Tag: head of the charles

HOCR: The course in meters

Coxing Racing

HOCR: The course in meters

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Previously: Getting to the starting line || Steering through the bridges || Landmarks along the course || Steering around the turns || Race plans || My general race plan || Yaz Farooq’s coxswain clinic || Race plan “hacks”

Over the last week I’ve gotten a few questions about whether anything exists that tells the distance that each of the landmarks are from the starting line or from one another and since I wasn’t aware of anything and those of you that asked weren’t able to find anything, I figured I’d just make something.

Related: HOCR: Landmarks along the course

I used RowDistance, a site made by Andrew Campbell, so the numbers aren’t exact but they should be fairly close. You could also do this using Google Earth. I did this three different times and where I found the biggest discrepancy in meters is from the start of the Eliot turn all the way to the finish. My numbers were about 100m different from each other depending on how I laid out that part of the course, which just goes to show how much things can vary depending on what line you set yourself up for.

I also rounded everything up to the nearest -00 or -50 just for the sake of simplicity (although during the race I’d probably just round up to the next closest 100m because otherwise it becomes way too much effort). The first row is the only one that you should ideally know, the rest are just there because I figured “why not…”.

You can either click to enlarge the image above or check out this spreadsheet to see everything.

Image via // @dosdesignsltd

Coxswain Recordings, pt. 25

College Coxing Racing Recordings

Coxswain Recordings, pt. 25

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University of Tennessee 2011 Head of the Charles Women’s Champ 8+

Overall, this was a very well-steered race. Her Weeks turn was practically perfect so I’d definitely recommend studying her course through the bridges and around the big turns. Coming around Eliot, see how close the buoys are to her riggers? That’s exactly what you want. As they’re coming under the bridge the video resets to the beginning but if you jump ahead to 30:00ish you can see the rest of the piece from Eliot to the finish.

I felt like the coxing throughout was OK (definitely plenty to talk about but nothing super noteworthy) but the key thing you should takeaway from this is how she handles the course. Pay close attention to where she’s lining herself up in the straightaways and on the upcoming bridges, where the shell is relative to the buoys, etc.

Vesta 2012 Head of the Charles Women’s Champ 8+

This is a good recording. Nothing really sticks out because she executes and steers pretty well throughout the entirety of the course. Overall it’s just a really good example of how to handle the race. One thing I’d definitely pay attention to though is the first 90 seconds. You get a really good idea of what the start of the race is like in terms of staging, what the officials are saying, how they bring you to the line, etc., which can be helpful if you haven’t raced the Charles before.

Other calls I liked:

“Extend into the front a little more, bring the handles to me…” Meaning to make sure you’re getting fully compressed and getting your full reach/extension.

You can find and listen to more recordings by checking out the “Coxswain Recordings” page.

Pete Cipollone’s 1997 HOCR Recording

Coxing Racing Recordings

Pete Cipollone’s 1997 HOCR Recording

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So as some of you pointed out yesterday, the YouTube video that contained Pete’s recording from the 1997 Head of the Charles was removed due to copyright claim from row2k. Linked below is the fixed link on row2k that I highly recommend you bookmark since this is pretty much the only place online that you can find the full recording.

Related: Pete Cipollone 1997 HOCR recording and Seth Bauer 1997 HOCR recording

As a bonus, Seth Bauer’s audio was also fixed (neither of the audio links on there have worked in years, which to be honest is probably why it was uploaded to YouTube in the first place) so you can listen to his race as well, which is also from the 1997 HOCR. He coxed the 10 year reunion crew of the 8+ that won gold at the Copenhagen World Championships in 1987.

Image via // @davesarazen
Coxswain Recordings, pt. 24

College Coxing High School Racing Recordings

Coxswain Recordings, pt. 24

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Resilient Rowing 2013 Head of the Charles Youth 8+ Crash

This is just a short clip of one of the men’s youth eights from 2013. I’m mainly sharing it because none of the other videos showed a crash and the whole point of HOCR is to see which youth eight is going to have the best crash. (That is the point of the regatta … right?)

At 2:04 when he says “I can’t get through, coxswain, yield…” I guar. an. tee you that no one past his like, 7-seat heard that. If you want another crew to yield you need to and yell loud and project. your. voice. Don’t assume that just because you’re talking into a microphone that anyone outside your boat can here you. I honestly think that if he’d just stayed directly behind Duxbury and then had the starboards hit it hard they would have been fine and not collided but youth eights = inexperience so there’s not much you can do. The “fuck you Duxbury” comment though from one of the rowers was pretty unnecessary and definitely would have/should have earned a penalty if an official had heard it.

Middlebury College 2013 Head of the Charles Men’s Collegiate 8+

The start of this piece was pretty sloppy in terms of telling them when to build, where they’re at on the build, etc. I also feel like I would have been confused as a rower because they did two builds … one way before the start and right right before the start. Their stroke rate was a little wonky too. I think the build was supposed to be to a 33 but they were at a 31 and then did a “build” under the bridge to get to a 33 … but then a few strokes later she said “32, good”. It was just all over the place and not as “on point” as it should have been.

As far as when to build, you’ve kinda gotta base your pressure off of the crews in front of you. You don’t want to get closer than a length of open but you don’t want to fall back more than that either (because that’s just more ground you’ll have to make up on the course) so you’ve really got to be paying attention to that while you’re in the chute. You want to be at full pressure by the time you hit the upstream corner of the BU dock since the starting line is the middle of the dock so you should start your build as your bowball passes the last group of trees on the shoreline before the boathouse – to give a reference point in the video it’d be around the 23-24 second mark. Another reference point is the buoy with the yellow flag on it off of the starboard side at 0:24.

Through the first two and a half minutes I’m already tuning out because all I’m hearing is the coxswain embracing her inner cheerleader and making a lot of “you can do it!”, “let’s go!”, “show them what you’ve got!”, “here we go!”, etc. calls. There’s also a lot of “build in two” calls to get the rate back up to a 33 because it keeps falling down to a 31. 

The turn at Weeks could have been sharper – she had room – but she started it about three strokes too late. If you wait until you’re under the bridge to tell your starboards to power it up, you messed up. You’re going to end up taking the turn really wide and then having to snake back over to get a good line through Anderson, which ultimately adds unnecessary seconds and meters to your course.

When she says “don’t let them walk” at 9:45 … I mean, it’s going to happen. It is happening. Make the other crew work for it and focus on pressing together, maintaining your rhythm, holding a solid line, etc. Stop talking so much about the other boat though and focus on your own.

When she calls under 500m to go (from the Belmont dock to the finish line) at 15:20. It’s more like a little over 800m. Also, that is not what half a length of open looks like. A length and a half maybe but not half a length.

Ultimately his one wasn’t the best coxed and wasn’t the best steered. Of all the races you go to in the fall, HOCR is not the one you want to be a cheerleader at (unless you’re on land, in which case … cheer away). Have a plan, know your plan, and try not to make the same calls over and over throughout the race. Don’t spend so much time focusing on other crews either. Your head has to be on a swivel, obviously, but at the same time you’ve also gotta keep your head (and focus) in your own boat.

University of Wisconsin 2013 Head of the Charles Women’s Champ 8+

The audio is slightly out of sync with the strokes so don’t let that throw you off as you’re watching.

Right off the bat, I like how she calls the pressure up and perfectly times “half, three-quarter, full pressure, you’re on” with when their bow crosses the starting line. Something that caught my eye too that I wish she would have made a call for what 6-seat coming out early every stroke. Make sure you don’t get so focused on executing your race plan that you forget to check the blades and make little reminder calls when necessary. Obviously this is harder to do in a four but in an eight there’s no excuse.

At 2:16 she says “we’re right on the buoy line, starboard side…”, which is good for informational purposes but it can also be a strategic motivational call too. This is something I talked about with all of our coxswains when we went through their evaluations last week. Use your steering as quick little bursts of motivation for the rowers. If you’ve got a good line, your riding the buoy line, etc. tell them. Let them know that you’re nailing the course right now so let’s capitalize on that and focus on XYZ. If they know you’re taking care of your responsibilities as far as steering a good course goes, that’s one less thing they have to worry about and more focus they can give to just rowing their asses off. If I’ve learned anything from my own coxing experience and coaching coxswains for the last two and a half years, few things matter more to rowers than their coxswain’s ability to steer a good course. If you’re doing that, don’t be afraid to say so and use that to keep your rowers engaged and on their game.

If you’ve got a SpeedCoach, a call like “we’ve got a 1:58, we’re gonna push it to a 1:55…” is a great way to work the splits into your calls. Make sure you know what splits you’re going for throughout the race too. Holding a consistent split probably isn’t realistic for a lot of crew so know what parts of the course will be a little higher (i.e. the turns) and which parts you can really get after it (i.e. the straight shots through the Powerhouse and after Anderson).

Throughout the rest of this section before Magazine Beach she does an awesome job of telling her crew where they are on the other crew (“we’re walking”, “two lengths of open behind and closing”, etc.) and how they’re doing (“right on rate”, etc.). Keep an eye on her course throughout the whole race too – she nails it.

If you notice them starting to row it in a bit, just make a quick call like she did around 6:57ish (“blades in on this one, GO“) to sharpen things back up. Don’t waste 5-7 strokes by calling for 5 to get the blades in or something like that when you can sharpen it up on this one, particularly if you’re an experienced crew. If you’re a high school crew then go ahead and take a couple strokes to get that focus and sharpness back but college crews … you guys can get that on one stroke. I also liked her call at 7:12ish – “hold your fucking blades in now” or something like that. A coxswain after my own heart.

At 7:31 she tells them that whoever is in front of them is “moving away” and she follows up with “…and we’re responding right now“. That is how you get your crew going. Telling them another crew is walking away from them isn’t a bad thing – you should do that – but THIS is how you follow it up so you can get competitive with that other boat again. She immediately calls for a five for something (I couldn’t hear what) and then finishes it off with “1:49, that’s what I’m talking about!”. Perfect perfect perfect.

Her line coming into Weeks is gooorrrgeousss. I also like how she preps her starboard side (“alright starboards, get ready…”) and then counts it down (“here we go … that’s 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … on this one“) before bringing it around. She started her turn about three strokes too early, which is why she said she needed “even” for a couple but it didn’t hurt them at all – the overall execution and calls to the starboard side throughout the turn were pretty much flawless.

College coxswains, this is the A-standard. Hands down one of the best college HOCR races I’ve listened to.

Other calls I liked:

“Bigger fucking puddles…”

You can find and listen to more recordings by checking out the “Coxswain Recordings” page.

Coxswain recordings, pt. 23

Coxing High School Racing Recordings

Coxswain recordings, pt. 23

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Clips from practice on the Potomac, Head of Occoquan, and Head of the Charles

I like what he says at 2:22 – “Our bow deck is on 71’s stern deck, let’s go. 70’s gone, time to make the next move. You don’t pass one boat then stop, you keep pressing…”. That’s a great call to make after you pass a crew, particularly if you’re close to the next crew in front of you. Another call that I really like (from Pete Cipollone’s recording) that would work well in this context too is “do not sit, do not quit”.

2:48, “bowball on the Charles, nothin’ better, let’s go baby, enjoy it…” This is a motivational call. This will get your crew fired up and ready to shift into that next gear. Not every motivational call is “yea guys you can do it woooo”, sometimes it’s as simple as pointing out that you’re passing crews at Head of the Charles because that is cool and that should motivate you.

The reason I wanted to share this recording isn’t necessarily because of the coxing though, it’s because of how the video itself is structured. If you’re reaching out to college coaches you should be including your audio in your intro email and this is a good way to format it. I’d include some short clips from practice of you calling part of your warmup, a drill, some steady state, etc., as well as a clip from a race, whether it’s a full spring race or a clip from a head race. Ultimately though it doesn’t need to be more than 10-12 minutes total of audio.

PNRA 2013 Head of the Charles Senior Women’s Masters 8+

This is a pretty good example of how to cox masters crews. If I didn’t know this was a senior masters women’s 8+ I probably would have assumed it was a youth or club eight.

I like this “power train” thing they do at 3:45 where the coxswain calls a ten for each pair. How she draws out her numbers and says “thaaaat’s four … thaaaat’s five …”, etc. is kind of annoying and not really the best use of her tone (I feel like it translates to sloppy/soft catches) but I’ve found masters crews tend to be less inclined to care about stuff like that. Ten strokes for each pair seems too long though so I’d probably cut it back to 3-5 per pair max.

At 10:27 when she’s telling Style Driven to yield it sounds like they’re not yielding so her telling her bowman to tell them to move is a good call on her part. Make sure you talk to your bow beforehand so they know you might ask them to do that and let them know that all they have to do is yell over at them “[Team name], yield!!”. Saying “yield or you’ll get a penalty” like this coxswain did can also be pretty effective since it’s like a 30 or 60 second penalty for not yielding to the faster crew. That’s a lot of words to get out though in the middle of the race and a lot of coxswains don’t do it effectively (they kind of just shout into the wind and fumble over their words) so it is something you should practice so you can establish beforehand what you want to say if the situation warrants it.

At 11:39 when she tells them she’s going to make a tight turn she does the smart thing by telling her starboards to be prepared to lift their handles up to counterbalance the boat (since it will naturally tip the side she’s steering to, which is port). I definitely recommend doing this so that the boat stays stable throughout the turns.

You can find and listen to more recordings by checking out the “Coxswain Recordings” page.

HOCR: Race plan “hacks”

Coxing Racing

HOCR: Race plan “hacks”

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Previously: Getting to the starting line || Steering through the bridges || Landmarks along the course || Steering around the turns || Race plans || My general race plan || Yaz Farooq’s coxswain clinic

Since this was my first time racing HOCR and my crew had some very specific things they wanted to hear during the race, I figured it’d be better safe than sorry to just write it down so I could glance at it if necessary. In hindsight I definitely psyched myself out and wrote down way too much stuff but it didn’t take me any effort to glance at it during the race so it wasn’t something that concerned me. If you’re not an experienced coxswain (and even if you are…) I don’t recommend writing down this much – a quarter of this would suffice – because I can easily see people becoming reliant on it and getting distracted.

So, what’s on there? The one to the left of my cox box had miscellaneous calls that related to specific things we’d been working on during practice, the one below my cox box had crew-specific calls, and the one to the left had my actual “plan” that detailed where I wanted to take power bursts along the course and what each one was for.

During the race I think I only glanced down at it maybe … four or five times max, and that was usually as we were entering or exiting a congested area. I had a way better grip on the race plan and calls than I gave myself credit for as I was making this, which is probably what led to me overcompensating a bit, but I still think it’s a worthwhile thing to do if you’re not confident in remembering the race plan or there’s a couple calls that you really want to make sure you incorporate. Just don’t go overboard and plaster your entire seat with Post-its … one will get the job done.

Image via // Boston Magazine
HOCR: Yaz Farooq’s Coxswain Clinic

Coxing Racing Rowing

HOCR: Yaz Farooq’s Coxswain Clinic

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Previously: Getting to the starting line || Steering through the bridges || Landmarks along the course || Steering around the turns || Race plans || My general race plan

Since last year was the first year that I was coxing Head of the Charles I wanted to learn as much about the course as possible so I went to Yaz Farooq’s clinic that she hosts the Friday before racing begins. If you aren’t familiar with Yaz, she’s a former collegiate (walk-on at the University of Wisconsin) and national team coxswain who competed at both the ’92 Barcelona games and the ’96 Atlanta games, in addition to four world championships. If you watch the Olympics you’ll recognize her voice since she’s one of the commentators for the rowing events for NBC.

While the clinic is highly recommended by the HOCR officials, it isn’t mandatory to attend. There is no official HOCR coaches and coxswains meeting though so it’s entirely up to you to familiarize yourself with the rules and the course on your own time. HOCR does have a video that goes over the starting procedures, the course itself, and what to do after you finish the race so at the very least you should sit down and watch that. I went over it in two parts last year, which I’ve linked to below.

Related: Getting to the starting line and Steering through the bridges

During the clinic Yaz goes over video from her HOCR races, how to handle the turns, how to steer a bow loader during the race, etc. The head official/chairman of the Regatta & Rules committee, John Lambert, is also there and spends a good amount of time going over how to handle traffic through the bridges, what the different penalties are and how they’re assessed, etc.

I took a lot of notes last year so I’ve posted all of them below. I’d consider this a brief overview of what is discussed at the clinic and not an actual substitute for going. A lot of my notes are in shorthand and not actual sentences (I was writing fast) so if you want/need clarification on anything, feel free to ask.

24 official referee stations along the course (if something happens, someone will see it)

Preparation – look for opportunities

Row a clean course; learn the course, the crews in front of/behind you, practice passing beforehand

Minimize excess steering … have as little effect on the balance as possible

Share details with your crew so they’re mentally prepared

Weld = halfway

If you get to the basin inside 15 min to your race –> straight to the chute

Chute = easy place for accidents; be aware!

Odd # bows = Boston, even # = Cambridge

Hug Cambridge shore/green buoys; watch at Magazine Beach, buoy can get dragged out from SADL launches, will still get penalized if you’re inside them

WATCH FOR CREWS LAUNCHING AT SADL

How to pass: make intentions obvious when within one open length, yell what side you’re taking, make it obvious, point bow to that side, use bow for reinforcement, no swearing at other boats (typically OK for your own though)

Related: How to pass crews during a head race

If crews are being defiant, tell them they’re risking a penalty; be firm but not a jerk

When another crew panics, recognize it, let your boat know, help other crews by instructing the other boat what to do to give way to passing crew (you)

Increase pressure/rating when you think you can get ahead of a crash, if you’re gaining on a crew and need to pass before a bridge, and/or if you’re gaining on a crew and want/need to get inside of a turn

Decrease pressure if you’re being passed or forced to the outside in order to get a cleaner line or if you’re barreling up on crews going through a bridge that can’t accommodate all the crews (WEEKS)

Goal = fastest time

Passing strategy when being passed: make intentions obvious before giving away faster course

Along Powerhouse stretch, select arches based on traffic; Cambridge arch vs. center arch =

Exit Western (Weeks setup): point on outermost edge of buoy line then change point to the blue dome at Harvard (Lowell House). As you close in the dome will disappear behind the trees. Begin turn to the port when level with the turning tree.

Ease  onto medallion from turning tree then crank it

Traffic strategy at Weeks: if on the inside, be ahead of crews on starboard otherwise you may be forced too close to port abutment; make sure you have at least half a length of open between bow and stern. If on the outside, give yourself half a length of open so you’re not t-boned by the inside crew if they underestimate the turn. If you’re level/behind crews on inside, corner will be fine i you maintain headings (you can cut across their wake if they go too wide). Drop to half-pressure for a few strokes to cut across and clear stern/bow.

Communication with crew: let them know major turns coming up, tell them when steering, tell them when you need power, tell other side to power down if needed, tell when to go back to even pressure

Coming out of Weeks, be pointed at center arch of Anderson

At Anderson, turn to starboard, need to immediately get set for “the big turn”

Exit Anderson, point to right side of tall white apartment building; do not follow the shoreline

250m from Anderson/Newell = start of Eliot turn

Point to outermost buoys, gradually follow turn

Eliot: steer sharp to port before the bridge to get line through center arch (starboards); should take five hard strokes from starboard to get you around, might need more depending on the wind. No blades over the buoys, just hug it.

When launching from FALS, come thru turn slowly by fours or pairs

Traffic strategy: pay attention to crews on starboard side, must get ahead or fall behind

Eliot headings: go through diagonally port –> starboard, hug the buoys hard by Belmont dock, get buoys under the riggers

Finish line: last 500m, aim for center of the finish line buoys. Boardwalk = 20 strokes to go. Paddle all the way to the end of the buoy line to avoid penalties.

All the information below is from John Lambert and is on rules, penalties, etc.

Be familiar with the rule book and any changes before racing

Athletes given benefit of the doubt, minor blade clashes = not a penalty

Bow #1 is the only bow with the opportunity to have a perfect race

Are responsible for safety first and foremost

Umpires are at every bridge and turn, are there to ensure fairness, safety, determine violations, assess penalties

Travel lanes: do not interfere with other races; double buoys between Weeks, Eliot; stay between white buoys and shoreline. Buoy violation = 10 seconds/buoy if hull is outside travel lane. Interference with another race by hull or blades = severe penalty or disqualification

Buoys: orange (continuous) = Boston, green (occasional) = Cambridge; 10 second penalty/buoy if hull goes over. Buoys can change depending on depth of river, wind, waves, etc. Blades can also get caught in buoy lines.

Violations: disregard for safety = 60 second penalty = even during practice on Friday

Get to the finish line as fast as possible based on the circumstances you’re given

Passing: passing boats have right of way; yield must begin when there is one length of open and closing (failure to yield = 60 second penalty). When passing, can’t force crew off course, when yielding can’t cut buoys.

Non-yield interference: 1st = 60 seconds, 2nd = 120 seconds, 3rd = DQ

Do not press luck when passing and force a collision; cannot do anything blatantly unsafe. USE YOUR COMMON SENSE.

If there is a severe collision (injury, hull damage) = 60 second penalty; impossible to credit crews who are effected by collisions

Conduct: personally abusive language = penalties; not directed at anyone = no penalties

60 second penalty for no bow number

If late to start, report to any official, don’t jump in (be polite, follow instructions immediately)

Boats must finish with coxswain aboard (…duh?)

Communication with bowman when in bow loaders: they should tell you what side you’re being passed on and how fast; when passing, tell when clear to steer at will to avoid cutting off crews. Discuss in advance.

Tl;dr: be prepared. Know what you’re getting into and know that whatever plan you have is probably going to change before you get to Magazine Beach. Be prepared for the unexpected and know how to handle every situation when something happens. Never panic. Make it to the finish line in one piece. Have fun.

Image via // Boston Magazine
Coxswain recordings, pt. 12

College Coxing Racing Recordings

Coxswain recordings, pt. 12

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Hobart University 2011 Head of the Charles Men’s Collegiate 8+

I like how she starts out the piece with “let’s get us moving”. Notice how coming out of the bridges she’s hugging the buoy line? That’s how you wanna do it.

At 1:19, she tells them where Notre Dame is and that’s where they started but it’s not going to be where they finish – that’s a good call to make to give your crew something to work torwards in the early parts of the race instead of going out and just rowing. Pick a boat in front of you, put a target on their back, and go after them. Notice how she’s still hugging the buoys pretty tightly as they start coming around the turn? She’s taking a great course. Remember, your oars can go over the buoys but the hull can’t.

The twelve seconds of “hook, send” from 1:54-2:06 was a little excessive. Normally you don’t want to say the same thing more than two or three times in a row because after that you get tuned out. The over-repetiveness of some of her calls was already driving me crazy and then I realized they’re only at Riverside. It seems like the only thing she’s comfortable saying are calls with “hook” in them. If you’re listening to your audio and notice a similar pattern, take that as a sign that you need to broaden your vocabulary. Your calls should be varied enough that you aren’t saying the same exact thing every 2-3 strokes.

I like that around 5:48 she tells them that she wants to stay up on the boat behind them because she wants the line on Weeks – that’s definitely something you need to communicate with your crew coming into the turns, especially Weeks and Eliot. In order for you to have the cleanest and sharpest line, you’ve got to either hold off the crew that has the potential to pass you until you’re at least through the bridge or make your move now so that you can pass the crew in front of you before you get to the bridge (as opposed to trying to do it under the bridge).

Her course coming into Weeks is great and she does a good job telling the crew exactly what she needs them to do while giving them a bit of confidence (“you guys are going to make this boat fly”) as they get closer to the bridge. I would definitely recommend watching her turn several times through because she nailed it.

At 9:38, “little headwind, swing deep” is a good call. Being able to read the wind and telling the crews how to respond to it is a sign of good coxswain because it shows you’ve got a good technical understanding of the stroke.

Post-Anderson it would have been a good idea to tell them where they are on the crews in front of them. She made a bold statement early on in the race about Notre Dame but hasn’t said anything about them since. Regardless of whether you’ve gained on them or they’ve walked away, you should be letting them know where they are on the competition. They can see the crews following them but they can’t see the crews you’re chasing. Even if you’re out there solo and you’ve got the whole course to yourself, tell them that and then take a move to take advantage of your incredibly lucky situation.

Coming around Eliot she calls for the starboards to give her pressure for three strokes but then ends up needing pressure from them for about 10. It’s always better to overestimate how many strokes it’ll take to do something than to underestimate it because as you can hear, there’s a momentary second of panic in her voice where I bet she was thinking “shit, we’re not going to make it”. In situations like that if you have to keep calling for pressure from one side, help them out by calling the other side down. Other than that she did a great job coming through the bridge. Coming around the Belmont dock you can see how close the hull is to the buoys, which means she set herself up really well for that final turn. One thing that she does particularly well during the race, other than steering, is telling them where they are on the course. I think she pointed out a fair amount of the landmarks, as well as some really important meter-marks. Make sure you look at a map before hand and know where all those things are.

At 15:12 she says she’s got the point for the finish line which is a great thing for the rowers to hear because it means there’s no more steering, they’re in the home stretch, and the ONLY thing all five or nine of you are focused on is driving towards the line. In the end here though, especially within the last 20, you have to stop with the technique calls. This is where all your calls should be about where they are, where the other crews are, how far they are from the line, and any other motivational things you can think of. Hot take here but after Eliot, the technique is either going to be there or it isn’t, and if it’s not it’s going to be really hard for you or them to fix it at this point. This is where all your calls should be about where they are, where the other crews are, how far they are from the line, and any other motivational things you can think of.

Overall I’d say this was pretty good. I would have liked to have heard more variety in her calls but I think she makes up for it (only a little bit though) with her awesome course.

FIT 2011 Head of the Charles Men’s Champ 8+

This coxswain starts out relatively calm but is still sharp (so sharp) and intense with her calls. At 2:51 she does a good job of telling her crew that they’re about to pass MIT and she’s moving to the outside. It might seem insignificant but that’s a good thing to tell your crew (see what I said about using your steering as motivation up above), despite her move here being a little early considering they were still behind them through the Powerhouse. Remember though, you don’t have to pass on the outside. If you want the inside line, the coxswain of the crew you’re passing has to give it up.

I like her call at 7:14 – “it’s time to move through them” to let them know you’re both sitting on each other and it’s time for us to make a move. Same goes for the “I’m taking Weeks before them” call at 7:56.

Coming through the turn, the angle definitely could have been sharper and that’s mostly on the ports to help the starboards out there by backing off so they can bring it around while the coxswain is on the rudder. Ports. I beg of you. When your coxswain says “ease off”, “back off”, etc. DO IT.

At 15:55, she called that shift well – the build into it was calm and then the call for “we’re going for it” was a great way to start the final stretch. I also liked the “now we move” call a little bit later. Overall, well coxed, well steered.

You can find and listen to more recordings by checking out the “Coxswain Recordings” page.