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 Jonah McDonnell.

Jonah coxes for the University of San Diego, but got his start with Lake County Rowing in Florida. He made the USD 1V as a freshman, winning silver at WIRAs. He's coxed his way to the front of the field at the Charles twice--a story he shares below--and the second time was good enough to win USD's first ever HOCR title.

He's also the first Driver's Seat interviewee (so far!) who has also taken a turn on the cover of the row2k Recap.

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

row2k - What do you see as the three most important things for being a successful coxswain?
Jonah McDonnell - One of the most crucial aspects of being a great coxswain is your ability to adapt and be flexible. Whether it's changing your course or drill at practice, communicating with coaches or other coxswains, or adjusting your plan mid-race, a coxswain needs to be able to react quickly and know with certainty the best thing for the crew in a given situation.

Coxing the Charles in 2023

The second is preparation. Preparing for a race or practice is just as crucial as executing. This starts every day at practice, long before a race, by making sure you are doing everything you can to create a productive environment for the crew. That could include having proper equipment, knowing the conditions of your waterway, knowing the practice or race plan, bringing the right tone and energy to each call, or simply reminding the crew where the focus should be.

The last thing is a little bit more abstract but is the one feature that I think every great coxswain and athlete should have. It is easy to remind coxswains of the basics, but anyone can steer a boat straight and yell with enough practice. Hunger is what makes a good coxswain into a great one. How did I get better today? How did I get worse or fall short? What can I improve? How can I better help the crew? Am I in the boat I want to be in? What is going to take me to the next level? Am I willing to sacrifice these things to get better? Why are they better than me? What will it take to beat them? What will it take to never be caught?

These are the questions that a great coxswain should obsess over. Be a student and teacher of the sport. Be hungry for improvement and while it is crucial to reap the rewards of your hard work, never be satisfied with where you are. To be the best, you have to train to be the best and that means doing things and going places that other people are not willing to do or go to.

After USD's first-ever HOCR win 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?
Jonah McDonnell - My favorite drill to run with crews is one I learned from my coach, Bart Thompson. It is called Devil's Drill and consists of 6 half-slide strokes, 6 legs-only, and then 6 full, in succession.

To make it most effective, start with a pair out for a stable platform as the legs-only can be especially difficult for an unset crew, but other than that the purpose is to segment the stroke into parts so that you can isolate body movement on the recovery and the drive. Finding proper drive length and technique is a product of movement on the slide and body flexibility which is demonstrated by this drill. It is by far the most wide-reaching drill I have learned and if I had a crew of any level, novice to collegiate, it would be one of the first things I'd implement.

Warming up at Redwood Shore in 2025

row2k - What's some of the best coaching advice you've received about your coxing?
Jonah McDonnell - The best advice that I received about my coxing came from one of my high school coaches, Matt Outlaw. He told me, "The boat should notice when you are not in it," and I have made it my goal to follow that advice to the letter.

Despite the general monotony and lack of "clutch" or "star players" in the sport of rowing, the coxswain is the one member of the team who can make the boat their own. Whether it's the intensity, technical eye, or poise that can be brought to a crew, coxswains can be extremely individualistic in a way that others cannot. It has also been a huge motivator in competing for seats.

This can also be applied in an erg room. A great coxswain should be able to run a practice, collect data, and command a room. A quality coxswain should have their rowers and coaches pushing for them to be in the top boat and the only way to do that is to make sure that they notice what is missing when someone else gets a shot in the top spot. Leave shoes that no one can fill!

row2k - What is a mid-race call or move that you've made that you'll remember for the rest of your life?
Jonah McDonnell - - The best move in my experience so far happened this past fall at HOCR 2024. This moment was special not just because of the race itself but because of the history of that event for USD as a program.

Racing to the win at the 2024 HOCR (photo credit: Richard McDonnell)

In 2022, our program sent a Collegiate 4+ to HOCR for the first time in a number of years and placed 3rd, tying for our best finish in program history. In 2023, two members of that crew returned, plus myself and two new additions. We had a strong race with two passes, but finished 2nd, just behind a crew that started mid-pack. In 2024, with four returning members and starting 2nd, we were fired up, especially since the only boat ahead of us was the one that beat us the year before.

My coach, Bart Thompson, is a huge fan of race preparation and, in his words, "waging psychological warfare," so while preparing, I memorized the names of every member of the boat ahead and the two boats behind. We started as close as we could to the crew ahead, which was racing in a shell called the "Thank You, Next." It was a fight to pass until Weld Bridge when we had finally made contact with their stern and I yelled out the stroke seat's name. At that moment I knew that we had broken their spirit. It was a long, outside pass through the big turn before Elliot Bridge and then I cut to the inside with just a few feet between our stern and their bow.

When I knew the pass was complete I made the call, "Thank you, next" as an homage to their shell's name and to keep guys in my boat motivated to push away from the sneaky boats in the middle of the pack that beat us the year before. We ended up winning that race, making it the first time our program has ever won at HOCR. It's a race I will remember forever and I love every one of the guys who were in that boat for giving me that opportunity.

row2k - Can you tell us anything about what you've learned about how to call a good sprint?
Jonah McDonnell - There are no secrets in the sport of rowing or coxing. As much as I wish there was one piece missing from the puzzle that I could give you, the answer itself is quite boring. What I mean by this is that everything needed for a good sprint is set in place long before you call it.

Racing at the San Diego Crew Classic, 2025

Generally, our sprint has three tiers, and each has a different focus. The first tier is the most important because it notes the distinct shift from your base-rate/pace to a more intense and direct pace. I like to discuss, before the race, a singular focus in the stroke that I want the crew to dial in on here to add speed through under-the-water work. Tier 2 is that middle step where pace and rate tend to go up, and with that, I generally give another technical focus . I try to make sure that the crew is staying tidy, direct, and long, as this tends to be the most messy and mentally challenging part of the sprint. Tier 3 is where there is a little more ambiguity because the natural desire is to shorten the stroke and bump the rate. This is almost inevitable so the best way to handle it is to talk about where the stroke will be shortened and make sure that the entire crew is on the same page.

Also, do not forget to have fun with your sprint! The crew responds to the way you speak, whether it's tone or what you say, so make sure you give them the energy you think is most productive for the race. If you are enjoying it, they probably are too.

row2k - Tell us about the best race/practice you've ever had?
Jonah McDonnell - The best race I have been a part of was this past March at the 2025 Redwood Invitational. Not only was it my chance to cox on a course I have dreamed of racing on since high school, but one of the races I coxed while I was there was probably the best racing experience I have had. It was a duel with Santa Clara, one of our conference rivals, and off of the start, I could tell it would be a good race. Both crews were virtually dead even through the 1K mark, with neither boat up by more than half a seat at any given point. We ended up winning from a move in the 3rd 500, but I know that regardless of the outcome I would have remembered that race forever. Winning will always be my driving motivation, but good, clean racing is why I cox.

At the start of the Redwood Shores race course in 2025

row2k - How about the worst race/practice you've ever had?
Jonah McDonnell - My worst race happened in high school and, while it was terrible, I have carried the lesson with me through the rest of my career. I was racing at Canal 54 in the Women's Varsity 4+ as the last of many races that day. Due to a mishap at the start, we had to pull to the side of the course to wait for a hardware fix and, during this time, the boat ended up flipping. During this, two of the rowers, my close friends, ended up being injured because the heel ties in the boat were not properly fastened, leading to them being stuck under the boat. While terrible, it taught me the importance of proper rigging and the reason for safety equipment in the sport.

Thanks for riding along with Jonah...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.

Jonah's "cover of the row2k Recap" moment...good enough for an encore, for sure.