Shades of Georgetown Rowing

Rowing, they say, is the ultimate team sport. It is easy to understand why. Eight individuals all pulling together in syncopation to make their boat move faster. To the spectators, the rowers are indistinguishable . . .



Rowing, they say, is the ultimate team sport. It is easy to understand why. Eight individuals all pulling together in syncopation to make their boat move faster. To the spectators, the rowers are indistinguishable in a well-executed shell. If there is one oarsman in the boat superior to the others, most of us wouldn't know it.

Still, there is an additional person who fills out the traditional collegiate eight: the coxswain. As the only body in the shell who faces forward, the cox plays a special role, a quarterback of sorts, steering the boat, thinking quickly, and calling out the pace. A talented coxswain makes a good boat better and can be the critical margin of success in a tight race. So it is that, following a major victory, the coxswain is tossed in celebration into the drink by his or her enthused rowing teammates.

While the solitary role of the cox cannot be shared with boatmates, it is left to coxswains to seek out each other for support and inspiration. And when the rowing community gathered on Good Friday last to dedicate a shell in memory of GU Hall of Fame coach Don Cadle, it refreshed me to witness the meeting of current varsity heavyweight cox, Jack Carlson '09 and his historical counterpart, the legendary Doug "Tiger" Sergeant '65.

Though many years separate their time at Georgetown, Jack and Tiger share a powerful nexus. Not only of wearing the blue and gray or of speeding to victory in a Georgetown shell; yes, they do share that wonderful experience with all of their teammates. Their unique bond comes instead from the instant understanding that each has of the other when meeting a fellow cox, as well as the proud lineage of coxswains that dates to the beginnings of the Georgetown Crew.

Never Row!