At first glance, Patricia "Trish" Kelshaw may not seem intimidating. Barely over five feet tall, the coxswain looks up (literally) to her taller rower teammates. However, she is the most crucial piece to any crew. She is the commander of the boat and is the motivation that helps rowers block out the pain during a close race. The freshman, one of the many new faces to the Mason Rowing program, took time out of the spring schedule to speak with GoMason.com.

GoMason: For those who may not be aware of what a coxswain does, how would you describe your position?
Kelshaw: We are a mini-coach is how I look at it. We motivate them [rowers], steer the boat, and stay on top of things and do whatever the coach tells us to. We are the ones in charge whenever the coach is not around.

GoMason: A native of nearby Maryland, what made you decide to come to Mason?
Kelshaw : Well, my dad works in Springfield and he knew about Mason and told me to check it out. Then we found out they had a crew team and I was interested and I got in touch with the coaches and then from there I just really liked the school.

GoMason : What were you thinking on your first day of practice at Mason?
Kelshaw : I was really scared and nervous. Everyone did a good job of talking to me and helping me feel comfortable but it's still intimidating because you see these big rowers and they are all really strong. It took a while to get comfortable and to get used to the team.

GoMason : In high school, you were a rower as well as a coxswain. How would you describe the transition between rowing and coxing?
Kelshaw : Well, I think being a rower helped me be a better coxswain because I know exactly how they [rowers] feel, how much pain they are in and how exciting it is. I also know how important it is for a coxswain to get their attention because it's not so easy to do.

GoMason : Do you think having experience as a rower improves your coxing?
Kelshaw : Yeah, absolutely because you know exactly how a rower feels and know what they are going through and it helps you make certain calls. You know what to say to help fix certain things because you have better boat feel.

GoMason : How would you describe the transition from high school rowing into collegiate rowing?
Kelshaw : Well, collegiate rowing is definitely more of a commitment and there is a lot more training. A lot more is expected from you and it's much harder and a lot more work is put into it.

GoMason : How would you compare high school coxing to collegiate coxing? Are there major differences from coxing a high school crew versus a collegiate crew?
Kelshaw : It got more competitive once I got to college. The atmosphere, especially at Mason, is so competitive. In high school, it's competitive but nowhere near as much. It makes you want to be a better coxswain.

GoMason : What is a difficult aspect of being a coxswain?
Kelshaw : To make sure that I always make a connection with the rowers. I need to always be aware of what is around me and make sure that when I am coxing, the rowers are not zoned out, but that they are focused.

GoMason : Which do you think is more difficult: being a rower or being a coxswain?
Kelshaw : Without a doubt rowing is absolutely and incredibly physically hard, but coxing, everything is under our responsibility, which does make it stressful. I don't want to say that one is harder than the other because I think they are both pretty hard.  Rowing equals death but coxing is stressful.

GoMason : What is a coxswain's worst nightmare?
Kelshaw : The worst thing that could happen is being late for a race and not being able to race. That, or breaking the skeg [steering device] or destroying a boat.

GoMason : Do you have any pre-race routines?
Kelshaw : I used to have a hat that my [high school] coach gave me. It was from Brown University and I used to wear it for every race, but I don't wear it anymore. I just always take a big breath and relax before a race, and I have to talk with my coach for a while to help with a race plan.

GoMason : What is your favorite Mason rowing memory thus far?
Kelshaw : At the Occoquan [Occoquan Sprints] we were walking St. Joe's and we beat them by about two seats. Crossing the finish line, I was yelling like crazy and the girls, everyone was just so happy it was really, really great and we got medals and it was just great.

GoMason : What advice would you give a high school junior or senior looking into colleges and selecting a rowing program?
Kelshaw : You should select a school where you can actually see yourself in a boat motivating these girls and see yourself not only becoming teammates but friends because you are going to be spending a lot of time with them. If you can see yourself coxing that boat, then you should go for it.