May 20 2021 71 mins 2
S2 Ep.1 Welcome back to Girl on the River for Season 2 – it’s so good to be back!
I’m absolutely thrilled to bring you the first episode in my new season – an interview with Adrian Ellison, who coxed the 4+ to a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (the first of five gold medals for crew member Steve Redgrave).
Adrian is a brilliant fount of knowledge, and what he doesn’t know about coxing isn’t worth knowing. We had a tremendous chat (the uncut version of which is available to Girl on the River patrons – you can sign up for the Girl Squad at www.patreon.com/girlontheriver).
Here’s what we talked about:
- Adrian’s route into coxing and how he ended up in GB Rowing Team
- What a coxed pair is like
- The best crew Adrian ever coxed (it might not be the one you’d expect)
- Coxing a bowloader
- Being coached as a cox
- The 1984 Olympics 4+ - how it was put together and what the dynamics were
- Getting the most out of a crew during a race
- The decision to retire from the GB Rowing Team
- Weight loss and the effects on Adrian’s health
- Why the coxswain’s weight makes little difference to boat speed except at the very highest level
- What makes a good cox
- Adrian’s style of coxing
- Has Adrian’s coxing improved since being on the GB Rowing Team?
- Whether international teams should consider using older coxes
- How to get better at coxing
- Mistakes Adrian has made
- What to do when a crew gets carried away in a race
- How to handle a sassy crew
- Lessons from Zoom Ergos and the quest for the perfect stroke
If you fancy joining one of Adrian’s Zoom Ergos sessions you can sign up at www.zoomergos.com.
