Hey! Lately, I haven’t been getting boated much during practices and have only been boated for one race. Some of our assistant coaches have claimed that I’m better than the other coxswain and that it’s become more of a matter of favorites. Any tips on how I can show the head coaches that I want to be boated for races, especially with one more race plus Pac-12s coming up? I don’t know what else to do other than prove myself each time I’m on the water (which isn’t often) and going over recordings with our coach once I’m back on the water.
As frustrating as this answer is, I think your best option is to keep doing what you’re doing. Take advantage of every opportunity to show your skills when you’re on the water, get constant feedback from your coach(es) and rowers, and continue going over audio with your coach(es). “Wanting” it only gets you so far – you’ve gotta put in the effort on and off the water. If you can make a case for yourself by doing all of that then I can’t see why your coach wouldn’t give you some consideration.
When you talk with the coach that makes the lineups ask him/her point blank why these other coxswains are being boated over you – what have they got that you could stand to improve on? I think this is a great question to ask and yes, it’s very possible to ask it without coming off as a whiny brat. If they’re free, ask one of the assistant coaches to come with you when you talk to your other coach too. This will give you the opportunity to bring up what the two of you have discussed in terms of areas where you’re excelling or could use some improvement so that you can get your coach’s feedback on how tweaking some of those skills could result in you potentially getting put in a racing lineup. If/when you do this though make sure you’re completely clear on the feedback they’ve been giving you and do not throw them under the bus by saying something like “well they said the only reason I’m not in the boat is because I’m not one of your favorites”. I’ve seen that happen and I’ve had that happen and from all assistant coaches everywhere, you’re a real asshole if you misrepresent our conversations like that in front of the head coach.
It may very well be that your coach has a favorite coxswain (sometimes it’s hard not to) that he wants with a certain boat but in my experience, favorites don’t just pop up randomly. The reason they’re a favorite is usually because the coach has found that they’re reliable, they communicate well, they’re trustworthy on and off the water, and they’ve got whatever special quality it is that your coach looks for. Not that you don’t have or do any of those things but it’s always worth asking (or thinking about on your own), in comparison to [the coxswain in the boat you want], where am I (potentially) falling short? Reflect on that and talk about it with your coaches. As a coxswain and a coach I really appreciate seeing a coxswain who comes into a meeting prepared to say “this is what I think I’m doing well, this is what I think I need to improve on to get into this boat … confirm or deny”. That shows me and the other coaches that you’re actively thinking about where you can make improvements rather than just expecting us to spoon feed you and give you what you want.
