A Fresh Perspective: Moving In

I couldn’t be more ready to pick up and leave, despite being surrounded by friends grieving over the fact that they are leaving their friends and family in our little town of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Don’t get me wrong, I will miss all of my family and friends but quite frankly, I have been ready to go to college since my freshman year in high school. My brother’s room is a mess, filled with everything I could possibly need for my first couple months of college. Countdown clothes are mainly the last pieces of clothing in my drawers; my room looks empty!

Conveniently, I am rooming with another softball player, Melanie Budney. We’ve only spoken a few times over text message, but I think we’re going to get along just fine. We’re both huge Steelers fans (sorry Cleveland) and our birthdays are only one day apart (I’m older)! I think it’s going to be a great year! Play ball!

- Kelsey Steiner, (soon to be) #11

Dorm Life

When first-year students arrive on campus next week, 300 of them will live in Kahn Hall, the newest residence hall on campus.  While a brand new dorm is exciting in itself, perhaps more exciting about the building is that it will attain LEED silver certification.  Clotheslines in the laundry room, a compost tumbler out back, and a sophisticated air locking system (if windows in a room are open, the heat or a.c. will automatically shut off) are some of the sustainable components of the building.

If Kahn Hall is the newest dorm on campus, which is the oldest?  The Allencroft House, built in 1861, is not only the oldest residence hall on campus, but the oldest building owned by the college.

An All-Star Summer

To start off the summer, almost my entire family (about 60 people,) gathered at my house to celebrate my sister’s high school graduation. Pretty soon after we cleaned up the remnants of that party, we had even more visitors: Julia, Sophie, Kate, Katie, and Kristen from the softball team. We only got to hang out for a day, but it was fun showing them the sights of Vegas.

As part of my sister’s graduation present, we went traveled to Carson, California to the Warped Tour Concert. We spent all day at the concert, having fun and watching about 20 different bands play. As an added bonus, we visited my grandma and she ordered us pizza when we got back to her house totally exhausted. We also went to a concert at the Red Rock (a nice casino) and we got to see OK Go and The Cab (a local band) play while sitting in the pool.

A few weeks after that, we were back in California for the Futures All-Star and All-Star games. My brother, cousin and I had amazing seats on the left field line, and my dad had a seat in the press box directly behind home plate. And the National League won for the

first time in 11 years (approximately, I don’t really know, I wasn’t actually listening when my dad explained...) We also got tickets to Fan Fest, which is a huge convention-type thing for baseball fans. I got a mug signed by three women who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League!

That same week, my whole family met up with my uncle and went to Disneyland! We had a blast at the Happiest Place on Earth, and we hit all of the regular spots, like the Jungle Cruise and Space Mountain.

The rest of the summer I spent working my old job, and then starting a new one. In between all the work and travel, I did a lot of shopping and hanging out with friends. And of course working out for the upcoming softball season…

- Megan Widmer, #12

Dream A Little Dream

Oberlin is a place where dreams come true, for students and staff. Kelsey Knapp, who for three years was our full-time assistant, pitching coach, and friend, has achieved her dream by joining the softball staff at the University of Rhode Island.  (Read the press release here.)  As part of Kelsey's first official duties at her new job last week, she aced (okay, nearly aced) an NCAA DI recruiting rules test on just her second day of work.  She will give those rules a test-run this weekend at her first major recruiting tournament.

Whether it was being named to the 2008 Oberlin College homecoming court (along with Constantine Ananiadis, our women's tennis coach), working out to her grueling P90X schedule, or coaching at practice, Kelsey was a real dynamo.  The newest member of the University of Rhode Island staff is also the best one.  Congratulations, Kelsey!  Keep being amazing!

The desk vacated by Kelsey Knapp.
Gone are the candy jar, the rubber duck,
and clutter that reminded everyone that
each day is a good day when Kelsey's around.

Gearing Up

The Oberlin College softball online team store is now open!  Get your latest OCSB gear!

Through Kohlmyer Sports, you have the opportunity to purchase OCSB specific clothing from t-shirts to hoodies to beanies.  Enter OCSB11 as your sales code to start buying.

No Me Dejado

I felt like a foreigner before I even left the US. I got off my flight from San Diego to Chicago and entered the Iberia Airlines hub. Suddenly, everything was in Spanish. The majority of the people on my flight to Madrid were obviously from Spain, and I, with my blond hair and blue eyes, obviously was not. It was the first time I felt nervous about my three week trip to Sevilla. I doubted my speaking skills and worried the language barrier between me and my host Señora would lead to many problems. All of these doubts left my mind as soon as I arrived at Hotel Bacquer for the CIEE Session III orientation. I was greeted by friendly Spaniards and a group of American students who were just as nervous and excited to be there as I was.

During our two day orientation we were introduced to Sevillan and Spanish culture. We also ate more tapas than anyone should in a two day span. After our orientation, I moved into my homestay with my host Señora,

Concha. She cooked me homemade Spanish meals everyday. It was incredible. I also took a class through CIEE called El Legado de Al Andalus. The class gave me a history about the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish cultures in Andalucía as well as the opportunity to take field trips around the city. I also got to take day trips to Córdoba and some provinces of Sevilla.

As if the trip wasn’t good enough, I was also in Spain during the World Cup. I got to experience Spanish fútbol at its finest when La Roja became los campeones del mundo de fútbol with their

World Cup win. I watched the game in a huge outdoor auditorium with my friends and the majority of Sevilla’s college aged population. People were in the streets all night long celebrating.

I also got to take weekend trips with CIEE to Málaga and Jerez. We tasted wines at the Tío Pepe factory, visited the Picasso museum in Málaga, went to beautiful beaches, and saw tons of churches. The one weekend I had free I went to Lagos Portugal with a group of friends. It was a fun beach town in the very south of Portugal.

I’m not really sure what my absolute favorite part of the trip was. After the first week everything felt natural to me. I had my frutería where I bought fruit everyday, a little market where I bought my Príncipe cookies, and a restaurant I went to on Wednesdays for a Euro jarra of tinto de verano and a bocadillo. I got a complete cultural immersion, made great friends, and visited amazing places. Did I mention I get 3 credits for all of this?

- Brittany Dawson, #4