A 'LOSING SEASON
Editor's note: This is the second of a four-part series on the
Penn State swimming team. •
The day after Bill Eiwen decided to retire from the Lion
swimming team, he got his squash recquet out of the closet
and spent a few hours on the Rec Hall squash courts.
Penn State's top swimmer and a third place finisher in last
year's Easterns, Eiwen confesses he completely enjoyed the
break, the psychological as well as the physical release from
the obligations of a decade and a half of swimming practice
and competition. But when he picked up his newspaper and
saw the results of the Maryland-Penn State swimming meet,
the enjoyment began 'to fade.
Penn State's swimming team without Eiwen would be ap
proximately comparable to the West Virginia football team
without their All-America flanker, Danny Buggs.• Eiwen
doesn't win or lose meets solely on the merits of his individual
accomplishments, but he does give opposing coaches a little
higher degree of respect for the team.
Eiwen explained the situation leading up to his decision to
retire, and his reasons for deciding to come back to the team.
"We have priority system on the team that academics are
first and swimming is second," Eiwen said. "But I'm getting
married in May and I'm looking to go to Law School, so there
are other priorities I'm concerned with besides swimming.
It's not the program itself that caused the problem for me.
"I missed' a week of practice for very personal reasons.
Lion swimming coach Lou) Mac Neil backed me up, and I
thought I had bona fide reasons.
"When I didn't go to Kent State, I wasn't acting as a unit,
even though my reasons were bona fide. But I just said per
sonal reasons to the team. They were questioning this, 'Why
wasn't he there to lose with us?' I felt I had weakened my
position on the team and I felt I should get out of their way. But
I didn't want to quit, this is my 15th year in swimming. I talked
to Mac Neil and he said talk to the team. Things were
misconstrued originally, and I told them I was willing to put
out back on the team on regular status."
On a wide variety of subjects concerning the swimming
team this season, Eiwen offered an equally wide variety of
solutions, ideas and opinions:
John Mile. a friend of Eiwen who left the team for
moth ation and personality problems—" John's problem came
down to the fact that he hasn't improved. He's been swimming
tired and he hasn't had a chance to perform at.peak. It's been
so long since he's seen a good swimming time, I think he
forgets how it feels. Swimming is a bitch and personal times
are such an important part."
Money—"lf they gave Mac Neil $70,000 a year, he would
probably say OK and build a top flight program that could be
the best in the East. But he was hired as,,p "aquatic direc
tor." not as a swimming coach. Maybe Dean Scannel would
get scared if we had a good team. But I don't feel the
University is concerned about a top team. We're always
dressed well, we have the Natatorium and we don't stay in
dives when we're on the road. We try to represent Penn State
the best way we can.
With three scholarships Mac Neil could spread it over five
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people, because you don't need a free ride. He could have 20
people on scholarship. But if you only have one, that's not
enough money to do anything with. It's hard to find one
superman who will always win his event, which is what would
be expected.
"When Mac Neil asks for money he is told to forget it, so we
take our lumps from the teams that do get it.
"I could have accepted a scholarship, but I've experienced
some high pressure swimming programs. At the University of
Tennessee, the coach has bought you for $2,500 and expects
you to give your all for one thing, something as trivial as an
athletic endeavor. Swimming isn't something which prepares
you directly for an occupation or future employment, it's sport
for the sake of sport.
"I'm not dissatisfied with the program here. But I have a
friend at the University of Tennessee who would throw up at
this program "
The schedule—"We could schedule Millersville and Kutz
town and we could have a 100 per cent winning season. But it
would be appalling. Here's this big school clobbering the hell
out of some small team. And we would become content then
with mediocrity. Out*schedule as it now is, makes it im
possible for us to have a 100 p cent winning season. I might
schedule a few easier team Jecause I do think winning is
important. And I wouldn't .nd scheduling some Ivy League
teams.-
STATE COLLEGE COMMUNITY THEATRE
at the BOAL BARN PLAYHOUSE
seeks salaried staff for the Sommer 1974 Season.
The two positions are:
DIRECTOR - TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
•
Productions are:'
GYPSY
June 13-15, 19-22. 26-29
COME BLOW YOUR HORN
July 10-13
LIFE WITFTPATHER
July 17-20, 23-27
LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS
July 31-Aug. 3. 7-10
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS
Aug. 14-18, 20-25
Resumes and letters of application should be sent
to:
STATE COLLEGE COMMUNITY THEATRE
BOX 23. STATE COLLEGE. PA. 16801
Applications must be received by Feb. 28. 1974.
Persons chosen to be interviewed will be notified in
early March. Interviews will be held Sunday.
March 17th. For further information, call Richard
Gidez. 238-1993.
CZMNLC
CATHAUM
118 W. C
THURSDAY at 5:30-7:45-10:00 P.M
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Motivation—"MacNeil is pretty different, he won't beg you
to do anything. But he looks at swimmers who score more than
others. Personally, I think he has been lacking in•that area,
but maybe I haven't been putting in the effort to have him
motivate me. The coach is worried about points and he can't
reach individual swinlmers during a meet.
"There have been times when I've thought, 'lf only he would
give me some words of encouragement.' He knows you're
there, but he'll look to his assistants to motivate individuals.
And the swimmers he spends the most time with are the
scorers.
"Last year, I had a recurring back problem and Dr.
(Samuel) Fleagle told me to stay out of the water for a week. I
told Mac Neil that I couldn't practice for one day and he said,
'lf you don't want to do well at the Easterns, why don't you
just admit that to yourself.' It was a negative form of
motivation and I said, 'l'll show him, and I went out and had
one of my better practices. But sometimes this type of
motivation backfires. You just have to turn to someone who
will give you positive motivation."
Coach MacNeil—"MacNeil is a little inexperienced in
developing people with talent. For example, he didn't know
what to do with me between the Easterns and the Nationals.
I was the first swimmer he ever took to the Nationals. But he
talked to a lot of people and made every effort to help me.
"Right now we're doing something I don't agree with, we're
cutting down on yardage in practice to go into the Temple
meet (this afternoon at, the Natatorium ) fully rested. There
have been times when I felt he was not a good coach, but there
have also been times when I have trusted him completely. I
can't say he's really a bad coach, he's just inexperienced in
some areas.
"['in sure if Rec Hall wanted to, they could buy a guy with
two or three national championships that would probably be
better in that one sense."
TOMORROW: Mac Neil outlines his approach to the
program.
Camp Susquehannock
A private camp in northeastern
Penna. needs male counselors for:
baseball
basketball
football
tennis
Edwin Schaeffer, director, will interview
on campus Wednesday, February 20, from
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sign up for interview ap ,
pointments at 105 Boucke Building.
NOW THROUGH THURSDAY ONLY!
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