Captain of Coxes 2010-11
 | 13th Jun 2010 |  | Rachel Quarrell <rachel.quarrell@balliol> |
We need a new captain of coxes for the academic year 2010-2011, and ideally=
they do need to stand for election at this week's meeting, otherwise thing=
s become tricky.
The CoC's main job is to run (with a lot of support from me) the college co=
xing system at the university. Together we give the initial novice lecture=
s, do pre-bumps talks, and advise the race committees in bumps/IWL about ma=
tters involving coxes. We also determine coxing status where it is unclear=
, including doing non-automatic upgrades, which we tend to take turns at. =
I can provide any training needed, including for those who are nervous abou=
t public speaking: by the end of the year you should be pretty relaxed tal=
king to a couple of hundred people, which makes it a good way to acquire th=
at skill if you don't already have it. In return for the support, I need a=
bit of admin help a few times a year, with running the database and making=
cards. Race committee and OURCs committee work is largely about coxing m=
atters, though the CoC's is able to get more involved with both if they wan=
t. How much more we do to help coxes tends to depend on that year's CoC's,=
and the time they can spare.
The captain of coxes needs to be a currently registered cox, must be a prop=
er cox (it not just a rower who coxes occasionally), and they will ideally =
be senior. If they are only X status, they can't do X->S upgrades, and tho=
ugh we can get round this (especially if they are able to gain their own se=
nior status during the year), S status coxes are preferable as they have mo=
re experience and can do the job better. However, if no S-coxes stand, a g=
ood X-cox with the right attributes can do 90% of the job and so is suffici=
ent. Ideally they will be free during bumps, when their expertise is neede=
d at race desk, but the odd absence can be coped with if previous CoC's are=
available to cover.
The best CoC's are often not varsity coxes: they are good solid college co=
xes, who perhaps coxed before coming to Oxford, know plenty about the sport=
, have lots of common sense, and who have an interest in helping novices im=
prove. Being good at explaining things clearly is a particularly useful sk=
ill, as is being organised. The workload varies, but it helps a lot if you=
're able to deal with emails every day and tend not to procrastinate, as th=
ere are regular minor queries during termtime. If a CoC's is a varsity cox=
they will be expected to keep their CoC's duties going even when busy with=
squad, I'm afraid.
Anyone wishing to stand in the coming captains' meeting needs to get their =
name, proposer and seconder in to Laurence McGivern (RowSab) before he publ=
ishes the agenda some time on Monday. You can be proposed and seconded by =
anyone entitled to vote at a CM. I am happy to propose anyone suitable who=
speaks to me before putting their name in, and I suspect the RowSab will d=
o the same if you need him to and ask nicely. Coxes interested in standing=
are welcome to call me on 07710-538114 before 11pm Sunday, and before 1pm =
Monday - though please note that my phone may be off while I'm teaching.
Rachel Quarrell.
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Summer VIIIs 2010 is kindly sponsored by Jones Day:
http://www.ourcs.org.uk/Racing/JonesDay
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