Meet Our Coaches
Head Coxswain Coach
DAN GILBERT
Coxing is a role of importance and leadership, unmatched in sport. It is a job that reflects not just what technical information you possess, but more importantly who you are at the center of your character. The resources provided by Rower Academy are presented not to just teach a junior coxswain what it takes to compete on the collegiate or elite level, but also to elevate their thinking and enrich their knowledge. Our goal is not only to improve your skills and guide you through the coxswain recruiting process, but also to inspire and contribute to your personal growth.

“N o matter how good you are currently, you will need to continue to improve to be a competitive candidate for recruitment and collegiate coxswain. There are very few recruiting spots available to coxswains – I know this from personal experience, as recruited junior coxswain, IRA champion, elite coxswain, and collegiate rowing coach. To this end, Rower Academy has created a library of information covering the totality and complexities of the role of coxswain from on the water skills, to growing the personality traits that make us the best leaders we can be.
Coxing is never perfect and is constantly evolving in the face of countless variables. Those who choose to engage coxing to its fullest extent, to be a student of the craft, and to embrace its challenges are the ones who not only end up at the college of their dreams, but also go on to do even bigger and better post-grad. As such, we hope that you will choose to be a student of coxing and join the Academy, to learn how to excel under the pressure and to become the very best student athlete you can be.”
Dan Gilbert
Head Coach and Founder of Rower/Coxswain Academy
LUKE WALTON
Rowing and the rowing community have given me so much over the years. I have learned invaluable life lessons and skills, traveled around the world, and built an international network of athletes and coaches. All of this began with my recruitment and admission to the University of California, Berkeley.
I am the oldest of three sons and the first to be recruited in our family. If anyone knows how intimidating and confusing the recruitment process can be for athletes and their parents, it’s me. After 10 years working with student athletes, developing their rowing skills, and successfully guiding them through the recruiting process, I decided to expand Rower Academy’s outreach and resources.
I want as many young athletes as possible to experience a trajectory like mine. Rower Academy exists to equip student athletes and their families with the information, tools, and training needed to successfully navigate the recruiting process and to realize their dreams of rowing in college.”
It’s time to embrace that dream, get to work, and set yourself on a winning course.

Why Coxswain Academy?
The numbers are ruthless: Out of more than 40,000 applications a year to Harvard University, not quite 2,000 make the final cut. Just one admitted for every 19 rejected. Every year high school seniors with straight A’s, perfect test scores and stellar recommendations wonder why they didn’t make it. — Washington Post 10/21/2018
This highly competitive admissions process is not just an issue at Harvard. It is an issue at colleges and universities across the country.
So, what can you do to stand out in today’s ultra-competitive admissions process? The answer, once again, comes from data at Harvard.
Harvard University, one of the world’s most selective schools, admits fewer than 5 percent of applicants. But court documents in a lawsuit over Harvard Admissions indicate that when an applicant was designated as an athletic recruit during a recent six-year period, the admission rate was 86 percent. — Washington Post 6/12/2019
As a high school student athlete, the data shows you have a tremendous advantage over other applicants if you work to position yourself as a recruited athlete. But not all high school coxswains get recruited.
Coxswain Academy will help you stand out against all the other coxswains trying to get recruited.
Membership
The information, tools and training created, updated, and curated by Coach Gilbert and Coach Walton to help you to both improve your coxing and successfully navigate the recruiting process.
Membership is complimented with access to the Member Blog, as well as exclusive discounts to other Coxswain Academy services.
Development
- Virtual Coaching Sessions with Coach Gilbert via Zoom, Google, Skype, Telephone etc.
- Practice & Race Audio/Video Recordings Analysis & Review, with technical feedback and suggestions to promote greater effectiveness.
- Detailed Discussions with Coach Gilbert About Your Role as Coxswain and How to Bring Out the Best In Your Crews, Including But Not Limited to:
- Time Management
- Your Role as Both Coxswain and Coach
- Understanding the Mechanics of the Rowing Stroke and How to Coach Them
- Maximizing the impact of your calls by making at the right place (and time)
- Your Effect, both Positive and Negative Over Your Crews (Traits of a successful Coxswain)
- How To Stand Out in the Recruiting Process (Experience is crucial)
- How To Communicate with College Coaches
