Rowers Take the Mic

“Christa is hands down the best in the business. I gave my novice high school coxies some of her practice and race tapes to listen to and learn from. She is enthusiastic, very smart, and the most intuitive coxswain I have ever had.”
– Teresa “T.Rube” Rubinger, Former DI Rower & Current High School Coach

“Don't let her size fool you, her abilities are larger than life. She's a powerhouse." - Emma "Schausy" Schaus

“Christa is not only a passionate coxswain during races, but also an excellent coach at practice. She knows how to explain the complex technique of the stroke in a precise way, and was able to vary her language to appeal to different personalities in the boat. Moreover, Christa was always composed and calm during practice; I never saw her get frustrated if drills or pieces were not going well. Personally, that helped me grow mentally as a rower. Christa helped me learn to shrug off the bad strokes and commit to taking better ones.” – T. Rube

“Christa has the ideal blend of professionalism and spunk that you want in a coxswain. She understands the logistics of racing, how to communicate effectively with coaches and rowers and how to organize everyone to perform their best for race day. And she does all of this with her characteristic sparkly personality that makes it fun for the rowers.” – Ingrid Woelfel

“I would let her cox me through my life any day. She has my ultimate trust on and off the water. I wish I still had her coxing tapes- I bet they would still motivate me today!” – CT Hwang, Former DI Rower & Current Masters Coach

“She cares about her teammates and works by their side to perfectly mediate communication between coaches and athletes.” – “Paigey Paige” Aiello

“Christa is a team player. She is always there for her rowers--supporting them both in and out of the boat. This helps to strengthen the rower-coxswain bond, therefore improving rowers responses to the coxswain during racing.” – Kelsey “Walk-On-Turned-Varsity-Success-Story” Sekanick

“All the younger coxswains go to her for advice.” – Rose Doerfler

“Christa was one of the only coxswains I've come across who mastered the art of constructive criticism.” – Kiran Ikram

“Christa is a great motivator. She helps rowers focus on what they need to work on without letting it become overwhelming. She also explains things in a way that is easy to understand and will take the time to re-explain if you don't. She doesn't get flustered in stressful situations, which is reassuring for the rowers.” – Anne Marie Blieszner

Christa’s strongest attributes as a coxswain?

“Christa is driven and determined. She is a terrific leader and always had the respect and trust of her boat mates with whom she competed.” – Anna “Banana” VanEgmond

“cool to the core ‘we here to take names’ professional + unwavering loyalty to her boat/team + spunky, laughing, making meters more fun.” – Ingrid

“Where do I start? Good coxswains are of several minds at once: she/he must identify and react to water and wind conditions, how the shell reacts to those conditions, the locations of competing boats, the race plan, countering moves from competing boats, the physical condition of her rowers, technical changes that need to be made to the stroke. What makes Christa an excellent coxswain is her ability to tune into the collective boat-mind and energy, and it's that 9-person hive mind that makes such a physically miserable event the most rewarding six minutes. Any good coxswain can be taught the logistics of rowing, but the ability to tap into the collective energy of eight other people and then use it to push them beyond their limits is unique and extraordinary. Christa is the whole package and then some.” – Olives

“She knows how to motivate, but also has the technical side down pat. She's great at picking up the mood of the boat.” – Carlee “Carl” Beckler

“Christa has the ability to read multiple personality types and determine what motivates each individual. She uses this ability to help rowers improve during practice and dig down during races to find that extra level of endurance and strength.” – Kelsey S.

“Ability to instill confidence in the rowers” – CT

“She fights to win with the boat as if she were herself rowing, relating to the rowers perfectly.”
– Paige

“She learned every facet of the sport, listened to her voice recordings endlessly and perfected her skills as a result. She continues to be a well rounded participant and leader in the sport to this day." - Emma

“She is the perfect mix between aggressive and technical.” – Joanna Mulvey

“Christa is an excellent coxswain because she is clear and decisive. She understands rowing technique and translates that knowledge to the boat in a straightforward way. Most importantly, she is competitive and unselfish; she adjusts her race plans and calls according to rower feedback and hates to lose. She made me want to push myself as hard as I could to cross the finish line before the other crews.” – T. Rube

“Pleasant/positive demeanor no matter what the circumstances.” – Kiran

Favorite Boat Memory:

“My favorite boat memory that occurred was when Christa was my coxswain in the Head of the Charles. Christa steered us through the course without issues, while keeping our motivation up.”
– Kelsey S.

“I should probably say something about a spectacular sprint, but all I can think about is that incident with a small family of ducks.” – Olives

“We were racing Stanford and she called for us to make a move early and helped us to hold the lead and go on to win the race against a tough competitor. She read the race and knew what to do for the win in our second race of the day against a good team.” – Paige

 How did Christa help you grow as a rower?

“She understood exactly how I needed to be pushed and was able to make the calls to do so, both in practices and during races. The way she used and changed the tone of her voice while coxing got me motivated and pumped to pull harder. Her sense of humor off the water helped me to relax and bond with the other members of the boat. Overall, Christa instilled a great sense of confidence in me during the seasons that I spent in her boats.” – CT

“She was knowledgeable about the sport and was able to put herself in the mindset of the rowers.”
– Anna V.

“She is great at communicating with rowers and other coxswains. Christa is also good at instructing others without seeming condescending or over-bearing.” – Joanna

Christa’s Coxing in 1 word:

“Dynamic.”
“Passionate.”
“Fierce.”
“Epic.”
“Powerful.”
“Confident.”
“Awesome. (Seriously).”
“Precise.”
“Efficient.”