Izzy Blansfield ’18

Seated at the front of the boat, constantly conversing with the rowers, the bull, the blades and the water, is Alin Pasa ’18.
Pasa is one of the coxswains on the varsity Saugatuck Rowing Club (SRC, a multi-school team) and has been coxing for five years now.

Her job is to steer the boat, ensuring that all the members are safe, focused, motivated and working together.

Pasa does this by coaching the rowers through drills and practices while also critiquing the crews technique.

“She’s our eyes and ears on the water, and we just do what she says,” teammate Sawyer Banbury, from Weston High School, said.
Pasa started coxing when her coaches pushed her to try out for the SRC’s competitive team. This is when she realized that the position was the perfect fit.

“I loved that I had control over something bigger than myself. I also loved the competitiveness and the team aspect,” Pasa said.

However, when Pasa first became the coxswain, she found the experience intimidating.

“Being the only girl in the boat, I was constantly worried about not being taken seriously,” Pasa said, “Since I have grown and learned with these guys, I can barely see a difference between me and them.”

Pasa also credits the rising popularity of female coxswains in boys’ boats, which has helped raise her confidence.

As a part of Pasa’s experience being coxswain, she explains that it can be “very stressful, because you are always the easiest person to blame when something goes wrong in the boat,” she said, “[especially since] the coaches expect you to make no mistakes and always be at the top of your game.”

To help prevent mistakes, Pasa and her teammates attend 2.5 hour practices every weekday, 3 hour practices every Saturday and occasional practices before school during the spring season.

So far this season Pasa’s team placed third at a regatta at the Housatonic River. And last year, when Pasa was the coxswain for the 1v4, they placed 10th at nationals.

After tasting this success, the team is looking to achieve even more. “We are hoping to place top 10 at the Head [Of The Charles Regatta] which would be the best result that Saugatuck has ever had,” Michael Cantor ’18 said.

In regards to Pasa’s role in the boat and her contribution to their success, Banbury acknowledges how her personal qualities come into play.

“What makes her so good is her eye for detail, her understanding of people and her insane competitiveness,” Banbury said. “She wants to be the best, and she will be.”