Written by Sarah Bergstrom, USC blog contributor
(Photos by Jonathan Moore)
Cox, coxswain, "coach in the boat"... Call it whatever you want, but the most difficult role on a crew team belongs to the small person squeezed into the front section of the boat yelling commands and encouragement to its rowers. Being a coxswain involves a lot more than having a loud voice and a small frame, perfectly coordinating the movement of eight rowers requires years of practice. Sometimes that practice is gained in a unique setting, like the coxswain for the USC women's varsity eight boat who got her experience rowing with boys.
"In high school coxswains can be either gender as long as they hit the weight requirement," explains senior Jennah Blau. "When I transferred schools my sophomore year, the women's team had enough coxswains, so I joined the men's boat. I hated it at first. But now those guys are some of my best friends and I ended up loving it. The coxswain's job is to steer and it's harder to keep it straight the faster you go. Men are obviously faster than women so I was more prepared when I came here for the elite speed of college rowers."
For those who aren't particularly rowing savvy, as the majority of people aren't, here's a description of what a coxswain does. As the only person facing forward in the boat, the coxswain is in control of the direction of the boat. They can control some of the steering themselves but also direct the tempo and power of their rowers. Their responsibility is to make every tactical decision during a race and to encourage their teammates along throughout the course.
(Photos by Jonathan Moore)Cox, coxswain, "coach in the boat"... Call it whatever you want, but the most difficult role on a crew team belongs to the small person squeezed into the front section of the boat yelling commands and encouragement to its rowers. Being a coxswain involves a lot more than having a loud voice and a small frame, perfectly coordinating the movement of eight rowers requires years of practice. Sometimes that practice is gained in a unique setting, like the coxswain for the USC women's varsity eight boat who got her experience rowing with boys.
For those who aren't particularly rowing savvy, as the majority of people aren't, here's a description of what a coxswain does. As the only person facing forward in the boat, the coxswain is in control of the direction of the boat. They can control some of the steering themselves but also direct the tempo and power of their rowers. Their responsibility is to make every tactical decision during a race and to encourage their teammates along throughout the course. "I'm the one who is in control on the boat, I'm the coach on the water. Once the race starts, I'm the one who calls the plays, calls the moves, and determines how fast we should go. We have a race plan but it comes down to so many variables once you're out there," says Blau.
From a distance, rowing may seem like a sport that simply requires large amounts of physical strength and endurance, however, there are several variables that drastically impact the results of a race that the coxswain is responsible for addressing.
"In a race plan we have different moves, different points along the 2000 meters where we are going to make moves. There are different types of strokes you use depending on where you are in the water and where the other boats are in relation to you. These all change depending on wind conditions, currents, and the other boats. Your strategy changes depending on if you're the first off the line or if you are trailing another boat," explains Blau.
With so many things to account for during a race and the long list of responsibilities of which they must keep track, it understandably takes certain characteristics to be a good coxswain. In her own words, Blau says she believes a good coxswain has to be versatile.
"I think a good coxswain has to bring a lot of things to the table. They have to be motivational, they have to be technical, they have to know what they are doing. They also have to be a leader that is respected. You have to find that fine line between being really good friends with everyone and also being able to push them and coach them out on the water. Ultimately, I'm trying to make everyone faster and do what's best for the team."
According to Blau, it is incredibly important to play to the mentality of your team during and the in-race situations that present themselves. She is the only boat member who has a view of what's going on with the other teams during the race. Races often come down to narrow boat lengths and all-out sprints in the final meters of a course. Blau therefore must determine how best to motivate her teammates using the information she has with her position on the boat.
"During races I don't call out where we are in relation to other boats until at least the halfway point because the girls don't need to know. They don't need to know because mentally it's hard to handle that. We take things one boat at a time. Worrying about the competition, worrying about where you are in a race won't make you faster," says Blau.
For example, at the San Diego Crew Classic last month, the Trojan's varsity eight boat was in 4th place until the final stretch of the race where they passed Virginia, Cal, and UCLA in only a couple hundred meters. Blau says she knew the team was behind but didn't tell the girls their position, instead having them focus on exerting all their energy for the final distance.
The Women of Troy are in the midst of quite a successful season, earning the No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2007. They've claimed back-to-back victories at the San Diego Crew Classic and the Lake Natoma Invitational in April. Things seem to be lining up nicely for all three boats in perfect time for the Pac-12 Championships which are only two weeks away. Blau says she wouldn't want to end her career at USC any differently than how this season has gone so far.
"I check the rowing polls every day to make sure we're still there, it feels too good to be true. But we know we can't take it for granted because Pac-12s are going to be really tough. Our whole team wants it. We want the rings (speaking of NCAA Championship rings). We've seen them and we know what we are trying to get. I think the team dynamic this year, between all the boats, is better than it has ever been. We've all made sacrifices as a group and that's what brings us together. We are excited about what we've done so far but there is a lot of work to do," says Blau.
Before they can look ahead to the National Championship, the Trojans must face the Bruins in a dual race on Saturday. USC has a a perfect 11-0 record against UCLA in the history of the crosstown dual. The race is in Marina Del Rey at 8 A.M. on Ballona Creek.
