Be The Inspiration: Men's Rowing Eight

From his seat in the stern of a rowing eight, coxswain Caleb Shepherd can intrinsically feel if his crew are in sync.

If they’re not, he uses “trigger words” to inject power and speed into the crew, and get them back on course.

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“Feeling the boat’s speed has come to me over the last few years, with time in the boat,” Shepherd says. “I feel the boat speed through my seat, my lower back and holding onto the sides of the hull. I can feel the run of the boat, and know whether they are perfectly in sync. And I use that feeling to make a good judgement call. If I can feel something isn’t quite right, I can tell them, and we can hopefully go quicker.”

As cox of the New Zealand men’s eight, it’s Shepherds job to get the most out of his crew - technically, physically, and sometimes emotionally. And the right word can make all the difference.  

“Sometimes if you nail a certain phrase or choose the right words, it will get to them and the boat will suddenly accelerate. If they’re not quite all on the same page, it can bring their minds together and make the boat faster.”

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In the quickest boat on the water, the eights crew thrives on speed, energy and excitement.

“You’ve got six boats competing at a super-high speed and it doesn’t take much to unsettle that. You’re right on the edge of chaos. And being right on the edge is awesome,” Shepherd says.

New Zealand has a proud Olympic history in rowing, winning 21 medals since 1920. But it’s been 32 years since a Kiwi crew has raced in the blue riband event – the eights.

The New Zealand eights crew who will race in Rio made their mark by finishing fourth at the last world championships on Lake Aiguebelette in France.   

Although they are one of the youngest eights crews in the world - all are aged in their early 20s – they won’t treat that as a handicap.

“We just have to use that to our advantage and really attack it,” Shepherd says. “We don’t have any individual superstars, it’s all about teamwork. What we rely on is rowing together really, really well, and being on the same page, so that when the time comes there’s no hesitation, there’s no thought, it just happens.”

Being around the same age is a plus. “We get in a good mental space really well; we know when to switch off and have fun, and when to switch on and do the business.

“Our big picture goal is gold. But we’re thinking long-term as well. There’s so much room for development.”

Even at the age of 22, Shepherd has already known success in the black singlet a number of times. A double under-23 world champion, he was also cox for Eric Murray and Hamish Bond when they claimed a world record and gold medal in the coxed pair at the 2014 world championships.   

“It’s really awesome to wear the silver fern and be part of something that’s bigger than yourself,” he says. “I think that’s what it’s all about - fighting for your country and helping the rowers to get the most out of themselves.

“You don’t think about being an inspiration all the time, but if a kid comes up to you at a regatta and asks for advice, that’s really cool. It’s rewarding to be able to have an impact on other people.”