Anonymous wrote:Former HYP coxswain here. I will say that is very bad advice from a college admissions standpoint, because the numbers are just so small. Coaches like to keep as many recruiting slots as possible for rowers, and at my college they formally recruited only 1 per year, and some years it was zero. I was good enough in high school to be invited on an official visit at one HYP school but ultimately they chose another girl to “list”, so I wound up not being formally recruited anywhere. BUT I got into a different HYP school on my academic merits and they were thrilled to have two strong coxswains in my year (me and the one they recruited). So, if your dream is to be a coxswain at Harvard/ Princeton/ Yale (etc), your best bet is to study hard and walk on to the team.

That said, it’s an absolutely fantastic sport and coxing in particular is great leadership training. And a lot of fun.

I agree with all of this, as the parent of my DD who is a coxswain at another ivy. I do think that being a coxswain requires strong organizational skills, responsibility and dedication, so those are strengths from a college admissions standpoint not directly related to recruiting (and those skills can be developed through a variety of sports and activities).

Agree. I enjoyed being a walk on to my sport at an Ivy, and then after study abroad doing club hockey. Women’s obv, no boarding school or extra yr playing!

Former HYP coxswain here. I will say that is very bad advice from a college admissions standpoint, because the numbers are just so small. Coaches like to keep as many recruiting slots as possible for rowers, and at my college they formally recruited only 1 per year, and some years it was zero. I was good enough in high school to be invited on an official visit at one HYP school but ultimately they chose another girl to “list”, so I wound up not being formally recruited anywhere. BUT I got into a different HYP school on my academic merits and they were thrilled to have two strong coxswains in my year (me and the one they recruited). So, if your dream is to be a coxswain at Harvard/ Princeton/ Yale (etc), your best bet is to study hard and walk on to the team.

That said, it’s an absolutely fantastic sport and coxing in particular is great leadership training. And a lot of fun.

Nobody will listen to a weak, wishy-washy coxswain especially if they think they know more.

Anonymous wrote:You definitely need a strong personality for it plus strong skills. Boats don't have brakes and you are trying to give directions to 8 different people. Just docking a boat is a challenge.

Not really. I was a Cox on a very well known team. I was recruited my freshman year walking on campus with my friends with zero experience. I'm not extroverted (or introverted). I'm super sporty and played soccer my whole life. I decided to quit for college since it took too much time, but missed doing sports and the team environment. The coach walked up to me and asked if I would think about being a Cox. I'm 5'3" and was about 104 lbs at the time. Definitely no eating disorder!! I ate like a horse. Even as an adult with 2 kids I'm only 110. I had to put sand in my boat to meet the minimum weight requirement. I rowed with the team whenever I could. I always trained with them and it was rigorous and fun. It gave me the camaraderie I was looking for and I meshed very well with them. Honestly, I'd be surprised if anyone gets into a college recruited as a cox. There is a pretty low bar that make many young women qualified. Be small, super smiley, have a sporty personality that makes other jock girls want to be around you. No coach needs to make extra efforts before college to get these girls in since they're a dime a dozen. All the girls in highschool sports not playing in college that are small fit the bill. I was one of them and not unique.

Anonymous wrote:I did because “my” rowers made me run with them down to the boathouse every morning and back.
I loved coxing. I hope people take it up for what it is, and not just a means to get into the right college.

Former highschool and college rower here and I agree - I loved and admired my coxswains, the good ones anyway! They were incredible and they make or break a race. A cox can motive you to pull past another boat and win, or they can make a steering mistake and you lose by a half a length. The best ones did run and erg with us - not to prove anything or to try to get the best erg time but for solidarity. Rowing hurts, and if someone is going to tell you to pull harder and hurt more it sure helps if they have suffered along side you.

You definitely need a strong personality for it plus strong skills. Boats don't have brakes and you are trying to give directions to 8 different people. Just docking a boat is a challenge.