University of North Carolina Athletics
The Life Of A Coxswain
November 3, 2003 | Women's Rowing
Nov. 3, 2003
Throughout the season, UNC volunteer assistant coach Maura Vizza will contribute articles to TarHeelBlue.com providing a behind-the-scenes look a the Carolna rowing program. This is the first in the series.
She yells over clashing oars, splashing water, and grunting athletes while maneuvering a 60-foot long boat in erratic weather conditions for anywhere from 7 to 25 minutes. But that's just race day. The coxswain of a crew team is like the coach in the helm of the boat and has a lot of responsibility with Napoleon-esque tendencies to match. What is life like for a college coxswain? Their lives have a different twist than that of the average student.
"We are on the go from dawn 'til dusk, literally, and really have to know how to manage our time in order to take care of all our responsibilities and not go insane," says Kim Lyko, varsity coxswain for UNC women's rowing team. This is Lyko's third season on the team.
While many students roll out of bed at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., or noon, a typical day for Lyko begins between 5:15 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. for morning practice and goes on until 6 p.m., usually with another practice. It doesn't end here because there is still dinner, meetings, and homework to squeeze in. There's not much time to rest, especially during the school year with frequent out-of-town weekend trips to regattas.
The coxswain's job seems simple enough: sit in the front of the boat, steer the boat, and yell at the athletes. However, the coxswain has more responsibility than anyone else on the team. She is in charge of eight rowers and a large expensive boat. She must steer that pricey instrument carefully along a body of water, around other boats, making sure not to beach it on the shore. She's also the strategist on race day, coming up with motivational and powerful words to encourage the rowers to push through the pain, and making sure they stay in control and in sync with each other. Also, all school and club coxswains meet before or on race day to familiarize themselves with the course, reiterate traffic patterns on the water, and establish other rowing rules. Lyko knows how much the coaches and rowers depend on her. "We are expected to be on top of everything, and we are the thinkers on race day. If anything goes wrong, it's our fault."
Lyko and the other three varsity coxswains do not endure the same physical workouts as the rowers, but still participate in most of the 'land workouts' such as weight-lifting, running, conditioning. They may sit at the head of the boat, but are still required to maintain good fitness levels. The coaches need their coxswains to not only maintain a lower weight since they are considered 'dead weight' in the boat, but also be athletes mentally. "The coxswain has to understand the desire to win," explains UNC coach Sarah Haney. "Without that desire, the athletes in the boat will never respond to what she is saying. The coxswain has to know her crew in and out so that she knows when the crew has more to give and when the crew will best respond to pick up the speed. Coxswains are athletes mentally, and you cannot be an athlete mentally unless you are one physically."
Besides the hectic schedule of school and doing the work of a coxswain, there is a kind of attitude that accompanies coxswain behavior. "We're often guilty of being on power trips," Lyko says. "I would even stereotype coxswains as either control freaks or perfectionists. We are made to feel responsible for the boats and our rowers and forced into leadership positions. We are expected to be on top of everything and rowers seem to believe we know everything."
Even if coxswains don't know everything, they need to be confident in their words and actions amongst teammates. "We are leaders and the ones that rowers come to for advice and support," Lyko says. "Even outside rowing, our teammates look to us for help, friendship, decision-making, and sometimes guidance." It is not uncommon to hear a coxswain's cell phone ring furiously from rowers calling in need. "There's a myth that rowers can't function without their coxswains because we basically tell them what to do," Lyko says.
Coxswains may be smaller in stature, but the big rowers are helpless in their wake. Such is the life of a college coxswain.
Players Mentioned
