigh less than 115. Do you think they would let me cox because I have already been doing that or would I need to lose weight? I try to work out. I’m planning on doing winter training but I’m not a good runner and I don’t have much erg experience so I don’t know if it would pay off.

If you have the option you could cox for men where the minimum for coxswains is 125lbs. I think you should talk with them and explain that you’ve been coxing for X number of seasons and would like to continue but be prepared for them to reiterate that they want their coxswains at 115lbs or under. (It’s not an unreasonable request either, especially when racing weight for women is 110lbs.)

If you’re not a good runner, that’s OK. You can always walk on the treadmill (put the speed at higher than normal walking pace but lower than jogging and/or put it on an incline), do the stair stepper, or hop on the bike. You should learn how to properly erg and try doing short pieces so you can develop the muscle memory. One of the things that really bothers me with coxswains is those who tell rowers what to do in terms of the stroke, body positions, etc. but don’t know how to at least erg themselves. There are plenty of ways to workout though beyond running and erging – find something you like and that you’ll stick with and just commit to doing it.

Ergs Q&A Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

By

Because of an injury and physical therapy, among other things, I have a really hard time erging. I won’t finish PT until around February and I really want to have a decent 2k time (I haven’t erged the entire fall season) … what’s a good goal for myself? I’m a lightweight (5’9, 125 lbs) and I just had my first season.

I wouldn’t try and set a time goal for yourself until you can actually get back on the erg and do a base workout to see where you’re at now. It’ll basically be like doing your first erg test all over again. Once you’ve done that first one, compare it to the last one you did before you were injured and see what the difference is. Whatever that difference is, make it your next goal to cut those seconds down by a reasonable margin the next time you do a 2k. Once you’ve gotten to whatever your last 2k was, you can do what you’d normally do when aiming to lower your times.

Depending on your injury, I’d try and continue doing some strength training throughout December, January, and February. If you have an upper body injury, stick to lower body exercises (leg press, hamstring curls, leg extensions, squats (without weight), one legged squats, etc.). If you have a lower body injury, stick to upper body exercises (shoulder press, tricep dips, front and lateral dumbbell raises, pushups, high pulls, etc.). Try and do some core as well. If you can do some kind of strength training, that will at least maintain some of your strength and fitness vs. doing nothing and having your muscles atrophy.