was what i forgot to say first as we were preparing to get on our 65-foot shell \ but disaster, or rather the embarrassment of flipping a boat by the dock, was averted as my rowers yelled it for me / it was my first time to cox and conditions were far from ideal \ the strong winds this morning on the allegheny river was producing what is cleverly called “wind waves” / from wikipedia:
Wind waves have a certain amount of randomness: subsequent waves differ in height, duration, and shape with limited predictability. They can be described as a stochastic process, in combination with the physics governing their generation, growth, propagation and decay—as well as governing the interdependence between flow quantities such as: the water surface movements, flow velocities and water pressure.
relive the nasty wind waves & our theo troubles <#3’s foot stretchers came off>
i am very bad with spatial directions especially if it involves a vehicle and so: < direction-challenged novice cox + choppy waters + no coxbox + theo > made for an interesting practice / unfortunately for my teammates, it turned out to be more like an on-the-water coxing clinic and today is our last daylight practice before our final head race \ steering with the rudder took most of practice time to get used to / i could not overcome mixing up commands: use bow or #2? who should be holding water, who should be backing? \ i could see the frustration in my stroke, an experienced <rower*sculler*cox> practically the shadow cox / but despite the havoc that the wind waves brought and the fact that we were on theo, the team rowed well and she stayed set / thank you, rowers <especially stroke>
my physique is a distinct disadvantage for a rower but perfect for a coxswain / i am almost sure my coaches and teammates would have preferred that i turn my passion from rowing to coxing especially during races where my lineup has been, consistently this year, d.f.l. \ well, i can see how coxing can be attractive too / today i was simply steering so as not to crash on anything but an experienced cox not only steers but co-plans with the coach on strategy, executes the strategy, is on-the-water coach, motivates and boosts morale, and can be the key to winning a race
