'Acceptable agreement' may allow Bower to keep her job

A compromise that would add two newA compromise that would add two newassistants to the program would allow theA compromise that would add two newassistants to the program would allow thewomen's crew coach to retain her position In sports, nothing breeds discontent as much as unfilled expectations. For the Penn women's crew team, the spector of facing another disappointing season proved so daunting that on November 14, they approached Athletic Director Steve Bilsky demanding the resignation of seven-year head coach Carol Bower. Under Bower, the team has finished no higher than fifth out of fifteen boats at the regional championships. Since that meeting, the athletic department has been seeking to reach a compromise acceptable to the team, which would keep Bower, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist, at the helm. With the team scheduled to return to practice on the Schuylkill River in just a few weeks, an acceptable agreement appears to be in place, according to Senior Associate Athletic Director Carolyn Femovich. "Our goal is to provide an enjoyable and successful experience for our athletes," said Femovich, who has been dealing with the situation on behalf of the athletic department. "However, we do not make personnel decisions based on student athletes demands." Presenting a united front, the team threatened not to row during the spring season if its ultimatum for change was not met. During the winter recess, the varsity squad demonstrated its solidarity by boycotting a team training trip to Tampa, Fla., opting to pay their own way to workout independently in Miami. "The team was not happy with how they were coached and felt they weren't reaching their potential under [Bower]," Femovich said. In response to the women's demands, the athletic department has agreed to allow Andy Metcalf, a part-time assistant for the men's crew team, to help out with the team's training. The department also plans to hire an additional part-time assistant to work solely with the women's team, bringing the number of women's crew coaches to four, including novice coach Angie Herron. Most importantly, under the university's proposal, Bower will remain as head coach, although she has agreed to accept more input from her assistants. "The immediate way of resolving this is through coaching structure," Bower said. "We're going be using a lot more input from assistant coaches." Women's crew members refused to offer comment on the athletic department's proposal. According to Penn alumnus Janice Englesbe, who was a member of the team from 1988 to 1991, the situation between the varsity team and Bower has been deeply fractured since at least November. At a very emotional meeting with a group of alumni just before Thanksgiving, the current varsity members explained their differences with Bower. "They felt Carol couldn't take them where they want to go," Englesbe said of that meeting. "They felt they wanted more than she had to offer." While Englesbe agreed that some of the team's complaints may be legitimate, she disagrees with their effort to obtain Bower's resignation. "I think they were very naive to walk into the athletic department and say 'We don't like our coach, we want a new one,' " Englesbe said. In a statement released December 10, the team accused Bower of being an ineffective coach and not allowing the team to reach its full potential. Bower conceded that she had been distracted by her involvement with Penn's Title IX proceedings and was not able to devote the enthusiasm she had in the past to the team. From 1992 to 1995, she served as the spokesperson for Penn's female coaches on all issues related to Title IX, the NCAA's initiative to institute gender equity in collegiate athletics. "I was feeling a burden?and I think it had an effect" Bower said about her responsibilities relating to Title IX. "Sometimes, when you look to the long run, you neglect the immediate." However, Bower emphasized that the strife between her and the varsity rowers has given her a new found excitement for the sport. Bower hopes to channel the energy the team has demonstrated throughout this admittedly painful ordeal into better team results. Although the past few months have been difficult for her personally, she has been impressed with the team's resolve. "It's going to take a while for the lines of communication to open up," said Bower. "If this program can train through the pain, we'll all have become stronger."

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