Women's crew seeks varsity status

Six a.m. A dull silence echoes throughout the campus. The average student has gone to bed hours ago and has many remaining hours of rest.

Fifteen miles away, at remote Lake Michie, 50 young women have already begun their day. In the airy darkness, under the faint glow of the moon, they hear the rippling of the water and the sharp creaks of the oars. Duke women's crew has started daily practice.

Every morning, the women's crew team shows dedication to its sport by committing to grueling practices. But this week, all 50 rowers are focusing their dedication toward an even higher goal-to gain NCAA Division I varsity status.

During an upcoming meeting Saturday of the Duke University Athletic Council-which is headed by Thomas Spragens, professor of political science, and includes members of both the faculty and the student body-women's crew will enter the second phase of a three-stage process to receive varsity recognition for the third time.

"[The team] is really trying to be vocal about things and get our thoughts heard," said Trinity junior Sara Zdeb, president of the women's crew team. "We realize it's a hard process, but we're trying our best."

The recognition process is not a foreign one. During its 23 years of existence, in fact, the team has issued many proposals for recognition-most recently during the spring of 1994.

The first step of the process requires members of the women's crew team to submit a written proposal to the DUAC. In this written proposal, Zdeb and Katherine Nesbitt-a second-year law student who coaches freshmen rowers-outline crew as a varsity sport and describe the opportunities it may present. After the submission, representatives of the crew team will meet with the athletic council to ensure that the team meets each of the six criteria for collegiate varsity sports, as outlined in the Duke University Athletic Policy Manual.

These six criteria adapted by DUAC mandate that the sport elicit general support from both the student body and alumni, provide an opportunity for collateral institutional benefits for the University, operate on funding that falls within the financial capabilities and parameters set by the Board of Trustees and establish a schedule that is both convenient and competitive.

The numbers game, however, is not as simple, nor as advantageous, as it may seem. In fact, the high number of rowers requires a higher number of athletic scholarships that must be given. And Spragens said the athletic department's budget may no be able to handle these demands.

Additionally, the prospective varsity crew team would require expensive equipment and start-up costs. These expenses, coupled with the money needed for scholarships, could prove to be too costly.

"There are plans and have been plans as to how to finance things initially," Spragens said. "However, even with the support from NCAA revenues, endowments or fund-raising means, there is still a serious monetary issue."

Team members argue that there is enough time allotted to allow for careful planning for expenses. Arrangements with boat manufacturers, such as delayed payments, would lessen costs, Zdeb said, adding that the overall per-athlete cost would be one of the lowest for any varsity sport.

Even if the monetary suggestions are valid and fall within the specifications, the University still would face the hindering problem of local competition. Regardless of the NCAA's official recognition of crew as a varsity sport-which has prompted at least five schools to give crew teams varsity status-there are few local teams for varsity competition. The only varsity potential competition in the Atlantic Coast Conference would be against Virginia or North Carolina. Any other regattas would require long travel distances, adding to the monetary expenses.

The athletic council believes this to be a serious problem for the current proposal, but the council feels that there is an even larger problem to be dealt with. The competition would be adequate, given large fan support. Women's crew, however, ordinarily receives little community support.

"It honestly does not make much sense to give varsity status if there is not much interest in a sport," Spragens said. "It is our responsibility to look into this area, as it is an important criterion in our final decision."

But the women's crew team is already competing at a high level of competition, its members said. A majority of the regattas that the rowers compete in are varsity regattas that allow club teams to participate.

"If schools are not discriminating between club and varsity teams, there is no reason why we should make the distinction," Spragens said. "It is not like we are keeping [the team] from competing."

Knowing that the odds are against them does not hinder the women's crew team from introducing their proposal. The rowers, in fact, are visualizing all the advantages of gaining varsity status. The increased funding would allow for such luxuries as additional coaches, competitive recruiting and quality facilities. The facilities would also be an aid to the men's crew team, which would remain at the club level.

The projected visibility to the men's crew team would allow the possibility of spotlighting a greater number of rowers and coaches. Regardless, this suggestion, along with the others, may not be enough to vote for approval Saturday.

"This is not a thumbs up, thumbs down decision," Spragens said. "We are going to take everything into account before making a decision. But women's crew would certainly be one of the few possibilities and I do project the likelihood of a [new] women's sport within a year or two."