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.
