Winter Coxswains Only Challenge
Please Join Us - Early Bird Rates Available Until November 1
At Coxswains Only, our mission is to intensively train coxswains to coach themselves while exploring their personal relationship with performance. Average age & experience is 15-17 with 1-2 years of experience at a staff to camper ratio of 1:4. Staff includes former Olympic, Ivy, and US team coxswains and coaches.
TBD
Category
Challenge
Ages
14
-
19
The focus is exclusively on coxswains
This is a rowing camp where coxing skills are the only focus.
For this winter camp, we run a four day version of five day summer Coxswains Only Challenge – this is amongst the most intensive options we offer for coxswains.
Sparks ‘rents’ the team: boats and athletes (and they win too, with a fundraiser.) Entire on water practices are spent on absolutely everything that goes with being the ninth seat. The art of steering, command structure, docking, dealing with conditions, and interpreting drills are onlythe tip of the iceberg. Coxswains only gives us a chance to focus more intensely on the advanced curriculum (see below) we’ve developed and use throughout our camp system.
As coxswains know, there are few elites out there – and even then, the education received can be hard to come by because it can’t be done on the water in the course of a normal practice. Our coxswain coaches are some of the top in the world: they have been to the world championships and the Olympics. They’ve given years of their lives – both young and adult – to the seat.
Even though we could hold a camp similar to this without this staff and make it revolutionary given the concept of exclusive coxswain focus, we believe our staff rounds camp up to the best level of coxswain coaching in the world.
We made a decision early on at Sparks to help coxswains by taking a serious look at creating a concrete system for coxswain education and employing it via our camps, virtual coxswain coaching, and college counseling. After years of fine-tuning and employing this system, we’re happy to utilize the best pieces in person.
Coxswains can expect to learn in much the same way as doctors doing rounds in teaching hospitals. They will be put in small groups with their attending coach and present to the group during on water exercises throughout the week.
Awareness: We believe awareness is the most important aspect of coxing because all coxswains are self-taught. We learn from our surroundings – from what our coaches and athletes are saying, and what we’re feeling and seeing inside, outside, and around the shell. Our curriculum emphasizes awareness via daily, detailed analysis of everything from digital recordings to inward reflections during training.
Steering: Steering is absolutely essential for coxswains: the fastest distance between two points is a straight line. Beyond that, safety and shell integrity are at stake. We utilize buoyed and non-buoyed courses as well as teach steering in different wind conditions. The curriculum also addresses turns for head racing.
Organization: We teach coxswains how to organize their boats effectively on the water and off to make sure they’re running efficient and effective practices and maximize potential boat speed. We measure organization by making sure that coxswains communicate clearly and effectively to achieve objectives and goals established by coaches and the team.
Direction: If you can’t hear your commander on the battlefield, chaos will ensue; coxswains must construct clean and effective command structures. Coxswains are shown how to most effectively give a command and execute it in real-time scenarios on the water. Coxswains are also taught how to evaluate their audio recordings to find their own personal structure.
You'll arrive at the hotel and if you haven't yet, notice the warmth prior to meeting the rest of your cohort - all coxswains. After registration and room assignment, you'll meet your coaching staff and small group leader.
Then we'll go on the water and you will get a taste of what it is to be able to learn coxing concepts without worrying about the rowers. Your coaches will explain the point of your time in the seat to practice the concepts discussed at camp - not to master them.
The next few days will be an intense mixture of lectures covering the concepts of steering, organization, and commands followed by water sessions to practice each concept. Full days at camp will all be double water sessions unless the coaching staff decides otherwise. This is followed by lectures and small group activities at night - down time will be precious.
You'll have your small group to crystallize the learning from each day, and this is a good thing in that the concepts of steering, commands, and organization are very broad insofar as determining your personal style and educating your ability level.
You'll also have the opportunity most days to meet one on one with coaching and leadership staff at camp in order to ask questions that pertain to your specific performance and objectives. Commands and audio review of elite coxswains by the coxswains themselves is a typically very helpful part of camp for many. Some also appreciate the recruiting information (yes, a limited number of coxswains are recruited every year).
By the end of camp, the goal is for you to have more self-awareness around your skill sets. You need to be able to analyze what you did well and what you need to improve during water sessions with your team back home during the Spring season.
Camp will end shortly after it begins, but it will seem like a long time given the volume of information you receive. You'll say your goodbyes to the coaches and small group leaders as well as other coxswains you've met and shared learning with at camp to head away with your folks from the hotel or back to the airport.
Included in Camp Fee
Meals
Lodging
Camp Gear
Coaching & Equipment
Not Included in Camp Fee
Personal Gear
Airfare to and from camp
Trip Protection (strongly recommended) - Learn More
Four Seasons of Coxing Experience in Four Days
Day 1: Approach
A Sparks staff member will meet campers at the airport and supervise transport to our lodging. We will spend some time getting to know each other prior to meeting one on one with coaching staff to assess your level and goals. We will get on the water as the sun goes down - and then do a little off-water seminar work.
Day 2: Connection
We'll get up, eat breakfast, and head to the rowing course for our training sessions. Small groups will be on the water with staff rotating with others engaged in land seminars reviewing steering technique, audio, and your role as a coxswain. There will be time to meet with coaches one on one.
Day 3: Adaptation
The amount of information you're receiving per your role and how to coach yourself crests today - you will continue rotations between water and class sessions. There will be time to meet with coaches one on one, small group time, and a recruiting seminar. We will take the stress level down with dinner on the beach.
Day 4: Inspiration
Our final day will include boat handling and racing challenges. You'll bid goodbye to your newfound fellow coxswain buddies, pack your notebook from camp, and depart!
At A Glance
Excellent Staff at Low Ratios
Thoughtful Admissions
High Standards of Behavior
Reading and Writing at Camp
Healthy Hospitality
The Reflective Cycle
Camp Focuses
Coxing
Large Boats
Leadership
FAQ
What is your cancellation/refund policy?
Camp purchases are fully refundable minus transaction fees until March 1 for summer camps.
- We strongly recommend you purchase travel protection with cancel for any reason coverage.
- We offer these plans from Travel Insured International during the check-out process for our four and five day camps and during final balance payment for deposit-based multi-week camps.
- Learn more about travel protection here
- If you withdraw after the above dates, there are no refunds for any reason whatsoever (including, but not limited to: voluntary withdraw, illness or injury, summer school, security concerns or other reasons).
- If your camper leaves camp after it starts, there are no refunds for any reason whatsoever, including but not limited to: voluntary withdrawal, illness or injury, dismissal by Sparks (due to discipline, behavior, lack of fitness or motivation, etc.) security concerns, or any other reason. Any costs incurred by Sparks as a result of an early departure are the sole responsibility of the parents.
- In the unlikely case a camp does not proceed, we'll work to notify you by November 1. You'll be offered a different program or a refund. In some cases, we may extend the 'go, no-go' date. We recommend buying your flight after November 1 or later, if we advise.
Do you offer scholarships or discounts?
We offer discounted prices for "early bird" registrations prior to November 1.
Regarding Scholarships:
Please see this link to our NCAA Compliance webpage.
What level of experience is necessary for Coxswains Only?
Campers at our Coxswains Only programs typically have at least a full year of coxing experience and up to four years' of coxing experience. We have also regularly had collegiate Division III, II, and I coxswains attend Coxswains Only as campers.
The program is intensive in that the schedule is jam-packed over the time the athletes are with us at camp. As such, coxswains must be engaged with the sport and seeking an intensive, immersive experience that will contribute to improving their skills.
Do you honor rooming requests? / What if I'm coming to camp alone?
Typically, we do not honor rooming requests unless there's a medical issue. Requests enable social cliques and don't allow camp to meet each camper on an individual level - a level of educational quality we're serious about providing. The requests also unintentionally disable the fun and according growth of meeting new people (everyone feels awkward at the start of camp) and gaining new perspective on the sport. That said, there's plenty of time to hang out and experience camp with one's friends (the ones from before camp) during the day at camp.
What should I seek from coaches at camp? Is recruiting a part of camp?
Per NCAA rules, recruiting or speaking in specifics about institutional recruiting policies is not a part of camp. Campers may speak about the overall process and ask coaches' opinions on specific steps of their journey (i.e. coxing development), but may not inquire as to their possibilities at the coaches' programs during camp.
Coaches all have their own style of pedagogy. Part of camp should be to experience the differences in those styles such that campers may better understand the way coaching staff manage and connect with the sport for their own benefit.
Sparks runs a recruiting webinar specific to coxswains each January for camp alumni with seasoned rowing recruiting and academic college counseling experts for parents and students
Who are the camp coaches at Winter Coxswains Only?
Our Coxswains Only camp coaches are generally coxswains trained in our curriculum with prior experience at Sparks camps. This includes multiple Division I coaches who are former coxswains and Olympic level coxswains - including our eLearning staff.
We take quality of educators extremely seriously at Sparks and know it directly impacts the word of mouth that enables us to continue to run camps. The primary thing we care about when hiring coxswain educators is their educational talent and fluency in teaching the meta-skills necessary to enable coxswain to continue to improve awareness, steering, commands, and organization after camp. As a result, the majority of our coaches come from highly esteemed backgrounds with impressive resumes, but educational talent is a different quantity than national team experience - and as such, this is not the case for all.
If you'd like to know more about who specifically is coaching at winter coxswains only this year, give us a ring via the chat box in the bottom right corner and we'll tell you.
Tell me about safety at Sparks
We employ safety and risk management practices from the adventure education industry, where some risk is inherent but must be quantified insofar as educational value. These practices are initially employed in program design and we work hard to train operations staff to seek to maintain an awareness of specific risks at all times. No outdoors programming can guarantee safety, however professional management of risk is key to the art of providing consistently excellent experiential education programming.
Where are camp forms found?
Camp forms are issued at least six weeks prior to camp on our site via your dashboard.
What differentiates Sparks coxswain camps?
We are the only camp in rowing with a full-time staff that has academic and professional backgrounds in experiential education. We also have a summer operations staff (many are returners that teach during the school year) who buy into the idea of personal growth at camp not just for campers - but for themselves as well.
The result is a culture sincerely committed to the power of rowing as a personally transformative experience built on vulnerability, thoughtfulness, responsibility, and initiative. This does not mean other camps are relatively inferior; in fact, we feel such a perspective is not helpful. The camp needs to fit the athlete. Our focus is on utilizing rowing to create self-awareness for our camp community.
Our coxswain camps are built off a curriculum that is the culmination of a decade of work in coxswain education on the part of three Olympic coxswains and a number of elite coxswains and coaches from multiple top rowing countries' national team programs. We teach coxswains how to think about coxing and approach it at camp such that when they leave, they leave with the ability to continually improve. You can find out more about our coxswain curriculum by watching the camp video above or visiting our coxswain eLearning page.
What can you tell me about housing and supervision at camp?
Campers are housed at Orange Hill Beach Inn- which is 10 minutes from the airport and 10 minutes from the rowing site.
At Sparks camps, we have two staffs: a coaching staff and an operations staff. Our operations staff is responsible for the experiential education and pastoral care at camp. It is made up secondary school educators (Program Leaders) and current student-athlete alumni (Associate Program Leaders) who are led by an experienced Program Director. Operations staff chose to work at Sparks camps both as an active exercise in educational leadership development and to discuss rowing with the coaching staff.
The staff lives amongst the student athletes, and has oversight 24 hours a day. Unhealthy substances and/or behaviors are strictly prohibited.
How do you handle travel to/from camp? Can you pick me up at the airport?
A Sparks staff member will be at the Nassau airport for arriving and departing campers. The airport is less than a 10 minute drive from the hotel.
Please seek for flights to arrive before 2 PM on the first day of camp and depart after 2 PM on the last day of camp.
If this is outside your window given expense or flight availability, please get in touch with us and we will work with you. For example, if you're traveling to camp from the east coast and need to fly the night before camp starts - please contact us to discuss lodging options.
I still have questions. Is it possible to speak with someone?
Certainly!
If you have an logistical or informational question, feel free to use the live chat in the bottom right corner. We can generally turn these around quickly.
If you want to speak with a real, live human - that's also possible! We just ask you schedule a call with us (click here) given we're a very small office.