Dealing with selection

As we move beyond winter head racing and into sunnier (we hope!) multi-lane competitions, we also move into the crunchy part of the season when it comes to selection. I always felt the pressure in the spring, as the big races we were working towards all year felt like they were flying towards me at an alarming rate. 

As a cox during this part of the season, I often felt like time was running out to execute the changes I needed to make and that any slip up had far greater consequences and, may well cost me the seat. This feeling was also intensified by vibe in the athlete group, as the rowers were experiencing their own selection pressures and collectively, we all felt like every move was being assessed. 

While we can’t get away from the reality of selection and the fact that yes, some days (just like a seat race) do matter more than others – it is really important to remember that coxswain selection is built on a long period of information gathering and that a range of selection criteria will be considered when making final decisions. 

One of the harder parts of being a cox, in my opinion, is the fact that selection feels a lot more personal. There are of course, objective markers to select from – steering, boat management, rigging etc – however there are a plethora of subjective markers too, from managing crew dynamics to the range and tone of a race recordings. It is really important to remember that coxswain selection should be no different to athlete selection; it is a performance decision.

Fundamentally, it should be about choosing the coxswain will be best for the crew and will produce the best results. Coxing selection should not be about personality but about performance. 

Here at WOX, we have all been through countless selection decisions in our collective years of coxing. We have been selected for seats, and de-selected for seats, often against each other. Indeed, the longest selection process of my career was against fellow WOX mentor Matilda, when we were both vying for the Olympic W8+. Selection started in about May 2016 when we both worked on a development 8+ project, and wrapped up in July 2017 (I lost by the way). How didn’t we go mad? How are we still very good friends? Here are some of WOX’s top tips for dealing with selection. 

1. Understand the selection criteria

Your coach will be making a selection based off a set of criteria that they believe, will make the boat go faster. Now, this criteria may be written down and formalised in some form, or it may just be in their heads – but ultimately, it will exist and provide the foundation of the decision. Selection could consider (but is not limited to!) any of the following:

• Steering
• Style of coxing
• Athlete Management
• Fleet Management
• Prior experience (i.e. at a race/venue, with the crew etc)
• Technical understanding 
• Boat Feel
• Rigging knowledge

Depending on your coach and crew, what makes up the criteria and what they are prioritising will vary but fundamentally, what is most important is that you understand a few things about your own selection. Primarily what the coach is looking for and therefore selecting on and also the timeline under which they are operating. In an ideal world, the coach explains this to you without prompting but, with the busyness of the season, you may need to ask them to sit with you and the other coxes and ask them to explain their plan. Once you know what the coach is looking for and how and when these assessments will take place, you can then begin to think about tip two…

2. Recognise your strengths and weaknesses, and what you need to do to develop

Ideally within the context of what your coach’s selection criteria, it is important to set aside some time to work out what you do really well, and which areas that you could improve on. It is often hard to get specific feedback, especially when you work with the same crew a lot, so this may require you to be a bit proactive! Ask crewmates, coaches and also consider the questions yourself… what is it that you bring to the boat and add value on? Where can you level up your coxing and help the crew to go faster? It is important that you make sure you collect positive feedback as well as points to work on, as then you are really clear about what you bring to the table and what you need to improve. 

When you end up with a few things to work on, come back to the criteria that the coaches are selecting from and know which development points are more critical than others. Then, importantly you need to make a plan (and execute the plan) to try to make the changes required! Think outside the box, ask for help when creating your development plan and make sure you keep on gathering feedback as you go, so you know your efforts are working!

3. Work well with your competition

Whilst this may feel like a challenge at times, working effectively with your competition will undoubtedly make the boat go faster. I have been really very lucky that for the most part, I have competed for selection against other coxes who have been incredible respectful of each other, worked collaboratively and always helped each other out when they can. This isn’t to say that we don’t ultimately want to win the seat, but it is about remembering that we are all working towards one project, which is having the best boat possible. When I lost the seat to Matilda for the GB W8+, I knew that we had both done our best and that deep down, I knew her style of coxing and operation was absolutely right for the boat and that her boat feel was exceptional. We are still great friends now and we are able to be so, because we worked so effectively together and respected one another.  

Indeed, we expect our rowers to work effectively together throughout the season, despite knowing that at some point, they may need to seat race against each other and so I always try to lead by example in the way I operate and work with other coxes. The reasons I think it can get difficult between coxes during selection is because, as I mentioned before, it can feel very personal. Selection can also feel more direct and clear cut when compared to the rowers, i.e. they may have 6 athletes for 4 seats whereas for the coxing seat, it might be 2 coxes for 1 seat. These stats are generally unavoidable, but the best way to navigate them is to proactively look for ways to work with you fellow coxes and commit to developing each other. You will have different strengths and areas to develop and just by helping out another cox, I promise you won’t be giving away all your secrets! The fact that coxing is personal means to me, that just because you shared recordings, race plans, exercises etc, it doesn’t mean that the cox you helped is now going to become “better than you” because they absorbed all your information. You could have twenty coxes deliver the same race plan and it would be different every single time!

The other reason tension can creep in, is due to a lack of clarity around selection and this comes back to my first point. Along with your fellow coxes, be sure to ask the coach what their plans are for selection and for detail on the timelines they intend to work within. Knowledge is power in this case and it will help you to manage the pressure whilst giving you time to work on your development points before the final decision. 

4. Maintain perspective and take time to switch off

Lastly, this may seem a little obvious but it is so important that with the business of selection and competition, that you take moments to give your brain and body a rest!  The challenge with coxing is that it doesn’t stop when we are off the water, and we are often “on” whenever we are around the rowing environment. 

Doing other things will mean you have far more capacity to give your best as a cox – importantly, these “other” things don’t need to be proper hobbies, they could just be going for a walk, seeing friends, binging Netflix etc. It will help you to keep perspective on the season and the selection, and give you time to top up your cup of joy in other ways! 

We hope this helps you navigate what can be a tricky part of the season for coxes, rowers and coaches alike! We encourage you to be proactive, ask for feedback and make sure you come out of a selection process knowing you have done everything you can to make sure you are in the best place possible come the decision day.

For more tips, advice, webinars and community, head to WOX to find out more about what we do. If you have any questions about the things I have mentioned here, drop us a DM and we would be happy to help!

Erin Kennedy

WOX Mentor

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