5 Tips for Success in Collegiate Rowing: Coxswains

Our blog feature this week is "5 Tips for Success in Collegiate Rowing" from Oklahoma City Training Center athletes. Each weekday, our athletes will give pointers on how to get the most out of your collegiate rowing experience. If you have any specific categories of interest, tweet your ideas to @RowOKC_HP !

Today's tips, for coxswains, are from Stephen Young. Stephen is a coxswain for the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center.

Stephen is a two time Senior National Team member and 2009 graduate of MIT. In 2010, he was the coxswain for the Lightweight Men's Eight and Men's Coxed Pair at the World Rowing Championships in Lake Karapiro, New Zealand. He was also a member of the Men's Coxed Pair at the 2012 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. You can follow Stephen on twitter at @stephen_f_young
 

 

5 Tips for Success in Collegiate Rowing: Coxswains

 

1. Don't talk over the coach

As coxswains, the majority of our job consists of talking and communicating to our crew. When the coach is talking, that is our cue to be quiet and listen. It is difficult sometimes to be completely silent in the boat but we can use silence as a tool to improve rhythm, focus on steering, and observe what is happening in the boat.

 

2. Record/take notes regularly

If you don't have an audio recorder, get one. Some coxswains only record races or not at all and are wasting a valuable resource. Recording a practice at least once a month enables us to pick apart what we are saying in the boat on a regular basis and eliminate unnecessary or ineffective calls. Another side of this is to take notes regularly. In a program with multiple coxswains, you should expect to ride in the launch every once and a while. This is your most valuable learning opportunity because it enables you to get a better vantage on what is happening in the boat and to hear exactly what the coach sees and is trying to improve.

 

3. Know your lineup by name

I cannot stress this one enough because not knowing your lineup by name is ultimately a sign of laziness or apathy. On a very basic level, you will be a more effective coxswain just by calling someone by name before giving them a command. You will also begin to remember individuals' habits by linking their name to technical calls that you find yourself making regularly. As lineups change day to day, especially in the fall or during selection, an easy way to remember who is sitting where is to write your lineup on a piece of athletic tape and stick it somewhere visible so you can refer to it during practice.

 

4. Be at weight/in shape

One of my biggest pet peeves as both a coxswain and a coach is hearing coxswains say "It's OK if I'm a little overweight, I always race at weight." There is no excuse for being overweight (more than 5 lbs over min) anytime you are boated and nobody wants to haul around a fat, lazy coxswain. The closer you are to race weight throughout the year, the more your crew will respect you for showing commitment and dedication to your position and the better they will be prepared to race with you at the same weight. Something that tends to go hand in hand with weight is being in shape. This doesn't mean you have to run marathons or pull a big erg, just that you should be able to exercise with the group and maintain good overall fitness. Exercising regularly will keep you mentally sharp and help you earn the respect of your coach and crew.

 

5. Work and communicate well with other coxswains

This is especially true for coxswains in large programs with multiple boats on the water at the same time. The majority of success as a collegiate coxswain comes from making the coach's life as easy as possible. Cooperating with other coxswains is a much better way to earn the top boat than pitting yourself against the other coxswains in a constant battle for the top seat. If you can lead by example and work with the other coxswains to keep the crews together during steady state rows and to get lined up accurately, quickly, and promptly for pieces, the rowers and coaches will definitely take notice.

I hope everyone finds these tips useful and best of luck!

Congratulations to 2012 Jack Kelly Award Winner, Mike Knopp

OKC National High Performance Center would like to congratulate Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation Executive Director, Mike Knopp - recipient of the 2012 Jack Kelly Award!

The award recognizes superior achievements in rowing, service to amateur athletics, success in a chosen profession, and is given to a person who serves as an inspiration to American rowers and represents the ideals Jack Kelly exemplified.
Click HERE for complete info from USRowing.

Next week's feature: 5 Tips for Success in Collegiate Rowing

Check back each day next week for our feature, "5 Tips for Success in Collegiate Rowing" from Oklahoma City Training Center athletes. Each weekday, our athletes will give pointers on how to get the most out of your collegiate rowing experience. If you have any specific categories of interest, tweet your ideas to @RowOKC_HP !

MONDAY: Coxswains

OKC's Stephen Young will provide tips specific to coxswains. Stephen is a two time Senior National Team member and a 2009 graduate of MIT. In 2010, he was the coxswain for the Lightweight Men's 8+ and Men's Coxed Pair at the World Rowing Championships in New Zealand. He was also a member of the Men's Coxed Pair at the 2012 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv Bulgaria. You can follow Stephen on twitter at @stephen_f_young

TUESDAY: Lightweight Women

Michelle Sechser will give 5 tips for college lightweight women. Michelle is a two time Pan American Games bronze medallist. She competed in the Lightweight Women's double and Women's Open Quad at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Mexico. In 2012, she finished fourth in the Lightweight Women's Quad at the World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. You can follow Michelle on twitter at @MichelleSechser

WEDNESDAY: Lightweight Men

Princeton graduate, Robin Prendes, will have tips for lightweight men. Robin competed in the Lightweight Men's Four at the London Olympics. He raced in the same event at the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Slovenia and won a bronze medal at the 2010 U23 World Rowing Championships in the Lightweight Men's Four in Belarus. You can follow Robin on twitter at @RobinPrendes

THURSDAY: Open Women

Princeton graduate, Kelly Pierce will give tips to college open women. Kelly won a bronze medal in the Women's Eight at the 2011 U23 World Rowing Championships. Kelly is on twitter at @kellpossible

FRIDAY: Open Men

Tom Peszek, University of Michigan graduate, will give tips to open weight men. Tom raced in the Men's Pair at the 2012 London Olympics. He qualified the pair for the Olympics while competing in the event at the 2011 World Rowing Championships. He was the stroke of the Men's Eight at the 2010 World Rowing Championships. You can follow Tom on twitter at @TomPeszek

Follow us on Twitter!

For the lastest news, results, events, and developments with the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center athletes, follow us on Twitter @RowOKC_HP !

Mercy Hospital Provides Meals for OKC's High Performance Athletes

Mercy Hospital of Oklahoma City will be delivering meals to assist with the nutritional needs of resident athletes at the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center beginning October 1. Mercy is very enthusiastic in helping some of the best athletes in the nation purse their Olympic dreams.

 

Head Coach Bryan Volpenhein explains, "support like this goes a very long way for our athletes who spend as many as 30 hours per week training and require about 4000 - 6000 calories per day. With the commitment of two practices per day and work, along with the financial strain, it's sometimes difficult for the rowers to find time to prepare nutritious meals. It is also extremely beneficial for the athletes to be able to eat at the boathouse immediately after training to maximize their recovery time. The support from Mercy Hospital will have a great impact on the development of our athletes".

 

The coaches and athletes of the OKC High Performance Center would like to thank Mercy Hospital for their generous contribution - welcome to our team!

Fun Times and Fast Racing for OKC Athletes at the Head of the Oklahoma

Oklahoma City National High Performance athletes enjoyed the opportunity to compete on their home course this past weekend at the OCU Head of the Oklahoma. The event consisted of a 4 kilometer head race and with a top six finish, an opportunity to compete in the famous 500 meter OG&E Night Sprints.

Grace Luczak and Kelly Pierce

The USRowing Training Center - OKC entries performed well across a variety of boat classes. The head race portion of the weekend was highlighted by first place finishes in the Women's Single, Lightweight Women's Single, Men's Double, Lightweight Men's Double, Men's Single, Women's Double, and Men's Elite Eight. Kate Bertko won the Women's Single event in a time of 17:54.04 while Michelle Sechser won the Lightweight Women's Single in 18:08.053. The two joined forces in the Women's Double to win gold in a time of 15:51.585. Ryan Shelton finished first in the Men's Single in 16:06.957 and along with teammate Greg Ansolabehere, won the Men's Double in 15:05.186. Olympians Robin Prendes and Will Daly won the Lightweight Men's Double in 15:04.857. The crew of coxswain Stephen Young, Ryan Monaghan, Olympian Tom Peszek, Max Goff, Blaise Didier, Peter Dwyer, Jameson Harper, Justin Stangel, and Henry Cole finished first in the Men's Elite Eight in a time of 12:50.558.

Later that evening, crews hit the water to compete under the lights in the OG&E Night Sprints. USRowing Training Center - OKC's Grace Luczak finished first in the Women's Single in a time of 1:43.99. Prendes and Daly won the Men's Double in 1:25.300 while Bertko and Sechser won the Women's Double in 1:37.523.

The next competition for OKC High Performance athletes will be the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, October 20-21.