It’s been said that conflict and a huge time commitment make rowing at Penn difficult to commit to. And as an ex-rower who was a member of the freshman heavyweight team all last semester, I was being asked to commit again.

I am writing you this letter to thank you for all you have done for my teammates and me over the years. In light of John Phillips’s DP article, I thought it was an appropriate time to recognize you and your colleagues in the Athletic Department who put so many thankless hours into making the student athletes at Penn better students, athletes and people.

I think it’s really sad that of all the articles Mr. Phillips could have written about this team, full of interesting, talented, intelligent and unique women, he instead chose to focus on two of the small minority that have chosen to give up and walk away from this fantastic group.

Although the article claims that we have lost 11 “rowers with pedigree” in the past two years, we have actually lost eight and only three of those were in one of the three boats eligible for NCAA championships.

Rowing is one of the few varsity sports on campus that allows walk-ons without hesitation at the beginning of each year, but it has struggled with the departures of many rowers, even experienced ones.

Renovations of Hutchinson Gym have displaced the women’s rowing team from its normal indoor practice facility, forcing the squad to split time with the men’s programs in Hollenback and Franklin Field.

Walking on is common in the sport of rowing, which many athletes don’t begin or even have access to before college.

At the Head of the Charles Regatta, the men’s lightweight, men’s heavyweight and women’s teams will be joined by 9,000 athletes in what is the ultimate two-day competition.

On Saturday, the crew teams participated in the Navy Day Regatta, and with multiple top-three finishes, there is much to be optimistic about for this upcoming season and beyond.

The Penn crew team will compete in the historic Navy Day Regatta this weekend to celebrate the 237th birthday of the United States Navy.

Susan Francia became the first female Penn alum to ever win two gold medals in a single event.

Every few minutes, someone walking by greets Chief with a quick hello, and many come over to spend a few minutes chatting with the old man. He’s a “people person,” according to loyal customer and friend Fritz Spang, who stops by daily at the end of his routine two-and-a-half-mile walk.

In her seven years on the national team, Francia and her crew have won five World Championships in the eight, and she has also excelled in national and international races in the pair. She was also part of the eight that won gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

All three of the Penn rowing teams struggled against superior-ranked teams this weekend, failing to notch a single first-place finish in 14 starts.

Both men’s and women’s teams compete in several fall regattas that do not factor into their official results for the season but serve as good indicators on how the team is progressing.

Each of Penn’t three crew teams competed on the road this weekend and none came home victorious.

As a sign of spring season finally hitting full gear, all three Penn crew teams participated in races over the weekend, with varying results.