Steering and yelling: coxswains

As the only people who actually see where the boat is headed, crew coxswains have a unique role on and off the water.

On the surface, the coxswain's responsibilities may seem simple. "A coxswain's role on the team is an interesting one," freshman heavyweight men's coxswain Eric Nalbone said. "Our number one job is to steer, which means in the spring the number one job is simply to go straight."

But beyond simply acting as a steering wheel, coxswains are the boats' coaches and leaders. "Admittedly my role on the team is more coach than athlete," senior heavyweight men's coxswain James Egan said. "Coxswains run practice, steer the boat, and motivate the crew."

The coaching aspect of coxing is especially apparent during practices. "On the water during practice I'm kind of like the coach in the boat," senior lightweight women's crew coxswain Nicole Larrea said. "I help the rowers implement the technical changes the coach is talking about and help the boat keep rhythm and the rowers row smoothly so we can achieve maximum speed."

During races, coxswains switch from coach to leader and motivator. "During races I'm there to motivate rowers and execute the race plan, constantly pushing the crew," Larrea said.

Coxswains also serve as the eyes of the rowers. "Rowers must always focus in the boat, so they do not know where they are relative to other crews and where they are on the racecours," Larrea said. "It is very important for a crew mentally to know how much of the race is left and whether or not they are moving through another crew or if another crew is gaining seats."

Coxswains have this responsibility of leadership both on and off the water. "Off the water we organize and facilitate training and are someone that the rowers can come to with questions and concerns," sophomore open women's crew coxswain Lizzie Agnew said.

Nalbone added, "A lot of my role off the water is talking to my rowers, figuring out how to reconcile their views with mine and finding out what exactly I can say or do during practice to make the boat row smoothly, sharply, and fast."

Taking on these multiple responsibilities may lead to "a coxswain's Napoleonic complex," Egan joked. Egan has the added role of team captain.

"With the concentration of exceptional talent and intense personalities we have on the 2006 heavyweight team, I would say we opted to preempt potential clashes between oarsmen and let me manage the team's affairs and any tricky situations along the way," Egan said.

The physical aspect of coxing is relatively more straightforward. "Coxing is not a physically demanding activity," Egan said.

Nalbone added, "Off the water, a coxswain's role obviously differs from the rowers. The physical requirement of being a coxswain is simply to be as close to the required weight as possible."

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The physical requirements are what drew some coxswains to the sport. "I started coxing in eighth grade," Agnew said. "I actually wanted to row but was too small, so I was almost immediately assigned to the coxswain seat."

Larrea had a similar start. "I'm from Texas, hadn't been around rowing at all, and didn't even know what a coxswain was," Larrea said. "I went down to the boathouse trying to row lightweight for about three days, but because I was short and had just had knee surgery the coach suggested I try coxing instead."

Alternatively, Egan said, "I started coxing because I didn't want to pay for off-season training for our high school baseball team. But it was fun to win and be a leader, so I stuck with it."

The coxswains' job essentially comes down to helping the rowers perform to the best of their abilities. "This year we have a lot of talent to work with," Agnew said. "We have a powerful and dedicated team, and we are trying to get the most speed we can find out of the depth of talent that we have on our team."

This responsibility puts special pressure on those athletes coxing a team slated to win championships, such as this year's varsity men's heavyweight boat.

"I appreciate the pressure to win I have always experienced at Princeton," Egan said. "It motivates and contributes a sense of urgency and purpose to everything we do."