Here is some information from our coaches to help you become familiar with rowing terminology and techniques.
Parts of the Boat
Shell – the technical name of any boat built for competitive rowing
Bow – the front end of the boat
Stern – back end of the boat
Port – facing the bow, the left side (as a rower, this will be your right)
Starboard – facing the bow, the right side (as a rower, this will be your left)
Hull – the rounded bottom of the boat
Deck – the covered tops of the bow and stern
Gunwhale – the sides of the boat
Ribs – supportive structures vertical along the gunwhale
Tracks – parallel grooves in which the seat rolls
Foot stretchers – plates with shoes attached
Footplate – the plate to which the shoes are attached
Rigger – the metal bars on the sides of the boat that provide a pivot point for the oar
Pin / Top Bolt – the long bolt in the outboard corner of the rigger
Stays – each bar of the rigger; there is usually a front, middle, and back stay, though some boats have only front and middle.
Oar Lock – the plastic U with a locking gate through which the oar rests, and is allowed to rotate
Parts of the Oar
Blade – painted part at the end of the oar, should be the only part in the water during the drive
Shaft – black length between the blade and handle
Sleeve – black or green plastic sleeve around the shaft, sits in the oar lock
Collar – protruding ring around the sleeve that rests on the inboard side of the oarlock
Handle – end of the oar that is held on to
Parts of the Stroke
Catch – Back straight, knees bent, arms extended, shins perpendicular to the hull of the boat
Drive – with back straight and arms extended, legs extend to flat, the body lays back, then arms pull in
Release/Finish – Hands tap down to lift the blade from the water
Recovery – arms extend, body leans forward, legs side up with control: finish ARMS – BODY – LEGS catch LEGS – BODY – ARMS
Common Coxswain’s Commands
Commands will be given in a standard pattern, creating a rhythm to help the crew move together. This keeps everyone on the same page and safe.Ex: “Up off the rack… ready… up”
“Hands on / lay hold” – get to the boat, with hands on the gunwhale, prepared to pick it up
“Show heads” – Called before shifting from holding the boat over heads, to shoulders. Each rower, starting from the front will tilt their head to either the left or the right to show where they will go. Those toward the back must watch to go to the right side to keep even numbers on each side of the boat.
“Let it run” – stop rowing, let the boat glide forward on the water
“Weigh enough” – stop rowing/walking
“Hold water” – Square the blade and place it in the water, using the oar as a brakeRowers in the boat will generally be addressed by their seat number (bow, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8/stroke)
If your oar is out to your right side, you are port. Left side, you are starboard.
Parents and athletes will need to register and use the iCrew.club application to ensure they get the most out of their Space Coast Crew experience during each sporting season.
Once enrolled, athletes and their families will receive communications according to their preferences and be able to complete registrations more efficiently.
In addition, team coomunications which allow for message, directory information, and minute by minute team communication has been selected for the 2024-25 crew year. Stay in the know while finding your seat on the boat!
Space Coast Crew holds monthly board meetings typically on a Thursday 8:00pm via Zoom. Active members in good standing are welcome to attend board meetings. The link and agenda will be shared via our team app on Monday of the week of the meeting. SCC team members with any questions or concerns are welcome to reach out to any or all board members at any time.
CHRIS Marot President
Christiane Connor CHRISTIANE Connor Secretary
TREVOR Olds Chief Financial Officer
Robby Cook ROBBY Cook Vice President
LYNELL Newmarch Member-at-Large (Fundraising)
KATELYN Davidson Subject Matter Expert
TAYLOR Brown Subject Matter Expert
Monique Harris MONIQUE Harris Treasurer
Carol Cross CAROL Cross Member-at-Large (Technology & Information)
We row out of Oars and Paddles Park in beautiful Indian Harbour Beach, FL. We have a fleet of shells that empower our athletes to be successful in multiple disciplines and boat classes. We row on the Banana River where it meets the Intracoastal Waterway. Our nearly unlimited, well protected waterway is some of the best in the state of Florida for rowing and paddling.
Space Coast Crew is the sport team of Space Coast Crew Boosters, Incorporated, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, established in 1996 to promote the sport of rowing among Brevard County scholastic students in rising grades 5-12. The team was initially formed in 1989 with 22 young women as a club under the direction of John Harbaugh and head coach Pops Atkinson.
Space Coast Crew started when multiple High School rowing teams in Brevard County came together to share resources and equipment. What started as a collection of multiple teams quickly grew to become one club team. From there, the club grew to add more and more student athletes and competitive programs and divisions. Today, over 25 years from our founding, our club serves Elementary, Middle, and High School student athletes from all over Brevard and we run programs for roughly 150 Youth student athlete members between all our programs. We are committed to teaching rowing while simultaneously using the natural lessons that come with our sport to teach youth how to work hard, be patient, and set goals.
We are a parent run, volunteer organization with a professional coaching staff. We depend on parents, community volunteers, and community donors to operate, manage, and maintain our wonderful programs.
JOCELYN Little Director of Rowing / Women’s Head Coach
Phone: 989-859-0998
Coach Jocelyn is in her sixth year with Space Coast Crew and she comes to us with experience coaching with Academy of the Holy Names in Tampa as well as The Bolles School in Jacksonville and Rochester Rowing Club in Minnesota. She is a graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a Specialization in Coaching Strength & Conditioning and Minor in Nutritional Science. She also has a Master’s degree in Sport Coaching and Leadership. While at Michigan State Coach Jocelyn competed as a Division I scholarship athlete in rowing. She was a member of the 2009 Big Ten Championship winning team. She also received the Big Ten Sportsmanship award in 2012. Coach Jocelyn is US Rowing Level 3 certified.
Bryan Little BRYAN Little Director of Operations / Men’s Head Coach
Phone: 937-478-0412
Coach Little is in his sixth year with Space Coast Crew. He has previously coached at the Academy of Holy Names in Tampa, Rochester Rowing Club in Minnesota, The Bolles School in Jacksonville, and the Episcopal School of Jacksonville. Coach Little started his rowing career back in his home town of Dayton in 2001. He started rowing as a freshman to help conditioning for football but in the end came to love rowing. He set many club records and was elected most valuable oarsmen 3 years in a row. Coach Little served eight years in the US Navy in various locations all over the world. He graduated from the University of North Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management. He is US Rowing Level 2 certified.
ELIZABETH Bowman High School Assistant Coach
Coach Liz is an alumni of Space Coast Crew and is in her first year coaching for us. She started rowing at SCC in 2016 and graduated in 2019. She continued her rowing career on the Florida Tech men’s team as a coxswain from 2019 to 2023. She is a recent graduate with her Bachelors of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis and has experience working with children of all ages.
KYLE Stewart High School Assistant Coach
Coach Kyle is in his first year coaching for SCC.
Matt Cobb MATT Cobb High School Assistant Coach
Coach Matt is in his third year coaching with Space Coast Crew. He rowed for three years at Mel-Hi, highlighted by gold medals his senior year at the FSRA state championship in the mixed 4+, and at the FIRA Invitational, which in those days included high school events. After Mel-Hi he went on to row at Georgia Tech for several years, and while in graduate school served as the interim head coach for the Brenau University and Brenau Academy rowing program in 1999. He went on to a career in engineering, came back to Melbourne to work at L3Harris, and is thrilled to volunteer as a coach for his sons’ team.
Andy Li ANDY Li Middle School Coach
Coach Andy is in his third year coaching for Space Coast Crew. He rowed on the high school team for three years and developed his rowing skills with practices and races. He started his coaching career right after he graduated from high school. And today, by educating athletes in rules, strategies, sportsmanship, performance principles and safety, he uses his knowledge and skills to transform the middle school team into a better, faster, and more professional team. Coach Andy is USRowing Level 2 certified.
