W. Crew has found a leader

To represent one's country in the Olympics is every athlete's dream. For women's crew coach Carol Bower, the dream became a reality when she made the 1980 Olympic team. The dream was taken away, however, by President Jimmy Carter and his Olympic boycott. Bower remembers coming home from a day of classes and working out. She sat down to eat dinner, only to turn on the T.V. to find Carter announcing the boycott, causing her to choke on her dinner. "We were really caught up in all of the politics," said Bower, whose squad competes in the Frostbite Regatta tomorrow on the Schuylkill River. "We had worked hard for something that was very much ours, something that couldn't be taken away." Bower was fortunate that she was at the beginning of her national rowing career at the time of the boycott. She knew the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics would be her last chance, and she set a goal of making the team. Bower was one of only two members of the 1980 team to also make the 1984 team. That team won the gold medal in another Olympics tainted by boycotts, this time from the Soviet Union and East Germany. "The Olympic race was really just the end of of the accomplishment," Bower said. "The accomplishment is not limited to winning that day. It wasn't even our best race. We rowed our best when we set the world record a few months earlier." The only way the 1984 victory could have been sweeter is if the 1980 team had also won. Bower never sensed jealousy from the members of the team who never got to row in the Olympics. In fact, the 1980 team has formed a special bond because of the hardship they endured. They continue to row together once each year at the Head of the Charles Regatta where they try to make up for their lost opportunity. Bower started her coaching career while she was still on the national team. She coached the freshmen at Yale, winning one national title. The progression to head women's coach was a natural one. She had always been interested in teaching. The Olympic experience also influenced Bower's coaching career. She drew inspiration in her coaching methods from her first national team coach, Chris Korzenowski. "He really lifted the style of American rowing," Bower said. "I've tried to teach his style throughout my career." Bower believes her experiences also help her relate to the struggles her teams may go through. She is someone who has been there. She shares their frustrations and mistakes. Bower does not expect her team to perform at a national level, because she understands it takes time to reach that level. Last year, though, Bower was able to send senior Melanie Onufrieff to the national team. Bower tries to separate her individual and coaching accomplishments as much as possible. There is a completely different mind-set between coaching and competing that allows her to do this. "As an athlete, you are more concerned with how you are doing," Bower said. "You have to have a broader vision as a coach. Your main concern is how everything comes together." This year's team is making steady progress as the fall season concludes. After a slow start, Penn has improved in each race this season, increasing the chances of a solid spring season. "Just because you start out slow," Bower said, "it doesn't mean that you have to be slow in the spring." Tomorrow's competition will be the last race for the Quakers before they head into a winter season of indoor training. Penn's main competition will come from Temple, which has improved this year. The Owls have edged the Quakers in some races this fall. A strong race will lead to hope that this will be the year that Bower places a national title trophy on her shelf, right next to her gold medal.