Results
Name
Gippsland Grammar School
Club
Gippsland Grammar
Category
Performance / Wellbeing
Location
Gippsland, Victoria
Introducing Gippsland Grammar
Gippsland Grammar is a private school based in regional Victoria. Despite running one of the smallest rowing programs in the state, they're consistently one of the most competitive. Gippsland regularly wins the state-based Head of the River, and competed at Henley Royal Regatta in both 2025 and 2022. This year, they were the top-ranked Victorian school at the State Championships, and won the Australian National Championships in the Schoolgirl Coxed Quad for the first time in 16 years.
The Challenge
Like most programs, Gippsland's coxes had never had access to specific, structured coxswain development. They typically learned through experience, picking things up as they went.
"I wouldn't dread going to rowing, but I was worried because I didn't know what to say. I'd never had any specific coaching on my coxing," says Chloe Olijnyk.
"I started coxing in Year 8. In my first season I was crashing into a lot of things, and my coach kept saying, 'Chloe, don't crash into things' but that was it."
Nick Bartlett had always identified coxswain development as high value investment for his program. He saw it as a huge opportunity, both to gain a competitive edge, and to give his coxes a genuinely great developmental experience.
How Cox Coach Helped
For Nick, the key was separating coxswain development from athlete development. "The difficult line is giving coxes a structure where they can progress," he says. "Cox Coach brings that structure, and takes a lot of pressure and load off us, to the point where we can just check in."
When Nick first told his coxswains they'd be using Cox Coach, he remembers "their eyes just lit up. They were so excited to have something that was going to be just for the coxes."
The process was simple: coxes completed their lessons weekly, tried out their new skills in the boat, discussed what they'd tried as a group, and checked in with Nick.
"It empowers them to ask for feedback. If you try something new, you can ask for feedback on it," Nick says. It also means cox development isn't tied to the crew's own performance. "Even if the crew is stuck on something, the cox keeps learning."
The Impact
Decreased Coaching Load
Separating coxswain development from athlete development took pressure off Nick's plate. "Cox Coach brings that structure, and takes a lot of pressure and load off us, to the point where all we need to do is check in," he says.
It also freed Nick up to coach differently. Rather than spending sessions managing steering and safety, he could focus that time and energy on coaching the crew as a whole.
Wellbeing
Beyond the technical skills, Cox Coach gave Gippsland's coxswains a genuine sense of ownership and leadership in their role. Confidence grew alongside their skills, and coxes became far more engaged across the season, both with their own development and with each other.
"It felt like I was continuing to learn each week. It felt like I was actually getting better," says Chloe.
"It felt like I was actually learning. Like I was progressing," adds Mia Del Busso.
"With the rowers, they go and learn about things, and practice things. But the coxes just listen to what the coaches are saying to the crew," Chloe says. "With Cox Coach, you actually learn the coxing side of things."
Performance
Gippsland Grammar won the National Championships in the Schoolgirls Coxed Quad for the first time in 16 years. They had a dominant season at state level too, winning the Head of the River and finishing as the top-ranked Victorian school at the State Championships. Nick pointed to the strength of his coxswains as a key part of that success.
