As observed during the practice, there are two main methods of
participation. The majority of crew members are rowers, and their job is fairly
self-evident. However, there are also the coxswains. According to one of these
small leaders, "Coxswains are selected for their small size and strong
leadership abilities." And lead they must, the coxswains are in charge of
running the daily workouts and guiding the boats during a race. To do this,
they have to be able to steer and give instructions to the rowers. One of the
main examples of communication and leadership that I observed during practice
was the coxswains making different calls during the erg workout. (What an Erg looks like: ERGOMETER) Specific lexiswas utilized so I am not particularly sure what they were relaying to the
rowers. Even though I am not particularly sure what each call meant, a common
change seemed to resound from each of the rowers. Their means of verbal
communication through the utilization of specific lexis appeared to be a very
effective means of relaying the changes that they desired.
We
tried to find out if there were any texts or devices that helped to facilitate
communication between those involved with crew. Several different genres were
found that influenced communication on the team. The main method of
communication from the top down was email. The pictures below were sent out to every rower through email to communicate what the daily workouts will be for the week.
Members are kept up to date and made aware of pertinent information via emails
from the coaches. The practices themselves have their own genres as well. They
are a chance for participants to hone their skills by working with the coaches
and others. The workouts themselves rely heavily on their own genre of fitness. There was was a workout that was written on the whiteboard in the erg bay. On this whiteboard, the workout that every rower would be doing was written in a lexis. When looking at the board, the rowers could tell how hard they should be pulling according to their heart rate, what stroke rate they should be at, how many pieces they were doing, as well as how long each piece was going to take. Conversations among members mainly stemmed from the workout itself, rowing and erging strategy and
form. In this sense, practices facilitated some communication and present a literary genre.
Some examples of specific workout language are pictured below. These are two weeks worth of workouts that rowers would partake in.
Some examples of specific workout language are pictured below. These are two weeks worth of workouts that rowers would partake in.
Much
of the language used in crew is very specialized as with most any sport. Upon
observing a practice and reviewing some information from the team’s website (pictured below) unique terminology becomes apparent.
There are different words used to describe
many relevant aspects of crew. For example, when reading through the website I found that Purdue crew had just obtained a "brand new erg by winning the coed 2000m relay" in Indianapolis. During practice I discovered that what the rowers were doing was erging. Erg is short for ergomoters, also known as rowing machines.
(Old photo of Purdue Crew's Erg Bay: found on Flicker)
Many other words were used to describe things from technique and commands to the boat itself. Some of these words they used to describe the technique on the ergs were the finish, drive, catch, and handle. If you are interested in exploring some of this rowing lexis and learning their terminology you can navigate to this link as I did. CREW LEXIS
Many other words were used to describe things from technique and commands to the boat itself. Some of these words they used to describe the technique on the ergs were the finish, drive, catch, and handle. If you are interested in exploring some of this rowing lexis and learning their terminology you can navigate to this link as I did. CREW LEXIS
 |
| Coxswains communicating with rowers |
It
was evident that there were both a varsity and a novice rowing team. Who was on
which team was a matter of experience, and some of the rowers had been at it
for years. Discussing this with a few of the coxswains revealed that Purdue’s
team was the first experience many members had with crew and experience varied
greatly. Some people members were preparing for their first regatta and others
had been to many. While experience and form may have varied, newcomers
certainly made it a point to put in the extra effort to become better.
As a rower, there is undoubtedly a common goal among the members of the Purdue crew team. This common goal is to be at peak performance during regattas. This is the goal among members because they want to win regattas. In working towards these goals, members can participate in two different ways. These two roles that members can take is that of the coxswain or the rower. The rowers are the engine that powers the boat, moving it along the race course, while the coxswains are the smaller members of the team that steer the boat through the course. As a rower, the importance of communication is very evident.
As a rower, there is undoubtedly a common goal among the members of the Purdue crew team. This common goal is to be at peak performance during regattas. This is the goal among members because they want to win regattas. In working towards these goals, members can participate in two different ways. These two roles that members can take is that of the coxswain or the rower. The rowers are the engine that powers the boat, moving it along the race course, while the coxswains are the smaller members of the team that steer the boat through the course. As a rower, the importance of communication is very evident.
Through communication, current members are able to recruit new members
and keep current members up to date with important information. There are several community
specific genres that play a vital role in this
communication:
- Emails and Facebook page- keep members up to date on any important events or schedule changes
- Workout schedules- Tells members practice times and what they will be during practice. (Workout schedules pictured above.)
- Lineups- Tells members where they will be sitting in the boat during practice.
- Trip/ travel itineraries- Relays travel plans to members as well as establishing ground rules.
- Team Website- Informs both members and nonmembers about Purdue Crew.
There is undeniably a specialized
terminology among members of a crew team that take time and work to get acquainted
to. (This lexis can be explored here: CREW LEXIS) This specialized lexis is necessary
to communicate and make quick changes around the boathouse and on the water. There is easily a varying level of expertise among
the members at the boathouse. This can
be established by the splits that members pull on their erg workouts as well as
the title given to members that relate to how much time they have been a part
of the crew. Members move up this ladder
of varying expertise by attending practice and working on their form and
physical fitness. The title of varsity
member is acquired after a member has been a part of the crew for more than one
year.
