Working as a Team

The coxless pair event, symbolized by (2-), is a rowing event that has 2 oarsmen in the boat. the shell (boat) is also known as a sweep-oar boat since each oarsman rows the boat with both hands on one oar. The term "coxless" refers to the absence of a "coxswain" in the boat. A "coxswain" is a part of the crew and an extra person in the boat who steers the boat and keeps the other paddlers working together. The fact that there is no coxswain (coxless) is represented by the "-" in the (2-) symbol.