Coxswains are dead weight since they’re not generating any power to move the boat like the rowers are. Because of that you want to be as close to the minimum as possible to ensure the crew isn’t carrying any extra unnecessary weight down the course. To make sure crews weren’t putting in like, 8 year olds or something, they standardized it so that at minimum they were all carrying the same amount of dead weight, which is the 120lbs referenced in the video. International racing weight for women is 110lbs (50kg) and for men it’s 121.25 (55kg). High school and collegiate minimums are still 110lbs for women but for men are 120lbs and 125lbs, respectively.
I didn’t know there was a 120 lb weight limit. Why is that?
Coxswains are dead weight since they’re not generating any power to move the boat like the rowers are. Because of that you want to be as close to the minimum as possible to ensure the crew isn’t carrying any extra unnecessary weight down the course. To make sure crews weren’t putting in like, 8 year olds or something, they standardized it so that at minimum they were all carrying the same amount of dead weight, which is the 120lbs referenced in the video. International racing weight for women is 110lbs (50kg) and for men it’s 121.25 (55kg). High school and collegiate minimums are still 110lbs for women but for men are 120lbs and 125lbs, respectively.