Coxswains of the opposite sex coxing your boat

[SomeJunior8]

What do you guys think of this? Personally I don't like the idea, I mean for one practice it's okay but something about them just isn't as motivating as another guy just going nuts at the last 500. Yes I've sat stroke in a stern loaded boat with an attractive female coxswain also what are the rules on this at the collegiate level? I see it allot at HS regattas...from a coach point of view does it matter as much?!

[newbie]

A coxswain is a coxswain is a coxswain. The cox's sex doesn't matter. Skill, motivation, strategy, competence, confidence, steering, feedback, psychology...these are the things you should be concerned about when evaluating a coxswain. If you can't listen to a coxswain of the opposite sex just because of his or her sex, you need to do some mental training.

[MChase]

Get the right cox and you'll have no trouble paying attention

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[lt.wolf]

this is much better! remember her ?

[bloomp]

No, but you should make the introduction some day.

[iwantmorepies]

Bridge ahead. Must pay troll.

[MChase]

I'm thinking of someone a little less sympathetic, if you remember Nurse Ratched of One Flew Over the Cuckkoo's Nest. Nothing like standing there with a pair of electroshock paddles to get the rower's attention.

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[lt.wolf]

this is best. A cute girl who can hit the turns on a dime and go straight when you need them to.

[HonkinOnIt]

i should know this, but is that Mary Whipple? Either way, where is that!? I see an ESPN logo...

[BowwwwBallll]

What do you guys think of this? Personally I don't like the idea, I mean for one practice it's okay but something about them just isn't as motivating as another guy just going nuts at the last 500. Yes I've sat stroke in a stern loaded boat with an attractive female coxswain also what are the rules on this at the collegiate level? I see it allot at HS regattas...from a coach point of view does it matter as much?!

Are you freakin' KIDDING me?

The gender of your coxswain affects your performance in the last 500 meters?

You're paying attention to the gender or attractiveness of your coxswain?

You know what your problem is? It's not the gender of your coxswain- it's YOU.


I've coached that situation and I've done about 70% of my winning in women's boats. And let me tell you something. When winning becomes a way of life, not just a nice thing to have happen to you, but something that you live and breathe and MAKE the point of what you do... it doesn't make one lick of difference what the incidentals are- it matters what wins. And you're nowhere near there yet.

[bendtheoar]

What do you guys think of this? Personally I don't like the idea, I mean for one practice it's okay but something about them just isn't as motivating as another guy just going nuts at the last 500. Yes I've sat stroke in a stern loaded boat with an attractive female coxswain also what are the rules on this at the collegiate level? I see it allot at HS regattas...from a coach point of view does it matter as much?!

Are you freakin' KIDDING me?

The gender of your coxswain affects your performance in the last 500 meters?

You're paying attention to the gender or attractiveness of your coxswain?

You know what your problem is? It's not the gender of your coxswain- it's YOU.


I've coached that situation and I've done about 70% of my winning in women's boats. And let me tell you something. When winning becomes a way of life, not just a nice thing to have happen to you, but something that you live and breathe and MAKE the point of what you do... it doesn't make one lick of difference what the incidentals are- it matters what wins. And you're nowhere near there yet.

26 hours and 44 minutes. Must have been a busy week BB, figured you'd be jumping all over this one a lot sooner, lol. Junior, don't take it personally, BB is pretty ugly but he does manage to score pretty well in the last 500 meters of contests, both on and off the water I might add, so he kind of knows of which he speaks. The only part of this question which I have ever found to be a problem is when the coxswain is involved romantically with one of the rowers in his/her crew which has been known to become a problem within the boat depending on the personalities involved, but then again it can be a lot of fun as well..........

Given mature adults however, the gender of your coxswain will not have anything to do with the success of the crew as I have found annoying tendencies in all coxswains regardless of their gender, and the bottom line in my book is if they are skilled at their position in the boat and they contribute to the success of the crew I put up with the little idiosyncrasies regardless of their gender or even their mental stability or lack thereof!!!

[SomeJunior8]

Jeez wasn't trying to create any conflict....a little bit confused as to why some of you jumped me In a simple discussion. I just thought it would be an interesting topic.

[newbie]

Jeez wasn't trying to create any conflict....a little bit confused as to why some of you jumped me In a simple discussion. I just thought it would be an interesting topic.

Junior, you got jumped on simply because you said something stupid. And stupidity is not well tolerated on these boards.

[fatsculler]

I think the only place it is ruled on is international FISA events and the Oly's, there you have to have a cox the same sex as the rowers.
I used to be in a crew where the stroke and cox were brother and sister....that was an interesting dynamic (worked well though they won at HRR...although sadly I wasn't in that boat by then )

[caustic]

As a stroke, sometimes the highlight of my day, or practice, was trying to not look like a total a$$ because of a hottie in the cox seat. This is why I really enjoyed summer camp rowing a lot. After college, I realized that master's rowing is the way it is because there are NO hotties in the cox seat. If stroke doesn't have a reason to row well, no one rows well. That's also why I became a sculler.

But in all seriousness, the coxwain seat is just like any other - capability determines who should be there.