Helping Hands

Last week the Oberlin College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and all 22 Oberlin athletics programs teamed up with Oberlin Community Services to purchase gifts for six different families in Oberlin through the "Helping Hands" project. The teams combined to purchase a total of 72 gifts, the largest amount of gifts ever in the history of "Helping Hands." In addition to providing gifts for select families, the athletics department and the rest of the campus delivered 80 pounds of nonperishable food to Oberlin Community Services.

Read more:

Oberlin Community Services
Oberlin College Athletics

A Thanksgiving Feast (Or Two)

My Thanksgiving actually consisted of going to 3 different Thanksgivings. The first is right across the street at my nana's house. It’s a huge gathering of my dad's entire side. Like other families, we have the stuffing and turkey and cranberry sauce, but we also have a family favorite - hand rolled sushi (with a little extra ginger for me). I'm pretty sure I ate at least a roll or two by myself!
My second Thanksgiving is at my mom's side. There, we ate some yummy dessert - pumpkin pie. Also, we played this pretty cool game called Bananagrams. It's like Scrabble, but without a board, and each player competes individually. You start with 21 tiles, and you try connecting all the tiles to make a bunch of different words (like a crossword or Scrabble board). The person who uses all of their tiles first yells “peel!” and every player must grab one more tile. This continues until all of the tiles are used. I am proud to say I won the inaugural game of Bananagrams.The final Thanksgiving is at my best friend Samm's house. We're family by choice, which makes it even more special to see her on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Usually, I end at her house with some sweet potato pie and maybe some appetizers, like crab dip. We also play a game with dice called Left, Right, Center. It involves putting money in and out of a pot. The winner ends up making bank. This year, Samm won one of the rounds and made about $30.

Despite all of the fun, it's good to be back at school. I missed my school/softball family too much to want to stay at home. Plus, it's time to start gearing up for the fun that is known as finals...

XoXo,

Sam Dudzinski, #7

A True Champion

About two weeks ago, the Ohio softball community lost a true friend in Stefanie Spielman. Stefanie (whose husband is a former Ohio State University and Buffalo Bills linebacker) battled breast cancer for twelve years.

Each fall, the Ohio State University softball team hosts the Ohio Collegiate Charity Classic that benefits the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at the James Cancer Hospital.

The Oberlin College softball team has participated in the Charity Classic for two years; it will continue to honor Stefanie and her valiant fight against breast cancer. According to Linda Kalafatis, Head Softball Coach at Ohio State, this event was one of Stefanie’s favorites.

For an inspirational article about Stefanie, click here. Go here to learn more about Stefanie's fund.

Our hearts go out to Stefanie's family and all those affected by breast cancer.

Raindrops on roses....

So what does an Oberlin College softball player enjoy doing on campus when she's not playing softball or studying? I'll tell you....
Cheryl: Going to music recitals and concerts
Sophie: Working at WOBC
Megan: Hanging out with friends
Katie G.: Playing in the Oberlin Wind Ensemble

Sara: Going to the Apollo
Brittany: Tutoring at Oberlin High School

Julia: Playing on the club rugby team
Sam: Sledding down Mt. Oberlin

Lauren: Going to The Feve
Kate: Biking around Oberlin
Kristine: Playing Obiegame
Kristen: Eating
Katie B.: Biking with the team
Jen: Hanging out with friends

At the Helms

On September 12, Ed Helms, a.k.a. Andy Bernard from The Office and Stu Price in the movie The Hangover, came to Oberlin for the 2009 Convocation Series. Ed is actually a 1996 graduate of Oberlin and it was fun to hear him talk about his Oberlin experience. This is short clip that I took of him talking first about Oberlin's mascot, the Yeoman, then touching on doctorate degrees.

I hope you enjoy this...I think this guy is hilarious! Also, sorry for the poor quality. The video size had to be reduced DRAMATICALLY in order to get it posted.

Coach Knapp

Great pains

Like Julia said in her post, "we're back on the field practicing for the fall." Well, everyone else is at least. I'm on the bench this fall along with Sam due to injuries. I guess that's what happens when you're a 6'2" catcher...or even a 5' one in Sam's case... Her waiting is almost over though: she'll be cleared to play soon, meaning I'll be the only broken one (torn meniscus- again). So because of this, the only thing I do at practice now is catch-in occasionally, fetch balls, and when I'm bored: abs.

Of course, I can't wait to get back out there and start catching again. I'm going to see a doctor today (Wednesday), so maybe I'll get cleared to play then?... Maybe? Until then, I'll just be on the sidelines watching our team prepare for the spring. Oh, and of course, counting how many times Kristen trips during practice.

Hopefully I'll have more to update soon,

Sara Gaines, #13

New beginnings

I'm now into my third week of classes at Oberlin and almost a week into my first Fall Season. Between practices and team gatherings, I have to say that softball has really helped my transition to college. I haven't experienced the pressure of discovering what my place will be or what I will get involved with in college that most freshman feel. Everyone has been very welcoming and I have yet to feel like an awkward freshman.

As far as practices go, I'm really excited to be back on the field after a little time off. I don't feel like I've been having trouble keeping up with the team, with the exception of yesterday. Let's just say my leg press abilities could use a little work.... Besides my first timed mile, practices have been a lot of fun and it has been great to get back into the swing of things (pun intended).

Although I am 18 and officially an "adult," I do at times feel pretty young considering the fact that I'm playing with girls in their twenties. However, I know that being on a team with older girls will give me the opportunity to learn and grow from them.

Until next time,

Brittany Dawson, #4

Senior moment

So we're back on the field practicing for the Fall. It feels really nice. I only felt old at the first practice. And, man did I feel old. Just really slow to get warmed up. Shouldn't I be at the peak of my physical condition? Isn't that what being almost twenty-one is about?


I mean, being a senior certainly leaves me with some perspective about this "back on the field" situation. And that also makes me feel old. I am not the oldest person on the team by years, certainly not (actually I'm the youngest of the seniors), but I do have the same amount of experiences that they all have. And those three previous years of stepping out onto the field makes me feel old. Luckily, I still love it, and I really wouldn't stop playing softball for anything. So maybe that will make me feel young again. Oh the paradoxes of being the oldest grade in a group of young people!

But I'm sure I will have more philosophical ramblings and/or fun stories soon.

Julia Chauvin, #9

Solar system

In July 2009, the Oberlin College Athletic and Physical Education Department installed a solar panel on the north end of Savage Stadium. This solar panel will provide enough energy to power the football, baseball, and softball scoreboards and still have some surplus to feed back to the electrical grid.

Practice starts on Thursday!!!

So Long, Farewell...

Congratulations to our two seniors, Ruth Allanbrook and Michelle Zanni, on four wonderful years at Oberlin! We will miss their hard work, dedication, and friendship.

"Victory belongs to the most perservering." - Napleon Bonaparte

"Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything." - Muhammad Ali

"You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

Any direction you choose." - Dr. Seuss

All's Well That Ends Well

The season ended about - gosh, over three weeks ago already! The season started out great, but ended even better: we set many individual and career records (including most wins in a season), the indoor field house FINALLY got built (and looks amazing!), and lifelong friendships were formed through countless hours practicing and playing on the softball field, riding on the bus (or plane or train...), drinking chocolate milk, playing 500, listening to the warm-up mix over and over (and over and over...), and discovering the true meaning behind the Cavendish bowl. Here's the wrap-up of each player and how they made this the best season ever for OCSB:

Ruth (Sr, #10) - played in and started more games (132) than anyone in the history of the program; recorded 16 putouts against Allegheny; how did four years go so fast?
Michelle (Sr, #12) - broke most of our pitching records this year, including best season and career ERA; will leave behind her a legacy filled with passion, hard work, and cupcakes
Julia (Jr, #9) - set school records for doubles, RBI, and assists in a season...her 122 assists this season put her 11th all-time on the NCAA DIII list; won our team "Silver Slugger" award
Lauren (Jr, #14) - hit her first career home run this year off the eventual NCAC champion Hiram Terriers; one of our most versatile players, she played right, second, and DP for us
Kate (Jr, #11) - started off a monster 7th inning for us against Heidelberg with a one-out walk; she would later score the first of our five runs to give us the win
Sophie (Jr, #5) - won our team "Gold Glove" award for her amazing defense in center; had just one error all season long; completed two rare 6-8 putouts in the same game; tied for first place in the "half-gallon challenge"
Jen (Jr, #15) - won a much-deserved "Most Improved Player" award for her hard work throughout the year; she tripled her amount of wins from last year, struck out 40% more batters, and lowered her ERA by over two points
Katie (Fr, #3) - had a GREAT arm in left field and threw out several baserunners; perfect fielding percentage in conference games; Sophie's only real competition in the "half-gallon challenge"
Kristen (Fr, #8) - had the team's three longest hitting streaks (7, 6, and 5 game streaks); practices often had a "Kristen Tally," to see how many times she tripped or fell...thankfully, she always came out injury-free and laughing
Sam (Fr, #7) - despite a season-long shoulder injury that kept her from playing, she was a huge asset in the dugout, from reading signs and tracking pitches to warming up pitchers
Sara (Fr, #13) - selected to the All-NCAC team; won our team "Rookie of the Year" award; threw out more baserunners in the conference than any other catcher
Kristine (Fr, #6) - selected to the All-NCAC team; won our team "MVP" award; set school records in doubles, steals, runs, total bases, and at-bats in a season
Megan (Fr, #16) - got a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the 4th against MIT and later scored to bring the lead to 8 and help win OCSB's first-ever run-rule game; had an incredible .333 batting average as a pinch hitter

Back in Oberlin

The last two days have been really busy, so I haven't had time to blog. On Friday, we beat MIT for the third time, and played our last games of Spring Break. We went back to the hotel, where Baldy challenged Sophie to the Half Gallon Challenge (which is similar to the Gallon Challenge, where a person drinks a gallon of milk in an hour). They drank half a gallon of milk each in 45 minutes, Sophie drinking chocolate milk, Baldy drinking regular. They survived, but only Baldy completed the challenge. Afterward, we had a cook-out by the pool, and played Scrabble and a lyric game that Baldy made up. We had a ton of fun, then went upstairs and watched A League of Their Own, and some stayed up to watch Love, Actually.
On Saturday, we had to check out, so we spent a lot of the morning packing and cleaning up the hotel rooms. After we checked out, half of the team stayed at the hotel and did homework, while the other half went to see another Florida Gulf Coast University softball game. We only stayed for the first game, but FGCU beat ETSU by a lot. We went to the airport, where we played another game of Historical Figures, then got on the plane to come home.
Overall, most of the upperclassmen decided that this Spring Break was one of the most fun and exciting that they had experienced. We have already won more games than all of last season, and everyone is looking forward to playing this season.

Hey girl, hey

We played two more games today, lost both, but we're still optimistic about tomorrow. There is no chance we are losing to Colby again. No chance. Tomorrow...they're goin' down. And so is MIT. They're Engineers and Beavers; we got this. Then we went to the Florida Gulf Coast University game vs. University of South Carolina - Upstate. FGCU is ranked, like, in the top 25 or something. They were pretty good. This girl Cheyenne Jenks hit two homeruns in one game, and she went yard on a rise ball where they were trying to intentionally walk her. It was unreal. She refused to be walked. Unsurprisingly, FGCU won both. For dinner, Sophie made us a really, really good meal of fettuccine alfredo and rotini with tomato sauce and garlic bread. But that put us in a catatonic state, and we are all really tired. Bed time is nigh!

P.S. This was not really written by only Megan but with sincere help from her other team members (who made it better).

Waste not, wonton

We got the day off today, so we went to the beach. We did some homework, listened to some music, some of us went jet skiing (which was a first time experience for most of us). We spent the entire day in the sun, and there were some sunburn casualties, especially Lauren and Kristen. We built a mermaid sand sculpture around Kristine, and when we got back to the hotel, we went in the pool and played Boggle. We went to a nice Chinese restaurant for dinner, where we had good conversation and lots of food, and we were serenaded by two of our most "talented" players, Sophie and Kristen, as they sang a song from Moulin Rouge. We are going to bed now, because we have to get up early for our games tomorrow.

Put on your shades!

The thing about softball is, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. Today, we did both. The weather was awesome, and the sun shone all day, which is something we have been missing in Ohio. After our games, we saddled up and went to Sun Harvest Citrus, a store that sells oranges, orange samples, and above all, really good ice cream, smoothies and milk shakes. Bob Zanni offered to take us there and give us some treats after our hard work. We showered, feasted upon cold cuts and cheese sandwiches, and geared up for mini golf! What a trip! Guess who won? Bob Zanni and Mr. Kuchta, with scores of 39. Adrienne came in a close second with 42. Our rousing game made us all hungry, so we went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. The underclassmen ordered A TON of pizza, while the seniors and the coaches went out for a nice dinner at a Hibachi grill. A movie fest ensued after dinner - one half of the team watched Remember the Titans, while the other half watched Moulin Rouge (a far superior film). Neeedless to say, fun was had by all. A trip to the beach is the game plan for tomorrow, but right now, we are all pretty tired. So, goodnight, all!!

We've Crossed the Kristen-Dixon Line

We won our first game this morning against MIT, the first time Oberlin College has ever mercy-ruled anyone (our sources may not be credible.) We lost to SUNY Potsdam, but huge improvements were made. "Even though we lost, our competitive spirit cannot be squashed," says Julia. There was a rousing game of "Historical Figures" in between games, which we then continued until dinner (even the coaches got involved). We played another game of 500, with more people, and more rough-housing. We made tacos for dinner and watched Mean Girls, and now we are watching the World Baseball Classic, then going to bed, because we have early games. Tomorrow we play on fields next to where the Twins play!

Day 1

Today we played our first two games of the week against Colby and SUNY Potsdam. We all agree that we look really good in our uniforms. After the games, we went to eat at Panera, then went back to the hotel. Some went to shower, but others went to play in the pool, playing an intense game of 500 (which is when one person stands in the shallow end and throws the ball towards the people in the deep end and they have to catch the ball to get points.) One of the players (Kristen) tried to use other players to push off of and smacked people in the face, and another player (Kristine) pulled people down to get to the ball. Balderoni (aka Katie Baldonieri) was nicer than some, but still vicious. After the pool, we went shopping at Target, but we forgot to buy Boggle or Scrabble. The coaches went shopping for food, and we made excellent stir fry for dinner.

It's the week before Spring Break, and we are gearing up for our tournament. We played our first games on Tuesday, starting the season off right with a win. I got a little banged up opening weekend, popped my arm out of place, but things are looking good for next week.
Everyone is really excited to play in Florida, where the weather is nice and warm.
I have heard some talk about a put-put game sometime (apparently it got very intense last year.)
Also, all of our games are in the morning, so we plan on spending a lot of time at the beach swimming.
-Megan #16