Flingadelphia. Just Fling it. #flinging. The University of Flingsylvania.
At this point, we’ve heard it all.
Penn’s Spring Fling is one of the most anticipated events of the school year. It’s a time when seemingly all of Penn comes out to play.
Except those who have to play.
Every year, student-athletes miss out on part or all of Penn’s most bacchanalian tradition due to athletic commitments.
While missing Fling is quite a visible sacrifice, it is but one in a long line of sacrifices made by those who don the red and blue. Most good things come with a price, and representing Penn athletically is certainly no exception.
The men’s lightweight rowing team will head to New Haven Friday morning to race Yale and Columbia and won’t be back until Saturday evening, essentially missing all official Fling activities.
“It’s tough because not only is it a big weekend for going out and hanging out, but it’s a Penn thing,” captain Paul Shay said. “You kind of feel like you miss out on a part of what Penn is by having to go to these races.”
Shay also pointed out that this weekend is in many ways representative of the larger student-athlete experience.
“It’s kind of like a microcosm of athletics in general,” he said. “You have a lot of opportunities that are afforded by being an athlete that wouldn’t come otherwise. Those come at a cost. Especially this weekend when we are missing Fling, it becomes pretty obvious.”
The baseball team will also be mostly absent from Fling-related activities despite being in Philadelphia, as they’ll play a total of four games on Saturday and Sunday against rival Princeton.
“It’s something that you put on the tab of getting that chance to be a Division I athlete,” senior catcher Mike Mariano said. “At the same time, if you want to get that opportunity, it is going to lead to some sacrifices.”
In addition to the lightweights and baseball, both lacrosse teams, both golf teams, both tennis teams, softball, the heavyweight crew and women’s rowing have competitions scheduled this weekend.
Last year, the women’s soccer team had its one out of town scrimmage scheduled during the Saturday of Fling — at Penn State. Upon learning about the scrimmage, the team was less than ecstatic about the scheduling.
“At first, it was pretty frustrating,” sophomore fullback Alex Dayneka said. “It was difficult to be on campus on Friday when everyone was having so much fun, and we had to get up [at 6:30 a.m.] the next morning.”
She added that, as an athlete, “you have to be in the mindset that you are going to miss a lot of things.”
Indeed, for many athletes, Spring Fling is only one of these things that they’ll forgo during their Penn careers. But it is a choice the athletes make when they come to Penn.
“School is a little more difficult,” Mariano said of the student-athlete experience. “There’s a lot less time for hanging out and drinking and being social and living a normal college life. But I think at the end of the day, it’s definitely worth it.”
