Rowing: Pirates’ aquatic catalyst

Steve Virgen

As coxswain of the Orange Coast College crew, Sierra Caldwell seems

perfect for the job. She’s the prototype: 5-foot-3, 116 pounds with an

aggressive attitude. Plus, she’s aerodynamic, which helps when the

Pirates launch her into the water in celebration, a scene that has become

the norm at West Coast regattas this season.

The OCC varsity eight and Caldwell went undefeated in California

competitions and finished the season sixth in the nation at the Avaya

Championships, May 11-12, at West Windsor, N.J. They won the Pacific

Coast Championships in Sacramento May 5, and the San Diego Crew Classic

April 7.

“I’m not that much of a cheerleader, and the coxswain is not the

cheerleader,” said Caldwell, who will be with the OCC varsity eight as

they compete in the Henley Royal Regatta in England, July 3-7. “I’m more

of: Let’s go! Pick it up! I’m the one wanting more from them and telling

them to do it right. You have to be the second coach. It’s kind of like

being the coach on the water.”

So, what is a coxswain, and why is Caldwell the right one for the job?

The coxswain is the person who steers a racing shell and calls out the

rowing cadence for the crew. The coxswain is usually small in stature, so

as not to take up space in the boat. They must also take charge and be

the eyes, so to speak, of the crew.

During races, Caldwell will control the cox box (the computer which

gives results of strokes per minute and other readouts), while focusing

on other boats’ turnover and her boat’s position in the race. There are

several duties to handle, including development of a strategy, before and

sometimes during a race. In addition, steering requires a soft, yet firm

touch.

“It’s like being the coach on the boat, when the coach can’t be

there,” Caldwell explained. “If something is wrong, you have to correct

it. There are tactical maneuvers, too. If another team is (picking up the

pace), you have to do that. If crew is one body, the guys would be the

muscle and I’m like the brain, telling them what to do.”

Caldwell has been making the right calls throughout the season.

“A coxswain must know when to be all business and when it’s OK to be

funny, and they have to really know the people in the boat,” said OCC

crew coach Dave Grant, a former coxswain. “She does an excellent job. She

has to tell them everything. They’re focused on rowing hard together. She

has to provide them with all the information. There’s no coaching on the

sidelines. Whatever they get, they get from her. They don’t go anywhere

without her.”

Caldwell’s position as the OCC coxswain was a result of chance.

She graduated from Newport Harbor High in 1999, then went to

Concordia. After a year and half there, she realized Concordia was not

the place for her and she transferred to Irvine Valley College.

Caldwell used to be the coxswain for eights at the Newport Aquatic

Center during high school, but went away from the sport while in college.

That is until her former teammate Matt Hietbrink approached her to help

out the OCC crew, which was in need of a coxswain. Hietbrink, of Corona

del Mar High, used to row with Caldwell at the NAC.

Caldwell was supposed to help out the Pirates for two weeks, until

they found someone permanent, but she realized how much she missed her

calling during her so-called temporary assignment.

“I started to remember why I liked it so much and why I missed it,”

Caldwell said. “I kind of got sucked back in. This season has been great

with all the friendships. Dave Grant is a great coach. To be able to be

coached by him is a great experience. We came in sixth in the Avaya

Championships in New Jersey and we won every race up until then. We

definitely were the best on the West Coast.”

Caldwell has built strong friendships on the team, even though she is

stern with the varsity eight during races.

“Being the only girl, it’s like I have eight older brothers,” Caldwell

said. “It’s like I’m the team’s little sister. It’s like having eight

brothers, yet eight little kids at the same time. It’s a weird and a

different mix. You don’t expect us to get along with each other, but we

really do.”