Next up In The Driver's Seat--where we hear from the folks who keep the shells straight and the crews on target—-is coxswain Lila Resnick.

Lila coxes with the Pelham Community Rowing Association in New York, and has been steering boats for PCRA since eighth grade. Now a senior, Lila has been team captain and the 1V coxswain for three years.

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

row2k - Give us your top three essentials for being ready on Race Day:
Lila Resnick - Know the course, carry a fanny pack, and be ready for things to go wrong.

The first essential is to know the course. If you know the course like the back of your hand, you won’t get flustered coxing it on race day. Especially when head racing, knowing the course is the coxswain's number one job and is vital to success. The rowers have their own concerns and areas of focus, and as a coxswain it is your responsibility to make sure they feel confident in your ability to steer them down the course.

The second essential is to carry a fanny pack stashed with every possible tool. I have been in situations where there was a breakage in the boat or a bolt fell out just minutes before we were set to race. A coxswain who has the tools and extra parts to fix the problem helps the crew stay calm. If you can be assertive from the second the problem is brought to your attention, and repair it as quickly as possible, the rowers will not get shaken by the issue and can continue to concentrate on the race ahead.

The third essential, and in my opinion the most important, is to stay true to the adage: "Prepare for the worst; hope, for the best." Being confident is super important on race day and if you are ready for some things to go wrong, your confidence will not be rattled in the event of an incident.

Racing the Head of the Schuylkill 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?
Lila Resnick - My favorite drill to run is adding in by pairs. This drill focuses on suspension off the front end and being able to truly pick the boat up to speed with the leg drive. By starting with one pair and adding in a pair every 5 strokes, the load lightens for the rowers as each pair is added in and the boat progressively picks up speed.

While coxing this drill, it is important to focus the rowers on connecting through the footboards right off the catch. I like to tell my rowers to feel like they are breaking through the foot stretchers with their leg drive.

row2k - What's some of the best coaching advice you've received about your coxing?
Lila Resnick - One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was that coxing a race is about telling the story of the race.

When you listen back to your coxswain recording, you should be able to identify what place you were in and how far you are into the race throughout the entire recording. Not only do you want to give these indicators, but you also want to remind your crew of how you got to this point in the race and what goal you are striving to meet. It is easy to get swept up in a race by the surrounding crews, but remembering to stay internal and pay attention to your boat speed is extremely important. There is no defense in rowing, so only concentrating on other boats is not going to get you anywhere.

Another piece of advice I have received is that if you are confident and prepared your boat will feel confident and prepared. When you get nervous, the rowers feel that energy shift and begin to panic. Showing confidence makes the rowers feel confident, and leads to successful racing.

Youth Nationals, 2024

row2k - What is a mid-race call or move that you've made that you'll remember for the rest of your life?
Lila Resnick - Last spring, our first Varsity 8+ was made up of all underclassmen so we all returned this fall and raced in the Varsity 8+ again. Since we spent so much time in this lineup, I was able to get to know the specific calls that motivated the rowers in the boat.

During last spring, Sarah, one of the rowers in my boat mentioned after a good practice how when she is in the middle of a race she thinks to herself, "It’s a beautiful day to go fast." Some of our boatmates laughed and it became a bit of an inside joke in our boat. Whenever the weather was nice, or the water was flat, or we finished a great piece, someone would comment, "It’s a beautiful day to go fast."

Fast forward to our final at the New York State Championships where we needed to place in the top three to qualify for Youth Nationals. Right before the last 500, we were sitting in 3rd place and I will never forget making the call, "Last 500 here, here we go. Sarah, it is a beautiful day to go fast." The boat responded immediately to that call and we powered through the final 500 to qualify for Nationals. Since then, this became a regular call that I make during races and it always manages to motivate not just Sarah, but all of the rowers.

The 2024 1V enjoying another "beautiful day to fast" in the YNats time trial

row2k - Can you tell us anything you've learned about how to call a good start?
Lila Resnick - The first stroke of the race is one of the most important strokes a boat can take. I think the most important thing to think about when coxing a start is that you can’t win a race off the start, but you can definitely lose one. The energy that you, as a coxswain, can give the crew by composing yourself and building up your intensity through the start stays with them for the rest of the race.

It is also important to remember the start doesn’t define the race. A rocky start in no way indicates that the race will go poorly. However, how you regain focus and composure will dictate the future of the race. If you have done your preparation, you know what to do by the time you reach the start line and what to do if something goes wrong.

row2k - Tell us about the best race/practice you've ever had?
Lila Resnick - The best race I have ever coxed was the Women’s Varsity 8+ at the Head of the Charles in 2024. We started as Bow 44 in the back of the pack and our goal was to get top 30.

We had a really strong start and passed a crew just a few hundred meters into the race. That gave us the adrenaline we needed to power through the middle of the race, passing multiple crews and staying at a consistent rhythm. The energy going under Anderson Bridge was a feeling I will never forget. As soon as we finished the race, we knew that it was the hardest we could have raced and that feeling was extremely rewarding. We ended up getting 27th place, surpassing our goal and giving us an experience we will never forget.

Lila with bow #44, charging past Riverside BC at HOCR '24

Thanks for riding along with Lila...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.