Pari - Thanks for capturing what's going on in the V8+ this year - I've been impressed with the team's focus and dedication. Also, thanks for your earlier story on Ben Nace - I think he is a classic Penn oarsman. I'd be interested in knowing more about the freshmen rowing in the JV8+ this year. I think the decision they made with the coaches to row against tougher competition, so Penn could field a JV was an admirable one. I'd appreciate it if you could get to a practice between now & Sprints, & relay to the out-of-town alums what you see. Bst rgds, G Benning, C'84

The team's race attitude is to close the margin. You will never, ever win a race with that attitude. From the Harvard Rowing Website: "Harvard took a four seat lead 600 meters into the contest and held on two earn a 3.6 second win over Navy and nearly a 15 second win over the host Penn." From the Northeastern Rowing Website: "The Northeastern University men's crew team defeated the University of Pennsylvania in the Burk Cup on Sunday on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pa. Northeastern improves to 3-1 with the win, as it finished the 2000-meter course at 5:38.5 to Penn's 5:52.2. The Huskies now lead the series 20-19. The Huskies had a staggered start, beginning the race six feet behind Penn, but were even by the settle. NU was at open water by 500, and then up by a length and a half at 1000. It was a horizon job from thereon in. The last time the Burk Cup was held on the Schuylkill was in 2006, when NU finished at 5:41.3 to Penn's 5:46.4." Where to begin . . . "Harvard took a four seat lead 600 meters into the contest", or NU "Open water by 500", or "length and a half at 1000", or "horizon job from thereon in." Harvard wasn't pushed at the end of the race, 3.6 seconds is open water over Navy. If Penn was even close at the 1000 meter mark, what happened? Did they give up? Against NU,it wasn't a the 1000 meter mark. Two years ago, Penn lost by 5 seconds to Northeastern, a year ago Penn lost by 3 seconds. Two years ago Penn lost to Harvard by 12.5 seconds, and last year Penn lost 16+ seconds. The program had been trending upward in Stan's and Seth's last couple of years. At best, the program has leveled off but more realistically it has tailed off. Last year's freshman crew record was poor; this year's is no better. If there is a decent Frosh boat next year and the year after, we are looking at another 3-4 years before the program becomes competitive. Penn deserves better, the oarsmen deserve better, and the alums, who support the program, deserve better.

G. Benning. I like the classic spin job you are trying put on this year. If you are the G. Benning I am thinking of, you (and the rest of "Friends") had an important role in the ousting of the previous coach and the current debacle it has caused. It only makes sense that you would try to put a positive spin on this year if only to deflect any blame that might come the "Friends" way. [QUOTE id="fa9c4977-3859-471b-a9de-b0fdc4cac244"]Pari - Thanks for capturing what's going on in the V8+ this year - I've been impressed with the team's focus and dedication. Also, thanks for your earlier story on Ben Nace - I think he is a classic Penn oarsman. I'd be interested in knowing more about the freshmen rowing in the JV8+ this year. I think the decision they made with the coaches to row against tougher competition, so Penn could field a JV was an admirable one. I'd appreciate it if you could get to a practice between now & Sprints, & relay to the out-of-town alums what you see. Bst rgds, G Benning, C'84[/QUOTE]

In all my years of being involved in Penn Crew I have never seen such a disaster. If Penn's strategy is to "close the margins", then Fred Honebein should resign immediately! One can never be a winning oarsman if the attitude is "just keep it close and lose by less than last year". I think now we see why so many guys from that winning Frosh crew of two years ago took off - why bust your butt and lay it on the line for a guy who believes in moral victories and keeping it close rather than being number one! Taking comfort in that "we were close for the first 1000 meters" is truly sad, but probably indicative of poor conditioning and lack of preparedness. Finally, I would hope that Fred would be more than "a little frustrated". Maybe he doesn't have the fire to be a head coach at a (formerly) major rowing program. The margins of the losses continue to grow compared to last year. His guys may have trained hard but probably not trained smartly, which is Fred's fault. It is time to give another guy a shot to turn the program around!

To the alumni who grace this site, Perhaps you should look into why there are only three oarsmen remaining from the victorious Freshman sprints crew in 06'. The problem may not be the rowers attitude, but who they are willing to row for. A change at the helm now would do tremendous things for Penn Crew. My best to the athletes still on Penn Crew and I hope you gain something from this tough season.

[QUOTE id="fa9c4977-3859-471b-a9de-b0fdc4cac244"]Pari - Thanks for capturing what's going on in the V8+ this year - I've been impressed with the team's focus and dedication. Also, thanks for your earlier story on Ben Nace - I think he is a classic Penn oarsman. I'd be interested in knowing more about the freshmen rowing in the JV8+ this year. I think the decision they made with the coaches to row against tougher competition, so Penn could field a JV was an admirable one. I'd appreciate it if you could get to a practice between now & Sprints, & relay to the out-of-town alums what you see. Bst rgds, G Benning, C'84[/QUOTE] Mr Benning With all the spinning you did in your post you must be dizzy! Rather than trying to explain the dismal frosh performance this year by pointing out that some freshman are rowing in the JV this year, why not ask the question why this was needed in the first place? Why can't Fred find/retain enough bodies to fill out two boats? How about the question of whether having the frosh boat getting beaten by 30 seconds each week is worth moving some of the better frosh to the JV? In my opinion this move was another mistake by Fred. One last thing to note...Fred's Varsity is slower than a lot of the competitor's frosh boats this year...maybe this ought to be recognized too! I think the out-of-town alums pretty know what Pari is going to see at practice....a bunch of guys without shirts being "coached" by a clueless, "frustrated" guy in a motor launch

My son Neil is captain of the Heavyweight team. For the last two years I have read these postings with disgust. To attack individuals who can not defend themseleves is cowardice. To do it anonymously hidden behind the veil of the internet takes it to a new low. If you have something to say use your real name . If you have some constructive criticism talk to Fred face to face. If you want to change the whole program talk to Bilsky. What do you hope to accomplish by verbally pistol whipping a man dropped into a very difficult situation? There is one recriuted senior on the team, three juniors from the boat that won sprints, and a sophomore class that was recruited the year Penn threw Stan overboard. This whole discourse does nothing but hurt the program. One of Fred's best recruiting tools is for the potential recruit to become part of the illustrious Penn crew alumni for life. If a potential recruit reads these threads he will run away. If you are truely Penn Alumni then you rowed under great men of character and principal, Joe Burk, Ted Nash and Stan Bergman. Do you think that any of them them would throw slanderous anonymous criticism at another man? Clearly you know the answer. The thought would never even cross their minds. The rowers who didn't quit, love to row, have a strong sense of responsiblity to their friends and are thankful that rowing was their entry ticket into one of the finest Universities in the world. They are committed to fulfill their end of the bargain. The young men who didn't quit deserve and need your full support. To tear down their coach is to undermine his authority and effectiveness.

[QUOTE id="c4b911b4-6dcf-4fcb-86fc-a8e33f5c840e"]My son Neil is captain of the Heavyweight team. For the last two years I have read these postings with disgust. To attack individuals who can not defend themseleves is cowardice. To do it anonymously hidden behind the veil of the internet takes it to a new low. If you have something to say use your real name . If you have some constructive criticism talk to Fred face to face. If you want to change the whole program talk to Bilsky. What do you hope to accomplish by verbally pistol whipping a man dropped into a very difficult situation? There is one recriuted senior on the team, three juniors from the boat that won sprints, and a sophomore class that was recruited the year Penn threw Stan overboard. This whole discourse does nothing but hurt the program. One of Fred's best recruiting tools is for the potential recruit to become part of the illustrious Penn crew alumni for life. If a potential recruit reads these threads he will run away. If you are truely Penn Alumni then you rowed under great men of character and principal, Joe Burk, Ted Nash and Stan Bergman. Do you think that any of them them would throw slanderous anonymous criticism at another man? Clearly you know the answer. The thought would never even cross their minds. The rowers who didn't quit, love to row, have a strong sense of responsiblity to their friends and are thankful that rowing was their entry ticket into one of the finest Universities in the world. They are committed to fulfill their end of the bargain. The young men who didn't quit deserve and need your full support. To tear down their coach is to undermine his authority and effectiveness.[/QUOTE] Sir I believe that none of the posts that I have seen over the past two years has ever attacked the rowers who are putting their time and effort into representing the University of Pennsylvania. For the most part, the posts have been critical of the University Athletic Department, the "Friends of Rowing" alumni group, and more recently Fred Honebein. It is obvious that followers of Penn Crew have been frustrated with recent race results, but much of the disatisfaction can be traced to the way the University dumped Stan Bergman and the "process" used to hire his replacement. Yes, Fred stepped into a bad situation, but it was his choice, he was not "dropped" into it. Bilsky did nto solicit input from anyone other than a few wealthy alumni who funded the coaching spot. Quite frankly, Bilsky could care less about rowing other than the $$ the program can bring in from alumni. Yes, I and others learned about rowing and the importance of character and principal from Burke, Nash and Bergman. I learned how important is is to stand up for what is right. Do you expect me to believe that Bilsky, Honbein, and the other "transparent voices" in the Friends of Rowing really care about what I have to say? When are these people going to step up and let everyone know how they were involved in ruining this program? You want me to put my name on this - until the others are exposed I think I will stick to their playbook and remain anonymous. Also, I believe a lot fo the criticism of the players in this debacle is far from "slanderous", but is true and appropriate. Fred is more than capable of defending himself, but quite frankly go back and read his quotes in these articles and you tell me if they are defensible for a coach of a big time program. It sure sounds to me like the guy has given up. How can you expect to win a race if your attitude is that we aren't focusing on racing? Finally, I got the sense in your last paragraph that you feel those rowers who have quit over the past two years somehow didn't hold up their end of the bargain and let down the others who did not quit. Perhaps these individuals who did quit in fact weighed the situation and decided that the "bargain" they had been recruited for had changed when Stan was unceremoniously bounced. Rather than support such a decision, they left, and I cna understand that. AS much as I loved my Penn Rowing experience, I don't think I could recommend Penn to any rowing recruit today. And that, my friend, is the saddest thing about this entire mess LHL

While Greg B tries to put the usual albeit humerous "Friend" spin on things, to use philly speak...yo, it ain't workin..... In my opinion there are many alumni out there who are watching these past two seasons unfold saying to themselves, well what did you expect. The school and others orchestrate an ouster of the former head coach, paint a case that the ouster was needed to bring in a savior (Teti) to turn the program around....and then there is a major scramble when that savior does not descend the mountain. And here we are today. The disgrace in which the school and others have handled the program has arguably resulted in a resonating effect. The dust up over the ouster of the former coach probably caused many potential coaches not to apply because who would want to put their head on the block after a coach like Stan Bergman was chopped. No disrespect to Fred, but he is arguably out of his league. Some would also argue that the best oarsman do not make the best rowing coaches. The school lost sight of the rowers themselves when they took a shot at Coach Bergman. Legions of former and current rowers went to Penn on a primary basis to row for Coach Bergman, and the fact that he coached at a lofty Ivy was icing on the cake. Likewise, ever wonder why the Harvard crew roster is 4 to 5 times the size of Penn....I am sure Harry Parker has nothing to do with it. Same for Cal....same for Washington.... These are the schools where the rowers are going now, because yes they (the rowers) want to win, but also to be able to row under these types of coaches and alternatively not just for the Red and Blue so they can thorw toast at football games. Classic crew 101 is, without a leader who motivates and inspires, talented rowers lose (or quit teams). On the flip side, a lesser program can win when inspired by a leader. My brothers from the 80s-90s know this. So, read between the lines I guess. The argument that the loss of recruitng spots as a cause for the demise for Penn is a red herring. Recruited rowers go where the medals will come from. The most talented and seasoned rowers are clearly used to winning so would otherwise not be interested in joining a team that is "rebuiliding" where their is no savior to rally behind. Restated, to lose for a guy like Coach Bergman was ok because going into the race, you knew you weere in a position to win (same for Burk, Nash). The rumblings I hear now are that the lure of Spring Fling is stronger than a horizon schalacking on a weekly basis. The game console Wii now has rowing as a game so these rowers who quit can still row albeit now with a hangover..... The other rumblings I hear are that it may have taken about a million dollar endowment of a coaching chair to get rid of Coach B? Hope the school uses the money wisely as I also hear many alumni may now be keeping their wallets closed and ignoring the please from the Freinds for cash.

I agree with everything said by Lemon Hill Legend and Bro. Through the ether, I have heard some mutterings of possible transfer and drastic action taken by the CURRENT rowers, if the future does not improve. So Mr. McPeak, while I agree that as a recruited athlete you must uphold your end of the bargain, doesn't the administration have to uphold their end? I was once a recruited rower. I watched people walk away from their obligation to the University, and nothing made my teammates and I more angry. But this was during an era where the University was providing us with the necessary tools to win. Boats, winter training trips, coaches, etc. These days the university dupes high school recruits with false promises and does not expect to be held accountable. Well, the alumni network (not necessarily the "Friends of Penn Rowing") are trying to hold Bilsky accountable for the sake of the rowers, and the future of the program. None of what has been written, to my knowledge, can be defined as slander. There are not any falsehoods in the statements made the obviously angry alumni. We are not trying to destroy the reputation of , Fred Honebine, Mike Irwin, Chris O'Brien, or Eric Carcich. We have been simply been provided objective results (large margins of defeats) and have made comment accordingly. All facts are pointing towards a vacuum of leadership. Justification: these coaches have been HANDED talent, and spit in the face of every alumn and current rower by not producing results they promised (to both rowers current and past). So I, personally, think, the torches are being lit, pitchforks are being taken from the barn, and nooses are being tied. A witch hunt is on the horizon.

Wow. Go to work for the day & you miss some postings! I would echo Neil McPeak, & ask people who think their views should be fairly considered to use their real names. The team actually has great equipment this year, a whole new fleet of small boats, and I believe the V8+ is rowing in the Stan Bergman, a winged Empacher that was the idea of a few alums that the Friends backed up. The small boat criticism is off-point: read this month's Rowing News. The Florida criticism is off-point. The Ivies have a 7-week rule that says at some point during the school year there needs to be a 7-wk period that the coaches leave the athletes alone. Penn incorporates this into Winter Break, & the athletes focus on base training then - many of them work out w/ Vesper and Penn AC. The Spring Break trip lets them train hard in a place w/o snow/ice, & then come back and get right on the water. I would again echo Neil McPeak's suggestion to the people on this thread.

It is not cowardice that we hide behind. I think it is pure genius. Anonymity is not a synonym for cowardice. Merely, as the American Revolutionaries, we hide behind these cloaks, protecting our names, and reputations. When the moment is right, we will reveal ourselves. At this point our numbers will have gathered. We will strike with such force, that we will not be ignored. This is merely the precursor, Benning and McPeak. To compare this movement to the revolution once more, we do it for the greater good of the community. Ethically, our principles are sound. We want something better for the program. We are not attacking the rowers, just the morally corrupt. They destroyed a program with selfish intent (Bilsky, I disagree with your general existence). Now, the authors of all the posts above that are calling for change, none have the intentions of hurting the program. Sac'ing the coaching staff, in hopes of greener pastures, is in accordance to general Kantian ethical practices (and Utilitarianism). The intent, make Penn Rowing great, the consequence, you hurt the feelings of at least one, possibly four people. The ultimate payoff: legions of rowers can look back to their college experiences with pride. Penn Rowing gains notoriety, better recruits, and (I don't know if even possible) better equipment. So, sorry Benning and McPeak, you are outnumbered. Your logic is tragic and flawed. Now, please respond with any argument you feel is necessary. I believe one of my compatriots will be able to promptly dissuade you. -SO

Great. So what you're saying is its a group of guys that decided to tag-team the DP's comment section. Glad we cleared that up. See you at Sprints.

[QUOTE id="4c05d010-548e-4232-bebb-8d1b4b513752"]Great. So what you're saying is its a group of guys that decided to tag-team the DP's comment section. Glad we cleared that up. See you at Sprints.[/QUOTE] Whatever makes you sleep at night? -SO

[QUOTE id="9673fd21-e016-4a86-8910-51db1248192e"]Wow. Go to work for the day & you miss some postings! I would echo Neil McPeak, & ask people who think their views should be fairly considered to use their real names. The team actually has great equipment this year, a whole new fleet of small boats, and I believe the V8+ is rowing in the Stan Bergman, a winged Empacher that was the idea of a few alums that the Friends backed up. The small boat criticism is off-point: read this month's Rowing News. The Florida criticism is off-point. The Ivies have a 7-week rule that says at some point during the school year there needs to be a 7-wk period that the coaches leave the athletes alone. Penn incorporates this into Winter Break, & the athletes focus on base training then - many of them work out w/ Vesper and Penn AC. The Spring Break trip lets them train hard in a place w/o snow/ice, & then come back and get right on the water. I would again echo Neil McPeak's suggestion to the people on this thread.[/QUOTE] Greg I think you miss the point. I haven't heard one comment about inferior equipment, but you make it a point that the crew has great equipment. So the "Fiends" came up with some $$ for equipment. You and I both know that a new boat don't mean squat unless you can put 8 guys in it that can row together as one unit. Right now a new boat only means they look good getting beat by 8 lengths over 2000 meters The Florida criticism is not off point. The seven week rule could be met between the Head of the Schuylkill (end of October) through the end of December (according to my calendar this is 8.5 weeks). This would allow th ecrew to go to Florida to train in January. I find it hard to believe you didn't find the January Florida trip useful during your rowing days, if only to keep people in shape during semester break as well as break up the monotony of winter land training. Rowing during Spring Break in Philly is not pleasurable, as I remember, but I do remember it bringing the team together as everyone fought through the rough conditions. You may occasionally get ice in March, but if the Wisco guys can deal with the cold, so can Penn guys. I also remember our crew thought that we were tougher than other crews (West Coast crews in particular) who never had to deal with lousy conditions. Bottom line, we have seen this year what a resourceful coach with limited resources can do for a traditional lousy program as Columbia has demonstrated. They are a small team (always have been), are located in a slum and row on maybe the worst body of water in the EARC. Supporters of the current regime can wail about recruits that quit, etc, but th ebottom line is the guy at Columbia has made it work there with a lot less that Fred has been given at Penn. If someone can turn Columbia from a league joke to a strong medal contender at the Sprints, I am sure that we can find someone to do the same here at Penn. The horses are here, lets get a trainer that knows how to make them run fast! I too will be at the Sprints. I hope you and your "Friends" are there to see what you have wrought on this program firsthand. Maybe then you will wake up, admit the mistakes that were made, and realize what truly needs to be done

[QUOTE id="c4b911b4-6dcf-4fcb-86fc-a8e33f5c840e"]My son Neil is captain of the Heavyweight team. For the last two years I have read these postings with disgust. To attack individuals who can not defend themseleves is cowardice. To do it anonymously hidden behind the veil of the internet takes it to a new low. If you have something to say use your real name . If you have some constructive criticism talk to Fred face to face. If you want to change the whole program talk to Bilsky. What do you hope to accomplish by verbally pistol whipping a man dropped into a very difficult situation? There is one recriuted senior on the team, three juniors from the boat that won sprints, and a sophomore class that was recruited the year Penn threw Stan overboard. This whole discourse does nothing but hurt the program. One of Fred's best recruiting tools is for the potential recruit to become part of the illustrious Penn crew alumni for life. If a potential recruit reads these threads he will run away. If you are truely Penn Alumni then you rowed under great men of character and principal, Joe Burk, Ted Nash and Stan Bergman. Do you think that any of them them would throw slanderous anonymous criticism at another man? Clearly you know the answer. The thought would never even cross their minds. The rowers who didn't quit, love to row, have a strong sense of responsiblity to their friends and are thankful that rowing was their entry ticket into one of the finest Universities in the world. They are committed to fulfill their end of the bargain. The young men who didn't quit deserve and need your full support. To tear down their coach is to undermine his authority and effectiveness.[/QUOTE] Lemon Hill Many of the posts over the last two years have been directed at the rowers. To state otherwise is simply not true. Slandererous is a matter of opinion between the writer and the person on the recieving end. For arguments sake lets remove slanderous from my statement. The statement still remains true. I see Stan Bergman weekly at highschool races and he is appalled that anyone who rowed for him would post anonymous criticism of the crew program. Many of you refuse to use your real names not in fear of other alumni but because of what coaches Bergman and Nash would think of you. Even after many years they still command your respect. Every quitter has a unique story as to why they quit. Everyone who pushes through a difficult stituation in life has a universal will power and is a better person for it. Finally, you are no friend of mine, however,I invite you to meet all the rowers, spend time with them before and after the races. After putting a human face to the ones you hurt I hope your perceptions would change.

Personally, I am not upset by the anonymous postings, in fact the anonymity may make the expressions more honest and in most cases, they are cleverly written. I believe it is a healthy dialog. Hopefully, the University Administration is reading the comments and therefore, I encourage more Alumni to write. My son rowed for three years but found rowing for the current coach extremely frustrating and disheartening and therefore left the program mid-year of his senior year. In a conversation with the coach after my son left the program, he mentioned things to me that were clearly inappropriate. He is also not exempt from slanderous criticism. Over the last two years, some of his comments about the level of competition on the East Coast defy logic. A winning program (or one that has the potential to win) is what attracts oarsmen to a program. At this point in time, that reality is years off. Mr. McPeak mentions that the coach Ã?was dropped into a difficult situationÃ?; then perhaps the coach should have done more due diligence before accepting the position. And perhaps Penn should have done more reference checking on a nice guy with a great rowing resume but a mediocre coaching resume. Athlete retention is an important component of a coachÃ?s responsibility and Coach Brennan was raked over the coals for this. Retention has clearly been an issue the last two years. So it is only fair that the current coachÃ?s feet be held to the same fire. Bilsky has disliked crew since he was an undergrad at Penn and if he had an interest in making the program better, something would have happened by now. His only goal is to have Rowing (and other non-revenue sports) self-funded by the Alums.

I read through this with the initial intent to hold my peace. That didn't last terribly long. I will admit that the track record of Penn's rowing program has been in a bit of a slump in recent years, even under the tenure of Coach Bergman. But I never once heard Coach Bergman tell us that there was a good chance we would not win a race throughout the season. From what I hear from current rowers, that is almost word for word what Fred has told this year's Varsity program. Mr. McPeak: I rowed with Neil on the Varsity team for one year, and I would never consider defacing his reputation or anyone else's that continues to try even under difficult circumstances. The boat this year has several of the most determined rowers I have encountered in my relatively brief 6-year rowing career. These are men who I have spoken with and they have decided that no matter what the team's circumstances, all that they can do is try their personal hardest and lead through example as well as words. But perhaps examples THROUGH words are what need to be related here. First: Fred decided this year to just randomly change the Class Day racing from the full 2000 meter course to an impromptu 500 (or so) meter dash causing those of us waiting by the grandstands to completely miss the "race". Fine. I understand that tradition means nothing to this league, this University, or its programs... oh wait... Second: I cannot tell you the number of times we went out on the water in the Varsity boat last year and practice was arbitrarily modified/cut short for no apparent reason. We went out and never seemed to do drills with a purpose, but rather just for the sake of doing them. Seth used to have a specific plan each day of each week, as did Coach Bergman. And I'm pretty sure that worked for Seth. The three years I was there with him: 4th, 4th, 1st. Not too shabby. Last year what crews did the Varsity (a varsity composed of rowers EXCLUSIVELY from those three years) beat? George Washington by 3 seconds. I admit I was in that boat at that time. Keep on truckin', baby. Third: Towards the end of the season, last year, I had surgery. There may have been people who didn't like my decision, I don't know. I came back a week later, having missed Sprints, to find that the new style of coaching was to tell the rowers in the 2V (my newfound home) to speed up on the recovery into the catch. I don't remember much from my freshman year of high school rowing but I am quite sure that THAT activity was considered "rush" or "check" and was generally viewed as "unadvised". As the 2V, we were generally ignored by Fred, sent out on the water with Chris and essentially written off as useless. And then we only went 2 seconds slower at IRAs than the Varsity, finishing 8th. I came into my senior year very disillusioned with the alumni/administration after the stories regarding Coach Bergman's ... retirement. Something fishy was up and it wasn't the poisoned trout lining the banks of the Schuylkill. I gave Fred a full chance, tried my absolute hardest no matter what the circumstances, but Mr. Benning with all respect that may be due to you, you're wrong. The team's focus is indeed admirable. The individuals are some of the most intent rowers available. But as I see it, the freshmen are rowing against varsity levels in order to fill out the 2V because there are 11 rowers on the entire varsity team. The coxswain of the varsity is a walk-on because the previous coxswain was so fed up with things he did not come back. I will admit that from my freshman to sophomore year, we went from 17 recruits to around 10 or so. But those that were not lost due to injury were those that, frankly, I wouldn't trust to pull a sled up a hill without quitting or pulling over under a tree to shotgun a beer, much less pull an oar. Except for Joe Smart. Penn Crew used to have respect for being a good program with a good coach. Then it was a program in a slump with a good coach. Now? Don't know. Feel free to contact me directly if you want to shout at me or say that you will never ever hire me so long as you live because I am desecrating the hallowed Penn Crew grounds. mpochett@gmail.com

Marcus, well put. I came to Penn for the sole purpose of rowing under Seth Brennan and Coach Bergman. I, unfortunately, only got to row for Coach Brennan. Being almost 6ft 1 and a coxswain is not a good look for me. So I transferred to the lightweight team. I feel as if I am in a unique position. I had some great experience as both a heavyweight (winning the child's cup) and a 150 (sitting in the varsity lights senior year). I feel connected to both teams because as a frosh I developed strong friendships with and loyalty to the heavyweight program that persisted into my senior year, and as an upperclassman developing a friendships and a strong loyalty to the lightweight program and its staff. I have the utmost respect for the likes of Ben Nace and Neil McPeak. I also respect why some of the sprints winning juniors that did not return. I just hope that the program improves under any means necessary. Winning is a necessity. As a young alumn, you hear from your friends that are still involved in the program. Whether they still be on the team, simply living with those who are, or just at Penn watching this unfold with the rest of us. What I have heard so far is not good. I am loyal to this program. I just would like those in power to remedy this problem in anyway they see fit using objective (not subjective, as seem to be the standard operating procedures of the Athletic Department). It is clearly out of my hands. So, once again, I plead for some sort of change, for the sake of the rowers current and past. This program deserves the respect it once had (DP writers at least give the rowers a little respect and clean up your poor journalism). If you do not agree with me, sorry. Simply my opinion.

For those anti-pseudonym crusaders out there, please remember that the founder of our great University was an avid user of the nom de plume. Ben Franklin wrote under names including: Poor Richard, Silence Dogood and Martha Careful. And for the most part, Franklin is still recognized as a great American and his writings remain relevant. At the end of the day it is the argument put forward, not the name attached to it. The correct name only gives these anti-pseudonym crusaders a specific individual to vilify in their own minds. Long live Willie the Bus Driver, Lemon Hill Legend, The Ghost of Ted Nash, et al - who ever you are!

Well, it does seem that things here have gotten interesting, no? Several young courageous alums who have rowed for Coach Stan, Coach Seth, and Coach Fred have had their say. It sounds like we have firsthand accounts and evidence of what the problems are, the question is what happens next? I guess we won't need Mr Benning to send the DP reporter to go watch practice and give us a report. I think everything is pretty much summed up in the article headline "14 seconds out - good enough for Honebein". If there is any credibility left in either the Athletic Department or the "Friends of Rowing", I believe Coach Fred needs to be held accountable for the state fo the program and resign. It would be no different than if I was crashing my Bus on Kelly Drive every afternoon while making my run to campus. One accident, like one terrible race performance, can be excused. If bus wrecks become frequent with myself behind the wheel then I can expect to be fired and have my bus taken away. I am sure that many will agree that the weekly race results (especially getting beat by Columbia!) can be compared to a major bus wreck. Why should Coach Fred expect or deserve any different treatment? I was around many years ago when the University tossed Ted Nash out for poor performance (as I remember I believe Greg Benning was also part of that effort - how ironic!). A look back at his record at the time of his dismissal showed a record that I think everyone today would be satisfied with if it belonged to Fred. The crews won occasionally but were always mostly competitive (liberally defined as within 10 seconds of the leaders). The boys worked hard, but what I remember is that Coach Ted was always positive that his guys would win, even if they realistically weren't going to win. He was (and still is) quite the character, and a master motivator. Similarly, Coach Bergman was always very positive (although not quite as colorful as Coach Ted). If confidence in the crew is not exhibited by the coach, the crew will not perform as well as they can, and losing becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. I appreciate the support of many of the voices on this board, and hopefully over time some of the others who do not appreciate what we have to say will realize we are only looking out fo rthe Penn program. A simple bus driver like myself at the end of the day will not benefit or suffer if Coach Fred stays or goes. However, it is not fair to watch many young men come to Penn and spend 4 years training to become river fodder for the rest fo the EARC. They deserve better than that. My offer to provide free transport to Camden for the coaches and their supporters still stands. See you at the Sprints! Willie

Found this article on row2k.com. If the article represents the attitude of the team, you guys are in trouble! What happened to this crew? See you at the Sprints! Go Yale!

To critics: Please do not post what should be private business in a public forum. If you are dissatisfied with our team, start a listserv and talk amongst yourselves via email, then contact appropriate authorities directly. Airing your grievances like this is embarrassing to current and former rowers, and below the dignity of our team (alumni included). Chris Storm Penn 150, Class of 2007

[QUOTE id="6bbcc96e-70ee-47a0-8d1c-ddd204fc5ecb"]To critics: Please do not post what should be private business in a public forum. If you are dissatisfied with our team, start a listserv and talk amongst yourselves via email, then contact appropriate authorities directly. Airing your grievances like this is embarrassing to current and former rowers, and below the dignity of our team (alumni included). Chris Storm Penn 150, Class of 2007[/QUOTE] Chris, First, this article is public and therefore the commentary of the DP's article is also public. Newspaper articles are not private. We are are not dissatisfied with "our" team, rather, we are furious with the current lack of leadership and the subsequent results. We are proud of our team and want the proud tradition to continue. What is embarassing, Chris, is not a few blogs on a website. What is embarrassing is losing to Columbia by 20-30 seconds, what is embarrassing is having an article headline read: "14 seconds? Good enough for Honebein.", what is embarrassing is having the head coach write to the alums that the "the league has taken a huge leap forward in speed". The commentary on this site is a great outlet for the heavyweight rowing alumni community who otherwise do not have a voice with the "authorities". I assume you meant the athletic director and not the local sheriff. We are not going to bury our heads in the sand and hope things get better on their own...that is simply enabling the problem. With all due respect, you are obviously a lot smarter than your comments since you graduated from the same great institution many of us did. You should realize that public discourse is one of the things that makes for a great society. Those who wish to bury their opinions are forced to live with the consequences.

[QUOTE id="c4b911b4-6dcf-4fcb-86fc-a8e33f5c840e"]My son Neil is captain of the Heavyweight team. For the last two years I have read these postings with disgust. To attack individuals who can not defend themseleves is cowardice. To do it anonymously hidden behind the veil of the internet takes it to a new low. If you have something to say use your real name . If you have some constructive criticism talk to Fred face to face. If you want to change the whole program talk to Bilsky. What do you hope to accomplish by verbally pistol whipping a man dropped into a very difficult situation? There is one recriuted senior on the team, three juniors from the boat that won sprints, and a sophomore class that was recruited the year Penn threw Stan overboard. This whole discourse does nothing but hurt the program. One of Fred's best recruiting tools is for the potential recruit to become part of the illustrious Penn crew alumni for life. If a potential recruit reads these threads he will run away. If you are truely Penn Alumni then you rowed under great men of character and principal, Joe Burk, Ted Nash and Stan Bergman. Do you think that any of them them would throw slanderous anonymous criticism at another man? Clearly you know the answer. The thought would never even cross their minds. The rowers who didn't quit, love to row, have a strong sense of responsiblity to their friends and are thankful that rowing was their entry ticket into one of the finest Universities in the world. They are committed to fulfill their end of the bargain. The young men who didn't quit deserve and need your full support. To tear down their coach is to undermine his authority and effectiveness.[/QUOTE] Sir I am amazed at your ability to disregard facts as well as make assumptions about people and things you know nothing about. First, calling something slanderous implies that there is an untruth to what is being said. While I only speak for myself, everything I have stated (and many of the other points raised by others) can be backed up with facts. Without question, under the leadership of Fred Honebein, the Penn program has had the worst record performance of any two years in history. If you think that is exagerating, I suggest you pick up a 2008 Penn Rowing media guide and look it up yourself. Fred's coaching resume has also been criticized as being too thin to be successful in the Penn job. This too, is a fact, and I would argue that Fred would never had been considered for this job if he were not personal friends with members of the committee that took part in the selection process. Perhaps this is why there appears to be a double standard when it comes to accountability for results? Second, my relationship with both Ted Nash and Stan Bergman goes back many years, I would safely guess longer than your relationship with either of them. I consider Stan a friend of mine, and I have had many discussions with him before, during, and after he was forced out of his position. For you to lecture me about how Stan would feel is laughable. Third, there is great power in anonymity. Far from being a coward, I choose to post under an alias because it gives me no advantage to reveal my identity now. In time, there may be an advantage to identify myself, but I will determine when that should occur myself. Working in the shadows appears to have worked well for the group that ran Stan out of town - none of those people are being held accountable for the problems at hand. To suggest that those posting anonymously are doing so because they are afraid of Stan and Ted is ridiculous Fourth, I am bothered by your apparent disdain for those who chose to stop rowing rather than continue rowing for Fred. I don't think you or anyone else has the ability to look inside the heart and soul of a person. To lump everyone who stopped rowing as a "quitter" is very inappropriate. Sometimes people stop for the right reasons, and as someone who rowed on occasion with someone who kept rowing despite their heart not being in it, I would have preferred that these people had quit rather than continuing for the wrong reasons. Crews do not win unless EVERYONE is committed. I don't know, but perhaps there are some currently on the team that may not be committed Finally, I appreciate your invitation to meet with the current crew, but in fact I already have. I found your son to be a polite young man and I do respect him for making the best of a bad situation. You may question the intent of the posters here, but I believe that the majority want to change the program to get it back on track, so maybe the current crop and future groups of rowers at Penn can enjoy some of the success that many of us have experienced