# Coxswain, who are they? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** racing-auto-boat\ **Created:** [January 29, 2024, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791 "2024-01-29T05:01:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/21 "2024-01-29T13:41:13Z")
I rowed in high school and college and never really understood what it was that made them do what they do - I was just very grateful for the good ones. The mental effort it took to row as a unit was completely different when you had that human voice to react to. I imagine that their experience of having four or eight strapping bodies as a tight extension of their will must be uniquely gratifying. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/22 "2024-01-29T13:57:44Z")
(I was an Elite Heavyweight rower in college and grad school.) I’ve rowed in boats coxed by both men and women over the years. I sometimes get the impression that non-rowers don’t fully appreciate the responsibilities a good cox has and what contributions one can make to a winning boat. When I was an active rower, the cox was basically a combination of team manager, coach, and quarterback. This was especially true if we were rowing an unusual event, such as The Head of the Charles. A bad cox, like a bad quarterback, is something that’s virtually impossible to overcome. ---
**Author:** ![Gryphea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@Gryphea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gryphea)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/23 "2024-01-29T14:06:43Z")
I knew a couple of coxs in college. both small guys (~5ft 6) but who also rowed the single seat sculls where a power to weight ratio could be an advantage. I guess being a light guy around the boathouse amoungst the 6ft plus rowing eights would get you noticed and approached. Aware of the fact that he was essentially “dead weight” , one of the guys took his dieting really seriously in the run up to a big race (internationals) to the point of passing out whilst on his way to a lecture ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/24 "2024-01-29T14:11:31Z")
My FIL was a coxswain in college. He was never a large man. I believe the story was someone just came up to him on campus one day and asked him. He thought it might be fun so he said yes. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/25 "2024-01-29T16:39:01Z")
As this is very specifically a sports topic, I’ve moved it to the Game Room for you. RickJay Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/26 "2024-01-29T17:07:57Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > (I was an Elite Heavyweight rower in college and grad school.) > > I’ve rowed in boats coxed by both men and women over the years. I sometimes get the impression that non-rowers don’t fully appreciate the responsibilities a good cox has and what contributions one can make to a winning boat. When I was an active rower, the cox was basically a combination of team manager, coach, and quarterback. This was especially true if we were rowing an unusual event, such as The Head of the Charles. > > A bad cox, like a bad quarterback, is something that’s virtually impossible to overcome. This. If you’ve been to a regatta; most rowers are taller than average population. Coxes, OTOH tend to be smaller since their value in the boat isn’t their muscles or reach. However they came into the sport, whether it was participating in HS, or having a friend ask them to join or what ever they are a valuable part of the whole team, just like you won’t confuse the placekicker for a lineman on an NFL team even though they both have important respective roles in the team’s overall success. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/27 "2024-01-29T17:32:24Z")
Would a coxswain in the bow need to be as light as possible to keep the bow as high up in the water as possible? ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/28 "2024-01-29T17:37:25Z")
No, not really. An eight-oar shell is so long that it really makes no practical difference. It’s just that the cox is dead weight the rowers have to haul along with them. Added bonus: A shell is pretty unstable. One of the first things you learn is how to balance it when you’re not even rowing. When all oars are off the water, the balance is quite delicate. The cox usually applies rudder only when the oars are in the water. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/29 "2024-01-29T18:50:51Z")
My daughter rowed in HS. One of the coxswains on her team was a little person (e.g. someone with dwarfism). Being a cox on a rowing team was a great way for her to attain a college athletic scholarship - something otherwise likely out of reach for someone like her. The other coxswains were all smaller in stature than the rowers, but all had the right attitude about their role - not only do they steer and control the power of the boat, but also the removal and movement of the boat on land - they need to be leaders in almost every aspect of the sport (being bossy also helps). ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/30 "2024-01-30T07:08:46Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > As this is very specifically a sports topic, I’ve moved it to the Game Room for you. > > RickJay > Moderator Thanks. I was debating where to put it and forgot all about the Game Room. Thanks everyone for the insights. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/31 "2024-01-30T15:31:28Z")
I had two friends in college who were on the school’s women’s crew team: one was a rower, and the other was a coxswain. The coxswain was _tiny_: maybe 5 feet tall, at the most, and slender. She would have never been a candidate to be a rower. But, she had a loud, strong voice, and that’s what led a friend of hers (who _was_ a rower) to suggest that she try out for coxswain. My understanding is that there’s a benefit to having a small coxswain, as she adds less weight to the boat. Meanwhile, my friend who was a rower was 6 feet tall, with a very athletic build. She had an amazing physical presence. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/32 "2024-01-30T15:37:23Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > No, not really. An eight-oar shell is so long that it really makes no practical difference. It’s just that the cox is dead weight the rowers have to haul along with them. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > My understanding is that there’s a benefit to having a small coxswain, as she adds less weight to the boat. Interesting to know. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/33 "2024-01-30T17:18:34Z")
I read somewhere that the drag of an object moving through a fluid is proportional to the square of the speed. An object that speeds up and slows down will have more drag than a comparable object that keeps the same average speed. Rowing shells speed up and slow down as the rowers shift their weight forward and back in unison. That would tend to increase the total drag, but it’s worth it because of the power the rowers can generate. Now i wonder if you could give the coxswain a sliding seat (like the rowers have), but train them to shift their weight in opposition to that of the rowers. That would tend to even out the speed surges and lower the drag on the boat. One small coxswain wouldn’t do much to counter the weight shifts of eight big rowers, but high-level athletes go to great lengths for small improvements like that. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/34 "2024-01-30T20:53:57Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The youngest male Olympic gold medalist was _[Klaus Zerta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Zerta)_ who was a 13 year old coxswain in 1960. Probably not (unofficially) true. It’s believed the coxswain for the Dutch pairs in 1900 was between 7-10 years old. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowing\_at\_the\_1900\_Summer\_Olympics#Coxswain\_mystery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowing_at_the_1900_Summer_Olympics#Coxswain_mystery) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/35 "2024-01-30T21:18:26Z")
I just spoke with a friend who was a cox in college. She got into it in high school because she tore her ACL skiing and the HS required a sport every semester. She figured she could cox with a torn ACL. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/36 "2024-01-30T21:31:27Z")
Some coxswain trivia - warships have Coxswains (or cox’ns) who are the senior non-commissioned member on board and almost a professional partner of the Executive Officer (XO). And the word itself comes from “cog’s swain”, the person in charge of a cog, a medieval ship or boat. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/37 "2024-01-30T22:00:02Z")
One of my housemates was a cox for a college men’s crew boat a few years before we met. It was just a club sport so not a huge deal. The crew team would recruit with the other sports on the plaza once a year and she happened to walk by and thought it would be fun. It’s no easy gig. She was up at 5am for workouts with the team. When the workouts involved running, she ran with them. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/38 "2024-01-31T00:56:37Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > When the workouts involved running, she ran with them. Yeah, the coxen train with the team; not doing all the same work but it helps to build comaradarie. That comes in handy when the cox is screaming at the rowers asking them to dig deep. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/39 "2024-01-31T07:06:02Z")
I lived with a bunch of Crew guys in college, including the Coxswain. Little guy, dressed as an Amish man for Halloween, and was the best costume ever! He was overall very cool, but is responsible for my hatred of Apple products. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791/40 "2024-01-31T07:33:45Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The coxswain was _tiny_: maybe 5 feet tall, at the most, and slender. She would have never been a candidate to be a rower. But, she had a loud, strong voice … That’s how I got a job with a local pro wrestling promotion—my voice. I’d never be mistaken for a pro wrestler; I don’t have the build, the attitude, or the acting skills. But I do have a voice, and I proved it at the audition. My voice is a nice speaking voice, and I’ve done radio and voiceovers before. But when I dial it up to 11, as I can, it is formidable. I could out-shout any wrestler in the promotion, clearly and understandably. And when our PA conked out, as it sometimes did, I proved that I didn’t need it. Hell, at those times, I cranked it up to 12. Glad to hear about the tiny cox with the big voice. Proof that looks can be deceiving, when it comes to skills such as using one’s voice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coxswain-who-are-they/996791.md?page=3)