Next up In The Driver's Seat--where we hear from the folks who keep the shells straight and the crews fast—-is coxswain Kate Sullivan.

Kate coxes with Riverside Crew in Northern Virginia, so she's raced on the Occoquan more than a few times, making the short trip from the Upper Potomac where Riverside HS trains.

She started out as a rower freshman year, and then capped off her first year of coxing by winning the Virginia State Championships with the Riverside Novice Men in 2023.

Let's hop In The Driver's Seat with Kate:

row2k - Give us your top three essentials for being ready on Race Day:
Kate Sullivan - The 3 most important things to be a successful coxswain in my opinion are confidence, being decisive, and building meaningful connections with boat members.

Because I was not the most confident person, I actually started my crew career as a rower. That first year, I spent a lot of time figuring myself out as an individual rower and as a teammate. That has made me a better coxswain. An unconfident coxswain makes already nervous novice rowers even more prone to mistakes. For me, as a novice coxswain, it was important for me to fake it ‘til I made it. Becoming confident in your coxswain abilities takes time.

Being decisive is crucial. Sometimes a quick decision and command to "way enough" is paramount for the safety of the crew.

Building meaningful connections with your rowers on and off the water makes a world of a difference and helps increase your merit as a coxswain. Initiating a carpool for novice rowers and even doing an erg workout with them helps build team culture and can improve a coxswain’s understanding of certain technique issues.

Coxing the warmup at the Occoquan for the Ryz Obuchowicz Regatta in 2024

row2k - What is your favorite drill to run with your crews? Any tips on how to do the drill well, for maximum effectiveness?
Kate Sullivan - My favorite drill to run is "Rusty’s Every Third Stroke"--a Rusty is an air stroke using arms and body.

To ensure maximum effectiveness, I make sure to be clear when counting strokes, especially when adding in pairs. It’s also important to emphasize correct sequencing with the arms and back. It’s a good drill to see where the rush might be coming from in a boat and counting on the slide really helps with this.

row2k - What's some of the best coaching advice you've received about your coxing?
Kate Sullivan - One of the best pieces of coxing advice I have gotten from my current coach is the importance of not being an overbearing or overly critical coxswain. Rowers are already hard enough on themselves and it’s easy to look at numbers and expect more progress, but it’s important to put yourself in their shoes.

While a coxswain can provide feedback on technical errors, or seconds added compared to previous workouts, it’s important and effective to motivate them by giving them someone to look up to during difficult workouts. While desire to improve is important, that's something that most rowers possess already so having a positive outlook and reminding rowers of progress already made can make a world of a difference.

Racing to the MN8 win at VSRC 2023

row2k - What is a mid-race call or move that you've made that you'll remember for the rest of your life?
Kate Sullivan - During the Head of the James Regatta this past fall, I told my boat that I would try some new calls that would help us get our rate back up and deliver an effective sprint at the end of our 5k.

So, before the race rigging and during the boat’s warmup session, I played a rap song called "JT Coming" that I knew was popular with the boat. Then, instead of a Power 10 during the race, I called a "JT Coming 10" and I knew that this would get the crew motivated and ready for the sprint.

I even timed out saying the title of the lyrics for the 10 to match the ideal ratio I wanted them to be at: while they were going up their slides, I said the first half of the title slowly ("JT"), and then as they put their blades in I said the second half of the title quicker ("Coming") to emphasize timing and the importance of quick catches. After the race my rowers told me that they loved the call and I was happy that I was able to think quickly on the water to help motivate the boat in a new way during a long piece like a 5k.

row2k - Can you tell us anything about how you learned to steer straight?
Kate Sullivan - I coxed in DC over the summer and it was such a big change from the public park that I’m used to during the school year. Before, I really only had to worry about other crews and the occasional log or jet skier, not yachts and tourist boats. My summer coxing taught me to really pay attention to my point every second and took prioritizing the safety of my crew to a new level. Now I try to treat every practice as if I am in a high traffic area.

Coxing the middle 1k at the 2024 Ryz Obuchowicz Regatta

row2k - Tell us about the best race/practice you've ever had?
Kate Sullivan - My best practice was actually an erg/tank workout I made that was 12 days of Christmas-themed. We started with "day 1" being 1x10 minutes of steady state warmup, and eventually increased the increments with drills like Harvard eights, double pauses, ladders, and sprints to match the "day" we were on. I even included a "day 9" that was 90 seconds with the ninth seat, the coxswain, stroking in the tank.

I was happy to have an opportunity to create some variety and fun for a winter practice that was still helpful for form and endurance. I also invited my coaches in for some of the drills for a full team bonding (and festive) experience!

row2k - How about the worst race/practice you've ever had?
Kate Sullivan - My worst race was a scrimmage we had this fall. A storm had just blown through and we were warned about debris in the water on top of the already relatively quick current the Upper Potomac has to offer. We made it up to the start line in the 1V Women’s 8, all ready for a 5k, right before we heard that our other boat hadn’t even been able to make it past all the debris in the water. Due to the news, the officials started all the boats that did make it at the same time.

Near whitecap conditions made it extremely difficult to see debris in the water. The river conditions, on top of a rocky set with boats surrounding us, really tested my coxing ability to keep my boat motivated in a highly nerve-wracking situation. That day really helped me realize, however, how important being a leader is in these situations and how your attitude can impact a crew. While it was not anyone’s best race or happiest rowing memory, with everyone being soaking wet afterwards, that experience brought my boat newfound motivation. We used that to propel us to a PR at Head of the James later that fall, closing off the season on a high.

Thanks for riding along with Kate...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.

VSRCs 2023