Synchronized club raises salary issues

The Pennguinettes dove into their 51st annual spring show to the beat of "Jock Jams" on Saturday at Sheerr Pool in Gimbel Gymnasium. The Penn synchronized swimming team performed nine routines, four of which were also performed in competitions held during the season. With the assistance of Doris Dannenhirsch-Beshunsky -- the founder of the team over five decades ago -- the team was able to choreograph almost all of their own routines. Although the performance last weekend went off without a hitch, the team has recently been hit with some changes -- ones that the team believes are a detriment of their future. Joanne Hangen brought her fifteen years of synchronized swimming coaching to Penn six years ago. Hangen is also a national judge of collegiate synchronized swimming. Nineteen months ago, Mike Diorka came to Penn from Tulane University and was appointed head of the Recreation Department. Prior to Mike Diorka's arrival to Penn 19 months ago from Tulane to become the head of the Recreation Department, the University decided that no club sports would receive funding for coaching salaries. Yet synchronized swimming was "the only club sport to receive funding from the General Recreation Budget," Diorka noted. Diorka quickly revoked the funding, declaring that it was "unfair that synchronized swimming was the only club sport with a salaried coach." Hangen, however, continued to receive a salary from a donation given by former synchronized swimming coaches to the club. This season marked the first season that Hangen was not given a coaching salary. "I was only able to make about five practices this year due to the commute from Lancaster [Pa.]," Hangen said, blaming her difficulties on the fact that she is no longer salaried. Senior co-captains Ashley Fauts and Krista Brame also noted that the team has suffered as a result of the lack of sufficient coaching. "It is difficult to train without someone standing outside the pool to tell you your mistakes and encourage improvements," Fauts said. Lacking an official coaching staff, the "young team focused on learning about the sport rather than intense competition," Brame noted. Despite the fact that Hangen could not make most team practices, she was present to judge the competitions. "I am really proud of them, but there was a distinct difference in performance with the lack of real coaching," Hangen said. "The team really needs more efficient coaching," Hangen said. "The only problem is the that without salary it is going to be difficult to find coaches." Hangen would like to challenge the salary issue, but the Department of Recreation will not change its stance on salary. "The decision has been made, and it is a University-wide decision," Diorka explained. "Club sports are run more by the students and funded by [the Student Activities Committee] and their own fund raising. We simply can't give the club sports the same budgets given to varsity sports." Diorka went on to add that last year at Nationals the team lacked sufficient funding for competition, but the Department was "able to find some additional funds from SAC to make competition possible." Hangen would like to see the sport "taken more seriously" at the University. "We would like to try to promote the sport to the varsity level," Hangen explained. "However, there is very little backing from the University." Hangen plans to contact Denise Shively -- the head of Collegiate Development for U.S. Synchronized Swimming -- in an attempt to gain support for a varsity-level synchronized swimming team.