In Olympic rowing, two people make a pair and four make a four but eight wont do for an eight. Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys .Sitting in the stern in the biggest boat class is a ninth crew member, facing the others. He or she is the coxswain, typically a small person who plays such a big role that calling the boat a nine might seem more appropriate.Shes our eyes and ears, said Meghan Musnicki of the U.S. womens eight, the two-time defending Olympic champions, describing the role of coxswain Katelin Snyder . And basically our brain. Because were just hauling on it. And in a lot of pain.The coxswain, or cox, keeps the boat going straight and the oars swinging in sync and lets the crew know whos ahead and whos behind and by how much. If done right, the coxs commands help the rowers push past the pain barrier and keep pulling those oars when every muscle fiber tells them to stop.Its a delicate task. How do you make rowers who already feel theyre giving everything to give even more, when youre sitting in that ninth seat in relative comfort? Just telling them to go faster wont cut it.Definitely not! said Snyder, 28. `Go faster could mean pull harder with my arms or it could mean swing more with my body or step quicker with my legs. So when I want them to go faster I have to specify where and how were going to do that together.The mens and womens eight are the only boats with a coxswain in the Olympic regatta.Its a job that can seem thankless.You pretty much can only screw up, says U.S. womens coach Tom Terhaar. They dont get a lot of credit when they do a good job. And if they make a mistake its obvious.A bad cox is just dead weight, literally. The coxswains dont row, and they slow the boat down with their body weight, which explains why they tend to be so petite.The minimum weight for a cox in international rowing is at least 55 kilograms (121 pounds) for men and 50 kilograms (110 pounds) for women.Frances Turner, who coxes New Zealands womens eight, said she started off rowing but soon realized she was too short and too loud and that I would be much better suited as a cox. She thinks of herself partly as a psychologist, whose job starts long before the race begins.Youve got to know the athletes inside out, Turner said. Know their trigger points. Know how the boats feeling. And pull on those trigger points in a race when you need them so you can get the boat working completely harmoniously.In training, the coxswains focus on stroke rates and other technical details and generally stay calm. In racing, they get loud and occasionally foul-mouthed as they try to squeeze every joule of energy out of the crew through the 2-kilometer (1.24-mile) course.These days the coxswain calls out commands using headsets hooked up to a so-called cox box, which is connected to speakers in the boat and amplifies the coxswains voice.I always get stopped at the airport for it, Snyder said. It is a circle and it has a timer and a toggle. It looks a lot like a bomb.Still, shed rather have a cox box in Rio than the weird-looking megaphones that coxswains used to strap to their faces in the old days.They would scream through cones, Snyder said. So Im really happy thats not a thing anymore.---Follow Karl Ritter on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Karl-Ritter Wholesale Maple Leafs Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Adidas Maple Leafs Jerseys . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. http://www.cheapmapleleafsjerseyschina.com/ . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars running back Chris Ivory said hes ready to return to the field now that he has recovered from a medical issue that sent him to the hospital for two days. Its unclear, however, when that will happen.Ivory was at the team facility on Thursday morning for the first time since last week and released the following statement through the team in which he said he was thankful for the support he received from the Jaguars and fans:I returned to the stadium this morning to rejoin my coaches and teammates as we continue to prepare for the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. This past weekend was a challenging time for my family and me because of an emergency medical condition that developed while I was with my team at the hotel. I am now grateful to be back in the facility and able to refocus on the game that I love. I want to extend a special thanks to the Jaguars medical staff, the first responders and everyone at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville for their assistance over the past couple of days.I appreciate everyones sensitivity during this personal matter, and Im ready to be back out on the field and look forward to doing so in the near future. Thank you for all for your support. I want you to know that I read each and every message and Im thankful for them all. Maple Leafs Jerseys From China. Later Tuesday, Ivory didnt want to get into specifics of his injury when he was asked questions by reporters.Id rather not speak about specifics. It was something that needed attention and I went in in pain and I got the problem fixed, he said.He did say, however, that he doesnt believe the medical issue will return.Like I said, theres no more issues, he said. Im ready to go. Did a little cardio today and now its just day-by-day.Ivory was hospitalized early Sunday morning -- hours before the teams season opener against the Green Bay Packers at EverBank Field -- for what the team called a general medical condition. He was released on Tuesday.Ivory did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, which makes it unlikely that hell be able to play in Sundays game at San Diego.Asked when he thought hed be able to return, Ivory said, Im looking to be back soon.The Jaguars signed Ivory to a five-year, $32 million contract in March. He has rushed for 4,031 yards and 24 touchdowns in six seasons with the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '