Spring racing

Hey guys, long time no see. In this post I will be recapping the high and low points of my experience at U17 nationals in Camden, New Jersey. I had the privilege of having an extended spring season because I was one of the three coxswains chosen to go to U17 Nationals to compete with my club. The whole experience of going was very valuable to me, I go to see many crews from other states compete, and observe their style of racing and how it was different from ours. This is how it all went down.

 

TRAILER LOADING

Trailer loading is where my journey to U17’s began, we loaded a ton of our classic red Hudson boats. For novice coxswains who have never loaded a trailer full of boats that are more expensive than a car, it can be very nerve-racking in my opinion, but the key to trailer loading is to keep calm and speak clearly, because the rowers will listen to you if you give clear instructions on what they need to do. It is also crucial that your crew works as a team to get everything on the trailer secured, strapped down and that nothing is missing. As a coxswain you should always work together to get everything done efficiently and safely.

RACING

Racing basically starts when you get weighed in, be prepared with your weight and to take off your layers. Check every single nut and bolt in the boat, check if your cox box is working, check heel ties, and seats. Be aware of the time because race officials will not wait for you at the start, get your warm-up in on the way up of the racecourse.

We first did a time trial the determine which final we would be placed in, which is very similar to a 1.9k head race. We finished racing and went back to our hotel and the next day we raced in the B final. There was a lot of traffic in the warm-up lane so my boat got to the start within three minutes of our race, we stake boated perfectly and quickly. We immediately head out front, bow to bow with Sarasota crew and we led the pack but in the end, we came in second place losing by two seconds; nevertheless, it was a great race and we all truly enjoyed it.

EXPERIENCE

The experience was the most important part of the trip for me, being able to race at a national level is such a privilege and I am so grateful to have been able to experience it with the group of girls that I have seen grow so much in the past year. I was able to interact with crews from all over the US and I noticed the way the train differently than my boathouse.

Well, that’s all for U17 nationals stay tuned for my next post about Club National in Ohio.

 How about you? Do you have any experiences you’d like to share with me fellow coxswain? I’d love to get in touch and hear from you!

 

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