Miller will compete for M. Crew

Garrett Miller will row for the Penn men's crew team in most of the major events of the spring season. There are few Penn athletes who can say that they have sacrificed professional athletic careers to compete with the Quakers. But Garrett Miller is no ordinary athlete. The Wharton senior, arguably the best collegiate rower in the nation, recently committed to spend his final year of eligibility rowing for the Quakers. In so doing, Miller has passed up the opportunity to row professionally for the United States National Team in the nearby Princeton Training Center. "I am very excited. We have a lot of talent this year and a lot of power," Miller said. "The sophomore and junior class are coming along great, and we have great leadership among the seniors." A significant factor in Miller's decision was his ability to resolve concerns about continuing his development with the US National Team. Because the World Championships fall a month earlier than normal this summer, Miller wanted to be able to spend some time this spring with the national team in Princeton. Fortunately, Miller was able to work out a deal which should please everyone. "Bob Kaehler, a long-time veteran of the national team, and I have worked out a deal where we are probably going to row a pair up at Princeton three times a week in the morning," Miller said. The plan will not affect his time with the Penn team. Another factor in Miller's decision was the potential for earning money as a professional rower. "I would have made money had I not chosen to row at Penn," Miller said. "But it was never a really big issue in my decision-making process. I can just get that next year." When Miller does get paid, it will be for his participation in the US National Team eight, the team's priority boat for the World Championships and for the Olympics. Miller has spent his last two summers in that boat, winning World Championships both years. Miller's decision should quell rumors circulating about his questionable relationship with teammates. In fact, Miller cited his teammates as one of the reasons he chose to postpone a professional career for a year. "The attitude of the team is very positive, and I think its the attitude that it takes to win," Miller said. "That's one of the things that drew me back." For this fall, however, Miller will row with the national team through the season's most competitive regatta, the Head of the Charles. "After that its Coach Bergman's call," Miller said. More important, though, is the Penn Commodore's commitment to the team for the spring season, the main racing season for collegiate rowing. "We are really pleased with his decision," Penn coach Stan Bergman said. "Having a guy of his caliber on our team is only going to make us better." Above all, Miller's decision to forego professional athletics speaks volumes about the Penn crew program. "I think we have a really good shot at winning the national championship this year with the guys we have," Miller said. Rowing wasn't always such a strength for Miller. During his freshman year at nearby La Salle High School, Miller was the last rower to make the team's final cut. In fact, because his coach couldn't decide whether Miller or another rower should be released, he flipped a coin to make his decision. Luckily for Penn and for the US National Team, Miller won. Miller soon showed a knack for the sport and rowed on the US Junior National Team the summer after he graduated from La Salle. In his time at Penn, he has set the boathouse record on the rowing machine, won two collegiate titles for indoor rowing and contributed to the Penn eight's Eastern Sprints Championship last year. It is the rare collegiate program that could attract an athlete of Miller's caliber away from a professional career. For Miller, one final year in that program was just too great of an opportunity to pass up.