Next up In The Driver's Seat--where we hear from the folks who keep the shells straight and the crews on target—-is coxswain Teddy Hibbard.

Teddy, a rising senior, coxes for Canisius High School in Buffalo, New York, and won an SRAA gold with the Lightweight Four in 2022 and earned a silver medal at SRAAs last month in the JV Eight.

In the summers, Teddy has raced with the USRowing High Performance Team and been tapped to hop in the driver's seat when the college kids come back home. That has put him in some pretty fast crews at Canadian Henley with the Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association Senior Team. In 2022, Teddy took Henley Gold in both the Men's Senior Light Eight and the Light Eight Dash.

He also makes an appearance in the row2k Head of the Charles galleries making this pretty sweet pass just before Eliot to grab the inside of the final turn, so maybe we should have asked him for some tips on not steering straight...

Nailing the turn, and the pass, on the Charles in 2021

Let's hop In The Driver's Seat with Teddy:

row2k - Give us your top three essentials for being ready on Race Day:
Teddy Hibbard - I personally believe being ready mentally and physically for a race is one of the most important jobs of being an effective coxswain.

My first essential for being ready on race day is to triple check equipment. I usually will try to get to the course early, will rig my boat or boats, and check them down to my personal standards; that's equipment check #1. After my crew arrives I’ll have them individually check down their seat; that's equipment check #2. Finally, around 45 minutes prior to hands on, I’ll check down everything one more time, including bolts, slides, span, oars, and anything else that might come up; that's equipment check #3.

My second essential to a successful race day is to always become familiar with the officials, and flow of the racing schedule. What I mean by this is try to take at least 15 minutes to walk to the official’s tent, ask about any possible delays, or ask if there is anything you can do to help. Trust me: it helps to have an ally on the water if anything doesn't go as planned.

My third essential for a successful race day is to always have a scheduled plan for your crew before you get to the course. For example, when my crew arrives, I will have them begin stationary and assisted stretching for around 30 minutes, one hour before we launch. Following that stretching, 30 minutes before hands on, I will have my crew begin an active warm up, including stretching lines or a short jog. Finally, 10 minutes before hands on, I will go over the race plan with my crew, ensuring that they all understand, and know how best to execute on the course.

Winning SRAAs with the Canisius Light Four in 2022

row2k - What is your favorite drill to run with your crews? Any tips on how to the drill well, for maximum effectiveness?
Teddy Hibbard - My favorite drill to run with my crews is a front end reverse pick drill. I’m a huge believer in the importance of a front end explosion on the drive, and that honing that skill and explosiveness can pay off ten fold during tight race.

I think the best way to be efficient and effective in practice, specifically drilling, is to always be listening, and when given a drill or change to implement on your crew, do not be frantic. Being frantic while trying to drill as quickly as possible could confuse your crew and cause mistakes, impeding the flow of practice. I like to reiterate to my crew: "the difference between quick and fast," or the difference between being effective and quick versus being fast and frantic. While learning this skill, I’d simply take a deep breathe before telling my crew the new drill, while trying to remain as clear as possible.

SRAAs 2023

row2k - What's some of the best coaching advice you've received about your coxing?
Teddy Hibbard - One of the best things I’ve heard from a coach was told to me on just my third day of coxing a boat my freshman year, and it has stuck with me since then. My coach, Mr. Tom Flaherty: one of the best coaches I’ve had the pleasure of being around, told me that, "a Coxie should grade themselves during a practice by how many times their coach has to correct or call them out." What this has taught me is that the primary job of a cox is to not slow down or impede the effectiveness of practice, but rather be an extension of the coach in the boat, helping practice run more smoothly.

Finishing the Charles in 2022

row2k - What is a mid-race call or move that you've made that you'll remember for the rest of your life? If so, what did it involve and how did you call it? Teddy Hibbard - One mid-race call or move that I will always remember is a lift we do during the third 500m. As a cox of physically smaller crew, but usually of equal strength to our opponents, I have to be smarter with my race plan, or as I refer to it: "the David and Goliath method."

Using a lift with the rate can be useful to gain back seats previously lost, and better prepare us for the sprint. One specific example of this was from a win with my crew at a local regatta in the Varsity 8+ event this spring. My team had not won the Varsity 8+ event at the regatta, against our rivals, for a good number of years. During the body of the piece, with about 850 meters to go, we were around 2-3 seats down on an admittedly much bigger crew physically, so I called my crew to slowly lift 1-2 beats every 5 strokes for around the next 200 meters, then settle back into our rhythm until the sprint. This move gained us back 4 seats, and earned us a well deserved victory in the Varsity 8+ for the first time in 4 years.

SRAAs 2023

row2k - Can you tell us anything about what you've learned about how to call the sprint?
Teddy Hibbard - One thing I’ve only come to realize in the last year and a half is that I need to avoid calling a sprint all at once: this can cause early exhaustion and a complete throwing out of the window for your crew’s technique.

What I like to do is call a sprint within a tier or step system. What this means is that I will begin the sprint, around 350m to go, with the first step: an increase in rate by 1-2 for the next 100m. Following this, the second step is a gradual increase in rate for the next 50m. That helps us to easily transition into the third and final step: open rate all out until the finish. I also like the step sprint system because of the flexibility it gives you, depending on how much you feel your crew has left in the tank.

Racing the SRAA JV Eight Final in 2023

row2k - Tell us about the best race/practice you've ever had?
Teddy Hibbard - My best race was at the Canadian Henley Regatta, while racing the Men’s Senior Lightweight 8+. I cannot take much credit for this race, as my crew was extremely talented, including some top guys from the Harvard, Georgetown, and Mercyhurst 150s. But I regard this as my best race because of the sharpness of my calls and the execution of the race plan. The combination of the super talented lineup and the effective execution of the race plan added up with a win and a Canadian Henley Gold.

I don’t think I could pinpoint my best practice, but I think what I previously explained with my "best race"--being effective with your execution of a practice and achieving your coach’s intention--can make any practice the best one.

My worst race took place during the New York State Championships, in my Freshman 8+. Although many of the guys in that boat would grow to be some of my closest friends, I didn’t think at the time that I executed the race plan to its full potential. My lack of experience with buoyed courses and big time racing made fora disappointing finish.

Thanks for riding along with Teddy -- and, remember, this column is open to all "drivers" out there, so if you are an experienced coxswain at any level--from juniors to masters--and would be willing to invite row2k to join you in your ride, just contact us here. We’d love to hear from you about what you see from the Driver's Seat.