2008 Woodie Awards
RSSHawks unified after preseason problems
By Julie Arthofer
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Sports
The swim team will hit the pool on Sunday, matching up against the University of Connecticut in its first home meet of the season.
The start of the 2007 season represents a clean slate for the Mountain Hawks, a team that received national attention after the citation of 19 swim team members at an off-campus party.
The Hawks have worked hard in preseason - not only physically, but also to acknowledge their mistakes and move on as a stronger and more united front, said Head Coach Rob Herb.
"The team has been doing very well," Herb said. "It has been important that everyone understands what happened and is responsible for the consequences and moves forward."
In order to find the most effective way of dealing with the situation, the team and the cited individuals have been working with Dr. Ian Birky, Lehigh sports psychologist and director of counseling and psychological services.
"With Dr. Birky, the team is discussing reasons why it happened, what other options are being overlooked in the Lehigh social world and how our choices affect us," Herb said.
Immediately following the incident, those who were cited were required to practice separately from other team members. The separation disrupted team unity and morale, sophomore swimmer Kailyn Finnegan said.
"Missing practice not only affects the individual, it throws off the whole team's mentality as well," Finnegan said. "Because the incident affected a number of people, the team was split up for those two weeks of practice."
Sophomore swimmer Laura Eull said the incident has strengthened the bond between the team members.
"We are definitely a lot closer as a team and realize the importance of remaining a team both inside and outside of the pool," Eull said. "We have made mistakes, but it's important to move on and focus on our training."
Finnegan said the extremely supportive and nurturing community of the team has helped overcome public attention.
The start of the 2007 season represents a clean slate for the Mountain Hawks, a team that received national attention after the citation of 19 swim team members at an off-campus party.
The Hawks have worked hard in preseason - not only physically, but also to acknowledge their mistakes and move on as a stronger and more united front, said Head Coach Rob Herb.
"The team has been doing very well," Herb said. "It has been important that everyone understands what happened and is responsible for the consequences and moves forward."
In order to find the most effective way of dealing with the situation, the team and the cited individuals have been working with Dr. Ian Birky, Lehigh sports psychologist and director of counseling and psychological services.
"With Dr. Birky, the team is discussing reasons why it happened, what other options are being overlooked in the Lehigh social world and how our choices affect us," Herb said.
Immediately following the incident, those who were cited were required to practice separately from other team members. The separation disrupted team unity and morale, sophomore swimmer Kailyn Finnegan said.
"Missing practice not only affects the individual, it throws off the whole team's mentality as well," Finnegan said. "Because the incident affected a number of people, the team was split up for those two weeks of practice."
Sophomore swimmer Laura Eull said the incident has strengthened the bond between the team members.
"We are definitely a lot closer as a team and realize the importance of remaining a team both inside and outside of the pool," Eull said. "We have made mistakes, but it's important to move on and focus on our training."
Finnegan said the extremely supportive and nurturing community of the team has helped overcome public attention.
