COVID-19 has seen the Olympic Games postponed, seasons cancelled and now programs cut. In recent weeks, The United States of America has been the epicentre of the disease with rising death tolls and deep societal division.
Back in March many of us, myself included, were completely naive as to the extent of the virus and the continued effect it would have around the world. It was only when universities closed and the country went into lockdown that it all started to hit home. For student athletes, this meant the end of their rowing season and this was hardest for those in their final year, unable to harvest the fruits of their labour once more.
In the US, students have gone through a rollercoaster ride. Due to the international rosters in the majority of the boathouses, those in their final year will have said their last farewells without realising. There is a silver lining for those returning in September, however, this is only possible when you have a varsity program to return to.
Following the news that Dartmouth was axing five of its athletics teams, including Lightweight Rowing, I sat down with their Captain, Sean Ward, to discuss the events of the past weeks.
As with everything nowadays, the news was broken over Zoom. With no prior warning, not even to the coaches, the news that Lightweight rowing would cease to exist was devastating to the entire team. The decision was carried out with no remorse and very little consideration given to the impact on individual athletes. The current students have been given the option of joining the heavyweight team, but with a roster of around 50 the challenges of breaking into the squad are heavily stacked against the lightweights.
The main reason for axing the Lightweight programme was due to the number of recruitment spots on the roster. Dartmouth is looking to cut approximately 10% of all recruitment spots across the Athletics Department. The university does not want sports to be uncompetitive, hence why five programs were shut down rather than taking a little piece from each sport. Ward disagrees with this line of argument:
“It’s a little more complicated than that. I don’t think one recruiting sport is necessarily going to make or break anything.”
For those who were recruited or those who walked onto the team, their decision to come to Dartmouth would have been completely different had they known the programme would be cut. Not only are students expected to represent their university, but it is recognised that the institution will support them with their training, racing and academics. Consequently, many on the team no longer feel they have a reason to stay at Dartmouth:
“I’d say most of our team probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for that [Lightweight Rowing]”
“I’m sure our younger guys will transfer out”
To add insult to injury, there are rumours the Head Coach had received a contract extension less than a week before the decision to cut Lightweight Rowing went public. This combined with the $7.5m boathouse refurbishment, is a particular kick in in the teeth for Lightweight rowers, who’s friends and alumni helped to fund the new rowing tanks and resulted in a plaque being placed in honour of the Lightweight classes of 2015-18.
“That’s the icing on the cake right there, that plaque.”
A sport such as Rowing is easy to target as it doesn’t generate income the way Football or Basketball can do via ticket sales or other means of revenue. However, those on the lightweight team have a collective GPA higher than the college average and are a credit to their institution:
“We do add a lot to the college outside the of our sport despite the argument that you can only be an athlete.”
For many at Dartmouth they feel that “the best was yet to come.” Erg scores were improving, and they were gearing up for one of their best season’s in a number of years. Dreams have been cut short and students have been deprived of a sport they love.
This is something many are fearful of across the United States. Financial uncertainty caused by the virus has resulted in colleges doubling down to ensure their longevity- at the expense of their student athletes. Stanford are among a list of programs to cut their Heavyweight Men’s programme as well as their Lightweight team, which has won nine out of the ten previous IRA titles.
America is about to go through a period of huge importance for college sport. The wider sports scene has witnessed the collapse of nearly 100 college programs. If the country cannot get a grip of the virus, this will have devastating consequences for athletes and tremendous financial losses could spell the end of college sport as we know it.
To help support Dartmouth Lightweight Rowing you can:
- Sign their petition
- Email the following people and express your discontent with their decision:
- Athletic Director Harry Sheehy: Harry.Sheehy@dartmouth.edu
- President Phil Hanlon: Philip.J.Hanlon@dartmouth.edu
- Dartmouth Board of Trustees: Laura.H.Hercod@dartmouth.edu
- Follow on Instagram
Fergus Mainland
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