Adrian Ellison, Olympic coxswain, on Redgrave, Cross, the '84 Olympics and how to be a great cox

Girl on the River

S2 Ep.1 Welcome back to Girl on the River for Season 2 – it’s so good to be back!

I’m absolutely thrilled to bring you the first episode in my new season – an interview with Adrian Ellison, who coxed the 4+ to a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (the first of five gold medals for crew member Steve Redgrave).

Adrian is a brilliant fount of knowledge, and what he doesn’t know about coxing isn’t worth knowing. We had a tremendous chat (the uncut version of which is available to Girl on the River patrons – you can sign up for the Girl Squad at www.patreon.com/girlontheriver).

Here’s what we talked about:

• Adrian’s route into coxing and how he ended up in GB Rowing Team
• What a coxed pair is like
• The best crew Adrian ever coxed (it might not be the one you’d expect)
• Coxing a bowloader
• Being coached as a cox
• The 1984 Olympics 4+ - how it was put together and what the dynamics were
• Getting the most out of a crew during a race
• The decision to retire from the GB Rowing Team
• Weight loss and the effects on Adrian’s health
• Why the coxswain’s weight makes little difference to boat speed except at the very highest level
• What makes a good cox
• Adrian’s style of coxing
• Has Adrian’s coxing improved since being on the GB Rowing Team?
• Whether international teams should consider using older coxes
• How to get better at coxing
• Mistakes Adrian has made
• What to do when a crew gets carried away in a race
• How to handle a sassy crew
• Lessons from Zoom Ergos and the quest for the perfect stroke

If you fancy joining one of Adrian’s Zoom Ergos sessions you can sign up at www.zoomergos.com.