Coxswain Development: The Time to Listen and Observe

In a few short weeks, rowers and coxswains from all over the country will pack their bags and arrive at a boathouse for the first time. Whether switching high-school teams for a better commute, heading off to college, or joining a new masters team, it’s time for coxswains to take their talents and wrenches to a new team. If you’re headed back to a familiar boathouse, you’ll still find yourself with new teammates and possibly a new coach.

In rowing, as in life, first impressions matter. Of course, you want to put your best foot forward upon arriving at the boathouse. But how?

The most important thing a coxswain on a new team or with a new coach can do is listen. The vocabulary of rowing can differ among coaches and boathouses. Do you “weigh enough” or “let it run”? Drills, landmarks, and even shells in the boathouse can have multiple names. Listen and observe. You don’t need to parrot the other coxswains, but it’s important to understand the team’s vernacular.

Next, listen to your new coach. Beyond listening to direct instructions to you, listen to how your coach gives feedback to rowers and how she or he breaks down the rowing stroke. Before you try to be a step ahead, make sure that you’re in step with the person at the helm of your program.

“Your coach is going to tell you everything they want you to say to the crew. It’s not a complicated process, but sometimes we [as coxswains] forget to listen and absorb that, because we’re so set on trying to do it ourselves,” said Ariel Handler, assistant coach at Northeastern University and a former coxswain at UCLA.

Listening to your coach and getting a good sense of his or her vocabulary, rhythm, and priorities will make you a great asset and is the first step toward anticipating the coach’s needs.

“What makes the coxswain really good is when they can predict what needs to be done without asking the question,” said Handler.

If you’re an experienced coxswain with a new coach, the same advice applies. Remember, your coach is trying to assess the new team and establish clear expectations. You can help by being a steady presence and by translating the coach’s needs to the crew effectively. Being a good bridge between your teammates and new coach can help you build credibility with the coach and the crew.

Perhaps most important is the power of a fresh start.

“You can reinvent yourself. You don’t have to be the same coxswain you were the season before or the year before,” said Handler. Arriving at—or returning to—the boathouse with a different mentality is powerful.

Do some honest introspection about your weaknesses but regard addressing them as learning new skills as a coxswain, not shifting who you are as a person. That can help break changes into smaller, doable chunks that you can achieve this fall. Be professional, confident, and resilient, and remember that your successes this year can be built one practice at a time beginning in September.

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