A Community for Coxswains 

Safety is our #1 job, and being safety conscious is an effective way for coxswains to earn the trust of our teammates and coaches. Constructing safety requires training, active attention to detail, and constant situational awareness. We unpack various safety scenarios, from the everyday to emergencies. Be wary of magical thinking!

Our first offering of a blend of practical tips and assorted topics that don’t have their own episode (yet). This fast-paced, more causal episode includes topics such as coxing a 7, and asking if you’ve named your cox box.

Our teams can be caught in one or both of these common cycles: the downward spiral of recruiting coxswains who quit the team, or the virtuous cycle of recruiting engaged coxswains who become enthusiastic recruiters of others.

This is unlike an ordinary day in our coxing experience, because participants don’t know anything yet. Common language is essential for a safe and welcoming experience, and we provide examples of phrases you can substitute for our usual rowing terminology. Leave your jargon at home!

​If we’re distracted by what we’re wearing (or not wearing), we can’t effectively do our jobs as coxswains. The hosts talk about how to dress for the conditions we encounter in an outdoor water sport, and we own up to some of our past (and current) mistakes.

Applying to schools or preparing for a job interview? Leverage your coxing experience when responding to common application and interview questions. We talk about the diverse skills we bring to the coxswain seat, and also emphasize how the skills we learn there can transfer beyond.

We discuss starting sequences, mid-race calls, sprinting to the finish, and what happens after crossing the finish line. We also explore approaches for when our boats are ahead, “in the pack” of competitors, or behind. 

Many sprint races start by attaching boats to a fixed object that we call a stakeboat. We discuss the different types of stakeboats and how each of us approaches them, including considerations for the marshaling area and the moments right before the start.

We are very privileged to speak with certified speech-language pathologist and rower Linda Guida about how coxswains can care for one of our most vital tools: our voices.

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We cover the intricacies of preparation for a head race, starting from the moment of deciding to attend the race, through the activities of race day leading up to entering the chute.

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Docking is a fear-inducing process for many coxswains, including us! We share information about the many details that can affect how we land: wind, current, rowers, etc.

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We walk through a practice from start to finish, discussing how even a simple act like “get to the dock” is more nuanced and complex than people appreciate.

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How can we wield our words most effectively? Like James Bond (the original 007), a laconic man known for pithy phrases, a great coxswain can learn to use words like Q’s sophisticated gadgets.

This is part one of our discussion of bowloaders, where we descend into the belly of the beast.

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Welcome to our inaugural episode!

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Who are the hosts of this new podcast?
 

Indoor rowing tanks are an unusual setting—offering different opportunities and challenges from what we experience on the water or with ergs. We can assess an individual’s rowing stroke when unaffected by any other variables, and make improvements that transfer to the water. Here are practical suggestions on how to make the most of tank sessions, including dealing with the acoustic challenges.

Cam shares the details of his incredible win (from behind!) at the 2023 Henley Royal Regatta and how he developed the skills necessary to achieve this pinnacle of coxing success. He articulates the importance of resilience, overcoming isolation and adversity, building relationships, believing in his rowers’ abilities, and trusting the crew’s race plan.

Does anyone have a spacer? There's water in the foot wells! Do you have any tape? My top nut is loose! I need a bandaid! This whole episode builds on the popular credit card ad: What's in your wallet?

Coxswains use visual information from bladework to inform our understanding of what a rower is doing with their body, which in turn can inform the calls we make to improve and synchronize the bladework. By working our way from the blade towards the handle, we discuss an approach for using all the visible parts of the oar to your advantage.

No coxswain has the luxury of being in a boat that’s always set. We talk through how to diagnose and correct set issues, no matter your skill level.

We focus on the fundamentals that coxswains should incorporate into every drill: consistency, precision, clarity, and tone. We illustrate these points by talking through a sample of three common drills, including how we call them.

Dealing with the compressed time frame of sprint races introduces complexities before and on race day. We touch on how this compressed timeline affects preparation, warmups, and managing the marshaling area.

We celebrate the podcast’s one-year anniversary by challenging each other in a game of Would You Rather. This candid episode contains coxswain-related conundrums and constant camaraderie from your CoxPod co-hosts.

Coxswains need to execute specialized movements of the boat with precision and discipline. We talk about holding water, sculling it around, backing, spinning in place, swapping rowers, and other boat movements.

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Topics include: vocabulary/tone, rowers in the coxswain seat, fostering a collaborative atmosphere, improving when you get no feedback, judging distances, what we’d tell our novice selves, and more!

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No dock? No problem! In this episode we discuss the unique considerations that apply when launching and landing without a dock.

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We are very privileged to speak with Deirdre McLoughlin, a rower, coach, and physical therapist at Resolute Rehab.

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In part two of our discussion of bowloaders, we cover communication in this unique boat type, and strategies for developing boat feel.

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Exploring the variety of coxswain personalities.

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Learn about your personality type and why it matters.

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From the moment we get into the coxswain seat, we build our steering skills by testing and trying different tactics. As we advance these skills, maneuvers become easier at both practices and races. This frees up mental bandwidth for the other things we do as coxswains, and it’s more fun!

​We talk about how to be safe and efficient in the setting of hundreds of boats of varied classifications and skill levels squashed into a compressed timeframe on a river with complicated geography.

We are very privileged to speak with Katie DeRose, co-founder of Coxswain Resources. Learn about Katie’s mindset as she coxed through her path from high school to collegiate/masters rowing.

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​A key relationship in a crew boat is that between stroke seat and coxswain—every boat contains this partnership. Whether you are face-to-face in a sternloader or separated by other rowers in a bowloader, this partnership between the two of you has a powerful effect on the crew’s performance.

Coaches often give little or no instruction about how to steer properly. We debunk and explain common advice like “steer as little as possible." The stronger our grasp of the fundamentals, the better we can adapt to changing equipment, lineups, and weather conditions—all variables that impact how we steer.

Topics include: correcting set issues, stroke seat relationships, confidence, defining what a coxswain is, and the results of three audience polls on Instagram.

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​Erg races give coxswains the opportunity to interact 1-on-1 with rowers. We cover this type of event from preparation, through the race itself, to how to deal with the outcome. You can apply these same concepts to helping your rowers through an erg test.

Coxswains are in a unique leadership role. We delve into the complexities of the coxswain’s relationship with rowers, coaches, captains, race officials, and other coxswains.

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We explore passing and being passed, strategies for effectively managing the long duration of the race, and the importance of knowing and holding the best line.

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We are very privileged to speak with Abby Peck, an Olympic rower, coach, and valued mentor to your three CoxPod hosts.

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Everyone talks about docking/landing, but coxswains rarely get guidance on launching. We discuss how to safely get a boat from the rack to the dock as you launch for an outing.

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The common perception is that coxswains give feedback, but the other side of that coin is just as important. Coxswains aren’t only sources of output. To excel, we have to be receptive to input.

We are very privileged to speak with Kayleigh Durm, author of the blog "Ready all, row."

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What's a cox to do in a pandemic?

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How can we improve our skills when we're not able to cox?

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