W. Crew optimistic after changes

Players, coaches excited about fresh start with Bergman Penn crew coaches and team members caught their breath this weekend after a shake-up that saw the resignation of women's coach Carol Bower and the appointment of longtime men's heavyweight coach Stan Bergman to run the entire program. And several voiced excitement for what might be a strong all-around season for the men's heavyweight, men's lightweight and women's squads. "I hope that we're going to see improvements in all three programs," Bergman said. "I think we'll meet the needs of all the athletes much better this way." Bergman, who was named Coach of the Year by the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges three times, emphasized that the reorganization of the program should relieve his administrative burden, giving him more hours working with the teams. Three full-time assistants, Angie Herron, Larry Connell and Bruce Konopka -- formerly the lightweight head coach -- will shoulder more of the administrative duties. "There's a lot of administrative work in running the program," Bergman said. "What I like to do is coach, and I think this will give me an opportunity to coach more." Women's crew co-captain Amy Hoopes also said she felt the restructuring would give the coaches more on-site instruction time. "It's a new, innovative type of thing to do with a team," the senior said. Hoopes described Bergman as an "awesome" and "incredible" coach. "With the cohesiveness we already have, we have a good shot at doing really well," she said. Senior Caspar Bentinck, the captain of the men's heavyweight crew team, is pleased with the decision, even though his team will no longer be Bergman's sole concern. "I'm excited for the program, simply because he's one of the best coaches in the country." The other co-captain of the women's crew team, senior Heather Whalen, said although Bergman will still devote most of his time to the men's heavyweight squad this year, he told the women's and lightweight teams he would have time to coach them. "We have a staff of outstanding coaches who have tremendous talent and tremendous coaching ability," Whalen said. "[Bergman is] one of the most respected coaches in this country." She also said the team members were putting last year's controversies behind them. "We really don't want to dwell on the past," Whalen said. In a meeting with athletic director Steve Bilsky on Nov. 14, 1995, the women's crew team accused Bower of being ineffective and asked for her resignation. Among the team's complaints was Bower's delaying the arrival of the varsity boats at last fall's Frostbite Regatta on the Schuylkill River, causing the squad to miss its races. Despite the problems, Bergman said he believes the women's crew team would miss Bower's leadership. "I'm sure she did a lot for the program," Bergman said. "Every coach has their uniqueness and their strong points." Former women's crew team member Janice Englesbe said the coaching changes should help the program. "It's a real positive," the 1991 alumna said. "Hopefully, everything will work out this year."

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