After a summer of upheaval surrounding its coaching spot, the Penn lightweight crew team will likely be without a coach when it gathers for the first time this Friday.
Following the retirement of 11-year head coach Bruce Konopka after last season, it was widely assumed by the squad that Steve Perry -- the team's assistant -- would ascend to fill the vacant spot.
In a suprise appointment by heavyweight coach Stan Bergman, however, freshman heavyweight coach Larry Connell was awarded the position.
Connell's appointment sparked mutiny within the lightweight team.
"When Connell was appointed," said one lightweight crew team member who preferred to remain anonymous, "we felt he was entirely unsatisfactory for the spot."
Angered that they hadn't been consulted in selecting their new coach, the Quakers decided to involve themselves in the hiring process.
"There was a huge backlash," said another anonymous former team member. "We started a whole campaign and got the alumni involved."
The team proved successful in its efforts, as Connell was reassigned as an assistant to the varsity heavyweight crew coach before his tenure with the lightweight squad began.
Connell's reassignment threw another wrench into the coaching equation, however. By NCAA regulations, the number of full-time crew personnel is limited to four coaches and one assistant.
With the Quakers already having four coaches -- although Connell is no longer a head coach, he is still a full-time coach -- Penn is left with two options to fill its coaching vacancy: higher a part-time coach or find a volunteer coach.
Per NCAA rules, coaches are defined strictly by their levels of compensation. Any individual who is paid less than $12,000 for crew-team related duties is a part-time coach. A volunteer coach is unpaid and does not receive any work benefits.
While it has been rumored that there are a number of potential applicants for the role, the team is still strongly backing Perry, who remains a contender for the spot.
As far as the team's current mindset, the Quakers seem ready to begin practicing without a coach.
"We really rallied this summer, and it showed a lot of team unity," said a current team member. "We might not have a coach, but we showed that we're together as a team. And that's important."
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