Coxswains of the opposite sex coxing your boat

[Long'n Strong]

Coxes and strokes tend to develop some kind of bond and mutual respect. One summer I stroked an eight that was coxed by a girl who, as soon as she turned sixteen became desperate to lose her virginity. She started following me everywhere. (Un)fortunately I took the high road and spurned her increasingly psychotic advances until thankfully one of my crew-mates took care of business. And that did not end too well and she ended up being passed around the fringes of the national team with her reputation in tatters. I sometimes wonder what happened to Sticky Nikki...

[bowman3]

Coxes and strokes tend to develop some kind of bond and mutual respect. One summer I stroked an eight that was coxed by a girl who, as soon as she turned sixteen became desperate to lose her virginity. She started following me everywhere. (Un)fortunately I took the high road and spurned her increasingly psychotic advances until thankfully one of my crew-mates took care of business. And that did not end too well and she ended up being passed around the fringes of the national team with her reputation in tatters. I sometimes wonder what happened to Sticky Nikki...

Man do I hope that is a true story... Although in junior's defense, I understand why the question of gender can be raised. Innately, men or more likely to respond to the voice of other men, as it carries more and is deeper and more powerful. And so I really do believe that an initial transition from a man to a woman in a cox position can cause some very minor problems initially. However, if the cox is there for any extended period of time it will make no difference in the long run. I mean, who really cares what the cox says during the last 500 meters anyway? I've always tended to be getting tunnel vision and a headache by then anyway... ah, rowing.

[TomH]

Coxswains are like middle managers. They have relationships with the rowers and the coaches. To win you need the best of everything: coach, coxswain and rowers.

Is there bias against girl coxswains from rowers and coaches? Sure there is. You can look at the rosters over the years and see the bias in some colleges but you also see women coxswains in top boats at Harvard, Washington, Cambridge and Oxford.

It just means that you have to be a really bad a$$ girl coxswain to win a boat at the college level men’s teams. But over the years there have been many examples of very successful bad a$$ girl coxswains. So if, as a rower or a coach, you allow your bias to interfere in picking the best coxswain just because she is a girl then obviously you don't want to win bad enough.

[ucsdcollett]

Coxes and strokes tend to develop some kind of bond and mutual respect. One summer I stroked an eight that was coxed by a girl who, as soon as she turned sixteen became desperate to lose her virginity. She started following me everywhere. (Un)fortunately I took the high road and spurned her increasingly psychotic advances until thankfully one of my crew-mates took care of business. And that did not end too well and she ended up being passed around the fringes of the national team with her reputation in tatters. I sometimes wonder what happened to Sticky Nikki...

This seems to be the case in a LOT of places and tends to become a distraction. So yes there is a difference between a male and female coxswain but generally it doesn't show up on race day. It can seriously take a toll on the team during a long season if it gets out of hand.

From a personal standpoint and past experiences, I have generally regarded coxswains as the necessary evil in racing 8+'s. I don't need somebody to convince me to "go" but I do need somebody to tell me if we are down 5 seats but walking. I have had some female coxswains that are extremely "deflating" and I have had 1-2 that were OK.

[fullmetal]

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

That's not to say that cox gender hasn't affected a crew before, particularly in off-the-water situations. A good crew will be professional about things and let business be business. Not all crews are that way.

[Arch]

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

That's not to say that cox gender hasn't affected a crew before, particularly in off-the-water situations. A good crew will be professional about things and let business be business. Not all crews are that way.

All kinds of mental weakness affect many crews. They get left behind. Good! If a crew can't handle having the best available coxswain because she's a girl, too bad for them.

[StayThirstyMyRowers]

I'm not sure of how I feel about women coxing men... That is up in the air for me. But men coxing women is the f***king best! The way guys go nuts in that last 500 really gets those women going like no other woman could!!!!!!

[BrolyRowmenEmpire]

The only way a woman coxswain is good enough to be a men's crew team coxswain is if she has the level of sassiness required to do so. Quote on Quote she needs to be a "Sass-quatch" of her community in order to earn the respect of her rowers.

[Long'n Strong]

I thought that female cox'n of the Notre Dame men's alum boat at Crew Classic did a great job. The live video feed captured her the whole way down the course. She really drove those poor guys hard. She didn't let up on them until they crossed the finish line miles ahead of the other crews.

[wmmk]

I just like a cox with some fcuk' balls, figuratively speaking. Generally, I prefer male coxes--there's definitely something to be said for a deeper, louder voice and the ability to be one of the boys. Then again, we've got a cox who plays on the women's hockey team in the offseason, and she's a total boss.

[JD]

Gonads and smarts are not the same thing. A cox has to see paths through disadvantageous circumstances and successfully lead his/her crew in those situations. It's not a gender deal, but it is a mental toughness deal