Cambridge, Massachusetts-based entrepreneur RoAnn Costin leads Wilderness Point Investments, LLC, and delivers growth strategies across the startup sphere. A sports enthusiast, RoAnn Costin earned selection as an All-American Collegiate Swimmer and Rower while attending Harvard University.

The leader of any rowing crew is the coxswain, who sits in the boat’s stern (rear), facing the direction in which the shell is traveling, as the rowers face opposite, toward the rear. Acting as the eyes of the boat, the coxswain is tasked with steering, ensuring a proper distance from other boats.

Along with steering, the coxswain directs other actions through a variety of calls, such as “check it down,” which tells the rowers to square the blades and drag them, until the boat slows or stops. “Hold water” is a call to square the blades when the boat is stopped, keeping it in a set location.

By contrast, “Power 10” is a call that directs the rowers to take vigorous strokes, giving maximum effort for a set number of strokes so as to make a move on another boat. “Let it run” is a call for rowers to lift their blades out of the water at the end of a final sprint, such that the shell glides past the finish line.