Coxswain Calls
My post of http://rowing-for-love.tumblr.com/post/21957439134/coxswain-calls-race-piece has 119 notes! You guys are literally incredible.
I wrote this my senior year of high school in April, when I was coxing for Spackenkill Rowing Club, and I had been coxing for 5 years. I look at this now, after one year with Steph and Vassar’s Rowing, and it looks so mediocre, simple. This year, on the rowing team, has definitely been a shitshow. The men’s captain had to leave, a novice women’s boat flipped causing all of them to get hypothermic symptoms, the majority of the varsity women’s team quit, leaving only three true varsity (but we pulled up, so now we have 5), conflict with the coaches, lack of communication, but in the long haul (get it??! ;)), not only I, but everyone on the team has improved VASTLY, and this past party has showed me how much of a family we are.
The calls in my post are generic. Almost everyone uses them, and I’m not poo-pooing on them, because obviously I use them too, but I have learned the reason for the calls, different parts of the stroke, different calls for each part of the stroke, and overall, it’s been incredible learning from Steph. I don’t always agree on her methods, and sometimes I don’t think she’s the best logistically, but as a coach on technique, she knows what she’s doing.
I don’t want to post about my feelings yet, because we still have our clean-up/bbq down at the boathouse tomorrow, so I’ll hold off on the waterworks. I hope you’re ready for ALL the feels, and all the emotion, because this team, #VCRowing, is the straight up, bomb-diggity.
