Next up In The Driver's Seat--where we hear from the folks who add that extra something to the teamwork of a crew—-is coxswain Lily Stasaitis.
Now a junior on the team at Rhode Island, Lily first started coxing in 7th grade, in Poughkeepsie. She honed her skills racing all over with Arlington High School and the Hudson River Rowing Association, to include Masters Nationals.
With URI, Lily has coxed at the NCAA Championships, Henley Women's Regatta, and Henley Royal Regatta.
Let's hop In The Driver's Seat with Lily:
row2k - Give us your top three essentials for being ready on Race Day:
Lily Stasaitis - Top 3 essentials for race day:
1. My routine: I thrive when I stick to a routine, I find it helps me get into my “zone.” The night before, I lay out my uni and layers, and charge all my electronics. I also make sure that I send out a timeline to my crew and coaches for race day. I start with what time our race is and work backward to when the oars have to go down to the dock. As soon as I wake up, I get dressed and put on the race day playlist that I’ve had since high school. I do my hair the same way every race, and I double and triple-check that my electronics are charged and ready to go. Once we’re at the course, I immediately get the boat into slings, check that all the hardware is tight, the tracks are clean, and test my coxbox to make sure the speakers sound good. Nothing I do on race day is revolutionary, but sticking to my routine allows me to get into the right headspace and ensure that I’m doing everything I can to add to boat speed!
2. My mind/attitude.: As coxswains, we are the eyes, ears, and brains behind the boat. Our mind is the most powerful tool we can bring with us. I make sure that I am aware of the weather and how that will affect the course conditions. I also do my best to not think about anything that will not positively contribute to the race. My attitude is also so important to my crew’s success; rowers can always tell when a coxswain is stressed. As soon as we shove off the dock, I remind myself that I’m in my seat for a reason, and keep that confidence with me until we’re back at the dock.
3. My toolkit: I try to keep this to a minimum while still carrying everything I need. I bring one 10mm wrench, one Allen wrench, a spare bolt with washers and a nut, and some spacers. I will also bring my electrical and hand tape if my rowers ask me to or have been using them at practice the week before. Just enough to be prepared for anything without adding too much extra weight!
row2k - What is your favorite drill to run with your crews? Any tips on how to do the drill well, for maximum effectiveness?
Lily Stasaitis - One of my favorite drills to run is a double pause at bodies forward and 3/4 slide. Nothing crazy but still a great drill! I like it because it covers two important parts of the recovery: getting the bodies set together and getting to full compression without lunging forward.
When running this drill, I try not to talk too much about anything besides those two ideas. I’ve found that doing less talking helps me to feel the boat and the changes being made. It also allows me to pick up on what the coaches are noticing so I can work those calls in the rest of practice. For maximum effectiveness, the concepts of the drill must be carried over into pieces and continuous rowing.
row2k - What's some of the best coaching advice you've received about your coxing?
Lily Stasaitis - The best advice I’ve received is to keep the main thing the main thing. At the end of the day, the main job of a coxswain is to steer the fastest (straightest) course, execute the practice or the race plan effectively, and give the rowers necessary information such as split, rate, time, and margins on other crews. During my first year at URI, Coach Jess Lizzi told me this and reminded me that I didn’t need to motivate the rowers as much, which is such a different approach from high school coxing. She told me that the rowers are internally motivated, and my job is to give them the information they need when they need it.
While it isn't exactly advice from a coach, I attribute so much of my growth and success to my fellow Rhody coxswains. We all push each other to be the best we can be, both on and off the water. Shoutout to the current group: Ellie, Evelyn, Mo, Natalie, and Claudia!
row2k - What is a mid-race call or move that you've made that you'll remember for the rest of your life?
Lily Stasaitis - A mid-race move that I’ll remember for the rest of my life was at the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship. I was in the Varsity 8, and although I didn’t know it for certain at the time, our race would determine the overall winner of the championship.
We spent the first 1000m sitting two seats down on our top competitor. During the 3rd 500, I was still on their stern deck and I called a 10 to get me to their coxswain. The boat responded really well, and we surged forward to their stroke seat. I knew we had to keep this momentum going, so I called for us to power up by getting the blades in quickly and getting on the legs. The call worked and within the next 300 meters, I was past their bowball. We carried this energy into the last 500m, winning the race and the championship for the team (and maybe killing some geese in the last 100m ). [ed. note: see row2k's shot of the narrow escape by the geese here]
Despite being down for over half the race, there was no doubt in our nine minds that our bowball wouldn’t cross the finish line first.
row2k - Can you tell us anything about what you've learned about how to call a good sprint?
Lily Stasaitis - The sprint can be one of the hardest parts of the race to call. There’s so much variability to it and you have to be able to make a game-time decision, even if it goes against your original plan.
I can’t give too much away about exactly how URI does it, but I’ve learned that it’s smart to have an agreed-upon plan with your coaches and rowers so that everyone is on the same page. During racing season, I’ll end pretty much every piece or bit of continuous rowing by walking the boat through how I plan to call the sprint. That way, if there’s any sort of confusion, we can work it out before race day.
row2k - Tell us about the best race/practice you've ever had?
Lily Stasaitis - The 2024 A10 Championship was the best race of my life. Getting to reclaim the title after coming in 2nd in 2023 was such an amazing way to wrap up months of training as a program. The entire team, from the most novice rower to the Varsity 8, had put in so much work to get us across the line first, and it was the best way to cap off the regular season.
Last summer, Rhode Island Rowing had the incredible opportunity to race at the Henley Women’s Regatta and, for the first time in program history, the Henley Royal Regatta. Spending three weeks abroad with the team competing at the highest level was so much fun and such a cool experience. Being immersed in the sport like that was amazing. There’s truly nowhere like Henley.
row2k - How about the worst race/practice you've ever had?
Lily Stasaitis - I think the easiest answer for my worst race would be Women’s Sprints in 2024, two weeks before A10s, but it turned into such a learning experience. We got out-sprinted in the last 20 strokes of the race by our top competitor, which was devastating. We took that loss with us into the last two weeks of training and used it to push ourselves even harder. When we lined up against them at A10s, I knew our crew had what it would take to win.
Thanks for riding along with Lily...and, remember, this column is open to all "drivers" out there, so if you are an experienced coxswain at any level--from juniors to masters--and would be willing to invite row2k to join you in your ride, just contact us here. We’d love to hear from you about what you see from the Driver's Seat.
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