coxing guys or girls

Question
Hi. I have two questions.  I know at the club level there are many girls coxing guy boats.  Is this practice common at the college level as well, or are most college coxes the same gender as their crew?  Also, is it a difficult transition to go from coxing men to coxing women?

Thanks!

Answer
Hi Mary: Interesting question.  I rowed for four years at Temple University from 1978 to 1982.  It was I think in the late-1960s where women were even allowed to cox a men's boat.  But by the time I started rowing, it was quite commonplace.  In my first year of college rowing, all of our coxswains were women.  In my seond year, we had a male coxswain on scholarship and two females on our other boats.  For whatever reason, all of our coxswains were guys in my final two years.  I'd say it is probably half men and half women who coxswain college crews.

I think it might be somewhat of a transition for you from coxing women to men.  First off, men are men.  They're ruder, cruder and have more attitude than women.  From my perspective, I tended to respect a male coxswain over a women coxswain.  Not that I didn't obey a lady coxswain (in fact, I kind of feared my first coxswain named Wendy), but I recall times where I got angry at a women coxswain when I thought she was a bit abusive or did not know what she was talking about because she never rowed (most male coxswains have rowed).  

Then there is the issue of having a male rower, you know, have romantic feelings for their coxswain.  I had that happen to me a couple of times (and even kissed one at a party -- all harmless of course).  If you do cox men, you need to be aware of any sexual harrassment and report it to your coach immediately).

The one advantage of coaching men is the potential to cox a very fast and powerful boat.  With the right men's crew, it could be a great experience for you.

Good Luck/AP