Coxing Blogs

So I know everybody knows about the 9th seat.  (www.9thseat.com) 
Unfortunately, it's not updated all that frequently. 
If you're like me, you're coach's instructions for you to teach you how to cox where 
"look it up." 
So what's a coxswain to do when the internet doesn't offer  all that much?  
Well, first of all, it does. 
a personal favorite 
readyallrow.wordpress.com 
this blog is frequently updated, run by a coxswain, and does Q & A for rowers and coxswains.  It's really useful. Trust me. 

rowingcox.com 
is another good, lesser known blog, but I don't know how frequently it's updated. 

If you can, it's a good idea to get your hands on the Down and Dirty Guide to coxing, but, in my opinion, like most thing, the best way to learn coxing is to get out there and do it.  Make a bunch of mistakes too, so you know what not to do. 
Seriously. 
This is my theory on learning. 
and life. 
You have to screw things up.  It's required, or else you're not doing it right.  

coxie life hacks

coxie life hacks by emmier featuring a cable knit headband
So one thing I've discovered is that having enough time to do everything you are supposed to be doing in a 24 hour period is a gift.  
But not like one of those gifts you can be born with (or at least I sure wasn't).
It takes intense creativity to be able to stack everything you want to do into your day.  And by want to, I mean have to because I really just want to sleep and read books. 

So, starting the night before: 
make sure you get your homework done! (or at least, finish any assignments or readings that you have due the next day, make sure to shower and brush your teeth, wash your face, and any other grooming/beauty routines you need.  I have super-thick, curly hair, so I will literally, coat my hair in a masque or treatment before I go to sleep.  I don't really rinse these out (I know that sounds gross, but believe me, my hair would be out of control without it. My go to hairstyle is a ballerina bun, totally slicked back) 
Also, make sure your backpack or whatever bag you take to class is totally packed before you go to sleep! 
I have to be on the bus to the boathouse at 5: 30 am(omg I know, right?!) 
I really have to use the morning because, I know myself, this is the only time of day I have energy to exercise, so I squeeze in some yoga or pilates.  
Now, to layering (you can skip this if you're not the type of person who is up early for sports/ workouts! Btw, if you're one of those girls with energy to go to the gym at the end of the day, consider me jealous.) 
1st layer: cami
2nd layer: underarmour cold gear (the mock turtlenecks are the BEST!) 
3rd layer: hoodie
4th layer: North face 
Bottoms: leggings, smart wool socks, and wellies 
Don't forget gloves , cold-weather headband, and for coxswains baseball cap and sunglasses!
I would be WAY too cold if it weren't for the survival suit. 
(ugh) 

my first year coxing.  Everything about this photo is embarrassing 

After practice: 
For class, I recommend taking off the under armor (just because I don't like the way it looks) and depending on the weather outside, ditch or keep the hoodie and extra cold gear.   
Leggings and wellies are a "look". I swear. 
It'll take like 3 minutes max and jet off to class! 

Post your own life hacks below!!

ttyl
-Emme 

Murphy's Law of Coxing

Murphy's Law, while generally true and pertinent many times in life, takes on a whole new meaning as a coxswain.  Especially on days like today, when the crewniverse is conspiring against you. (Yup, I did make that word up, and yup, it means exactly what it sounds like. Crewniverse= crew universe. What? Like there's any other one?) Anyway, today we left 2 hours and fifteen minutes before practice started.  What should be a 20 minute drive took, oh, you know, a measly three hours.
Boston traffic is ridiculous.  I wish this boathouse was more convenient!   Basically, it is on the opposite side of the city from where I live this summer- literally complete opposite ends.  So anyway, I was a bit late, and I HATE being late.  Well, actually, I hate being late to practice or regattas or hangouts with friends. I've been known to show up to classes late on purpose so I wouldn't have to sit through the whole thing.
Ok.
Sue me.
Short attention span here, people.
Anyway, I have this terrible habit of scratching my neck when I get nervous, and I don't realize I'm doing it until I'm already caught in this mindless loop of anxious neck-scratching and if there's one thing that makes me nervous, it's not doing anything and that's exactly what you do in traffic, so by the time I got to practice (I was only about 10-15 min late) my neck was practically bleeding and I was kind of frazzled because, if you'll refer back to the previous sentence, inefficiency is probably my number one enemy and makes me cranky and nervous and it should not take 3 hours for a 20min drive people!
But that was just the beginning.
I hopped in the 4+ right as it was launching.  First, my bow seat could not move her foot stretchers so they were in the wrong place all practice. Then, I realized the wires were all tangled up so I couldn't sit comfortably.  While I was fixing those, I noticed
1: the magnet that goes under bow seat and tracks the stroke rating wasn't attached, so I had no idea how fast they were rowing
and
2: my head rest was about to fall out, because the bolts were loose.
I thought I had  a solution to both of these things.  I brought athletic tape with me, so bow seat used it to tape the magnet under her seat and I always have my adjustable wrench, so I turned around and tried to screw the headrest back into position.
No luck with either endeavor.  Even with the magnet taped in place, the coxbox still wasn't getting a reading.  And the bolts on the headrest?  Rusted in place.  A few minutes later, not only was my coxbox not timing the pieces or reading the stroke rates, it had given out ENTIRELY.  No one could hear me, even though I was basically yelling as loud as I could the entire practice.  I used the megaphone from the coaching launch for parts of the second half, but it was electronic, which means that if you're using it coxing in the wind, there's a terrible screeching  noise.  Not ideal.
On top of everything else, most of the boat were beginner rowers which meant that not being able to hear me left them confused and kind of panicked, even though considering how loud I was shouting, I think the rest of the world heard me.
Oh well.
At least coach was understanding that I was having a damn near impossible time what with the broken coxbox, the touchy megaphone, the novice rowers, and, oh yeah, did I mention the wicked crosswind? I guess that's the benefit of coxing masters teams over the summer.  God knows, my own coaches would have decapitated me within the first fifteen minutes of today's practice.

Ah well,
There's a lesson here somewhere.  And it's not Murphy's Law.
Although, lemme just restate that one: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and all at the worst possible time, especially if you are a coxswain.

AND ROWERS SOMETIMES!!!! GAHHHHH
But no, gotta love 'em.
Like I said, coxing master's rowers is great.
I think the lesson here is actually you can't be prepared for everything and sometimes practice is just going to blow up in your face, so be flexible and roll with the punches.  Or something.

On an only slightly related side note, THIS:

This is from Row2k.

If anyone can figure out how to recreate it, they will literally be my hero.

I never have cake for my birthday, cause I don't really like it at all.  (I know, I'm weird.   Something about the texture) But a coxbox cake would literally maybe be the coolest thing ever.  Of course, Id probably still not eat it and just try to freeze it forever but hey, if I could figure out how ti make this, it'd be so worth it.  

ah that's all
It's one am. I need to make myself go to bed... although honestly I am probably just going to look through rowing blogs.

ah, EMME, get a life!

Lies People Tell You About Hydration

Crew Team Edition:

#1: Coffee is dehydrating/ bad for you
       No.  No it's not.  Coffee is the beverage of the gods. NEXT!

definitely good for me. 

#2: You're a coxswain, so it's not really that important for you to stay hydrated
     Oh, so you like you're coxswains steering with a crushing migraine and blurry vision, do you?  That sounds safe.  Whichever rower came up with this one must have a death wish.  
Also, hydration is important for your voice.  You can't be too thirsty to call power tens.  

#3: Don't drink water while you're rowing.  
    Some rowers don't do it, and I'm always worried they'll pass out by the time we dock.  

#4: Gatorade is way better/way worse than water
    So Gatorade is not bad for you.  It's good for you.  It's just that a lot of people drink it when they don't need to.  If something is really, really, super out  of the ordinary high intensity, go for gatorade.  Otherwise, water is fine.  And a lot cheaper.  Like, free. I drink a lot of Powerade because my medication is kind of dehydrating and makes me lose way more fluids than normal through sweat so I'm always more dehydrated then I should be.  This is why #2 is such a touchy subject!  

#5: All Caffeine is bad for you. 
    So you know my rant about how coffee is the beverage of the gods?  It's not.  Tea is.  Tea pretty much cures anything.  But  guess what it has in it?  Caffeine. 
Also, there's some study out there (google it) that says coffee before a workout is good, because the caffeine pumps you up to work out harder.  Told!  

This public service announcement/blog post has been inspired by my nutrition class.  I'm taking nutrition over the summer, and it's pretty much terrifying.  I need to eat better. Just FYI.  It's terrifying. 

Ok...

Gotta go finish my lab.  

TTYL, 

-Emme 

Top Knot, Topsiders

So in other news, let's talk about clothes. 

I always get this raging paranoia that I'm going to get penalized, or something because the NCAA prohibits blogging about sports. 

I'm pretty sure they don't mean mentioning your practice offhand or anything, but I'm still paranoid. 

I talk about crew, but the way I do it, I'm pretty sure the NCAA doesn't give a flying rats behind about.  

I like to talk a lot about style though, just to make it clear that this is most definitely not a sports/rowing blog. 

It's just a blog by a girl who happens to be a coxswain.  

If you've seen my twitter, that's more sports related than this. 

No, really. 

Anyway, team dinner tonight.

I've actually changed out of my yoga pants. 

Please, alert the press.

you have no idea how hard it is to take your own photo with a laptop.  Never mind looking decent in it!  as you can tell I gave up on that pursuit

Outfit details

T-shirt: Jcrew, perfect fit.  I really like to get these tees or two sizes up, because they're literally the most comfy thing in the world.  

skinny jeans: Here's to all my other coxswains out there.  The brand for these jeans is Cherokee, they're from Target- children's section.  

Not juniors. 

Kids. 

At least i bought them from the girl's section, for once. 

They're insanely comfortable, and if you buy them a size up (this seems to be the theme of my post) they fit like straight-leg jeans instead of jeggings.  I have one in the right size and one a size too big, so I alternate depending on the rest of the outfit. 

Sperry Topsiders- I cannot talk enough about how much I love these shoes.  I got them last summer at Nordstrom's, and they literally melded to my feet.  It's like walking on a cloud.  

Sunglasses: Literally bought these last weekend at CVS.  Normally I only wear aviators, but I'm really liking these and their faux- Ray Ban-ness. 

Better picture of the sunglasses and topknot... sort of.

I know, I know, my skin is throwing a hissy fit. 

ah, such is the nature of finals.  

ttyl

-Emme

Coxswain Recovery System

Today was BRUTAL.  Not workout-wise (although, for my girls it was) I had a good practice, steering and otherwise.  We went upstream which, is the most fun a person can have on the Charles, fyi.  Making the tight turns around Weeks and Eliot are such a thrill.
But the weather?
Forget about it!

It was cold.  And rainy.  Not normal rain, just misty sheets of rain.  And windy.

And did I mention it was cold?  

Yours truly has a terrible cold tolerance.  (And not a very good tolerance for heat either.   In my perfect world it would be 60-75 degrees and sunny all day everyday).  So naturally, I go to crew, cox, and am overjoyed to be coxing upstream, walk the 20 min back, go to breakfast, shower, go to class, I finished class around 2:00, got back to my room, and nearly died.  It was clearly time for some drastic measures.  So, without further ado, I present to you the coxswain recovery system!  It's a scientific method.  

So, even though I've been off the water since 8:30 this morning, I'm still chilly and tired.  The first thing I do when I go back to my room, after a brief clean up, is blow off some stress.  I'm pretty sure yoga should be required for all coxswains- no wait, all people. Ever.  I am carrying around a lot of tension, and yoga is one of the ways I get some of it out.  Plus, hey, a little exercise never hurt anybody.  

a baseball tee  and leggings are my go to done-with-class-for-the-day look, and considering the rain outside, my mum's old duck boots from 1970 are definitely the best choice.  They're way more worn out then the one's in the Polyvore set, and hence by New England Logic, better.  

The fleece lined  bean flannel is possibly the single greatest item I own.  It is from llbean, but it's not made for women, so you have to buy XXS.  They'll still be too big though which is fine because you can wear more layers underneath it.  Let me tell you, this is the single warmest cosiest piece of clothing ever.  I literally wore it as a jacket this morning and didn't get cold.  It's also, paradoxically, not to hot to lounge in inside if you're wearing a tee underneath and solves the what-if-my-t-shirt-doesn't-go-to-the-top-of-my-leggings-dilemma.  

Tea at a time like this, is an absolute neccesity.  I like Numi Jasmine Green which is amazing and available at any grocery store.  Even my sister who doesn't like Green tea says that it tastes really good.  it doesn't taste grassy like a lot of green tea because a lot of the taste comes from the jasmine.  Believe me.  This stuff is GOOD. 

Carmex and Aveeno- I have really dry skin.  My face can get so chapped from coxing that it literally feels like my mouth might fall off.  I use carmex because it's the most heavy-duty stuff I can find, but really, I'll use any lip balm.  Aveeno is my favorite moisturizer for body because I think the oatmeal-y scent is really calming, and likewise with yoga, I really need to calm down after practice!  Especially today.  Could the river have been more congested?  Ok, actually a lot of the congestion was from my team, but still guys, come on! 

L'occitane- my friend got me this hand cream for Christmas and I cary it around with me, because, once again, I don't want my skin to fall off.  Seriously.  Cold + windburn= no. Also it's fancy as heck, so I feel really posh. 

and, last but certainly not least 

The Other Boleyn Girl- Which I am currently reading for the billionth time.  Because 1: I'm a history major and 2: this is totally applicable to my life, anyway.  

anyway, if you need me...

Valentine's Day

I know Valentine's Day was a lo-ong time ago.  I also know I've been super busy and neglecting my blog.
And so, without further ado, I present to you my belated Valentine:


So, even though I missed Valentine's day, I'm dedicating this Valentine's Day to my team.
Because one: I'm single and
two: even if I did have a special someone in my life, would I love him more than crew? Would I love him more than my team?  Doubtful.  Highly doubtful.

Mary Whipple (US Women's Olympic Coxswain and all around amazing person) always talks about how important it is for coxswains to remember they're part of the team. She says being a teammate comes first.  And I got to hand it to her, the best part of crew is well... the crew!  I can honestly say that in the one year that I've been on this team, I've absolutely grown to love my rowers.  I mean, do I sometimes want to kill them? Yes.  I'm sure they feel the same about me.  I mean, rowers out there, who hasn't wanted to throw their coxswain out of the boat once or twice?
But the point is, the rowers (and fellow coxswains!) are great and I love them and each of their crazy personalities and quirks to pieces.  They work crazy hard and are all great athletes and team members in their own way.  I love what each individual brings to the team, and I couldn't ask for better friends.  I've grown to feel so accepted over the past year and I can't wait to see what spring season brings.  Good thing it's starting in less than a week!  It's never easy, but we always make it through, as a team.

So, team.
I love you guys, and happy (late) Valentine's Day.

-Emme

Gee, I've never heard that joke before.
#everysingledayofmylife

The Company You Keep

So I have this really great friend.

 She's better at putting things into perspective than anyone else I know. In fact, sometimes she does it without even trying.  

I like to call my friends by initials here to respect their privacy.  We're talking about T.  

She was the assistant coach on my high school crew team, and she's honest to Dog one of my favorite people maybe ever.   

T's great.  She's got a really good head on her shoulders and tends to look at the big picture rather than getting caught up in the day-to-day details.  Plus, she's just good at getting stuff done.  She's one of the most competent people I know.  Scratch that.  THE most competent person I know. 

Recently, T got married.  It's a little weird having an actual real-life adult friend (she's something like 11 yrs older than me) but on the other hand, it's useful.  I won't say it's like having an older sister, because I already have two of those and I don't need anymore!  But I do tend to look to her for an example.  T's always been (especially in high school) a sort of "this-is-how-I-could-live-my-life" thing.  

But most importantly, I think she just rubs off on me.  I was really nervous about going back to school, and even more nervous about coxing spring season (yikes), but being around T just makes me feel better.  Like, she did it once.  I can do it, too.  Best part is I never even told her I was nervous.  T's ability to not get thrown by the little things or any "crew drama" really puts it all in perspective for me. She's incredibly helpful without even knowing it!  

So all I got to say here is that everyone needs a friend like T, and that if it's true that people judge you by the company you keep, than I'm in good company!

The Nutcracker

So this weekend I went with a group of friends to see the Nutcracker ($20 student tickets are the greatest) and maybe I should change the name of this blog to Boston Ballet Blues, because I was getting major ex-bunhead blues.
It's sort of the way I start salivating every time I see a point shoe.
I know they're painful, but they're so beautiful I've never really minded.

The dancing was great, of course.  My favorite part of the Nutcracker has always been the Snow Queens pas de duex,  or really her solo before the pas de deus (am I spelling this right at all?)  It's always the most magical, and it was the role I really,really, wanted when I was little.

I started feeling almost sad about quitting ballet, but if I had never quit ballet than I never would have found crew, and I'm really glad I did.

I'm definitely going to look around for some community classes as soon as I can.  Oh, and I got this for my mom.

A tiny little ballerina for the Christmas tree.
We already have a lot of ballerina- themed Christmas ornaments.  My goal is to one day cover the entire tree in ballerinas. I have to say, I'm making good progress.