Oberlin College Softball

Jenny Goldsmith's Winter Term Project

2012-02-07T14:53:00.003-05:00

For my winter term project I completed five acrylic paintings and focused on teaching myself to paint without a brush. The tools I used to create my paintings ranged from my own hands to a tennis racket to Crayola crayons. My tools came from drawers and boxes in my house and from sales racks at Goodwill. I practiced different techniques with all my objects on acrylic paper and used 6x6x1.5in stretched canvases for my final paintings.

While painting, I tried to stay aware of how I thought of different ways to use the objects and how I learned to get the techniques I wanted. Some of my ideas came from past experience. In high school I took a painting class where we learned to use crayons with watercolors for a wax resist technique. It took some trial and error though before I finally had the right mixture of paint and water so it was watery enough for the wax to repel but still rich enough in color when it hit the blank areas of canvas. It seems I was using trial and error to learn more than anything else but I did learn a couple things by accident. When I started playing around with the tennis racket, I kept trying to put paint onto the strings and then press them onto the paper to create a grid-like pattern, but the paint would dry to quickly and it wouldn’t spread evenly on the strings. When I set the racket down to wipe off the paint, I ended up smearing the paint across the tennis racket and leaving little squares on my paper. In my painting of the pink and purple flower I modified my discovered technique and set the racket on the canvas then sponge painted over the strings to leave textured squares when the racket was lifted off of the canvas.

My favorite painting of the five is “Freak Out” because I based the painting on a photo that I took at the county fair in my hometown and I felt like a little-kid again while working with the crayons. I plan to continue using the techniques I discovered during this project in my future artworks and will also keep exploring new ways of putting paint on canvas.

Kristine Kuchta's Winter Term Project

2012-02-01T10:55:00.001-05:00

For my Winter Term project, I taught myself how to use 3 statistical packages that are free on the internet. The first was R Commander, a powerful addition to the popular package R. This was my favorite overall, because I was able to easily create boxplots, histograms, and scatterplots of data. Gretl and PSPP are very easy to use, but have less visual outputs. I would suggest PSPP for beginners. To wrap up my month of study, I collected data on the price of single family homes in the Oberlin area. I used a linear regression model to find that one can predict the price of a home in Oberlin from the number of bathrooms and the size of the estate. I really enjoyed my Winter Term because I was able to do something I was interested in!

~Kristine #6

Hello Clarice

2011-04-26T12:16:00.000-04:00

Academy award winning director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, and more recently, Rachel Getting Married) was on campus Monday for the world premiere of his new documentary I'm Carolyn Parker. Carolyn Parker is a community activist in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward. Demme's daughter graduated from Oberlin last spring; he is also a member of Oberlin's Friends of the Apollo.

What's A Yeoman?

2011-04-15T12:07:00.000-04:00

Check out President Krislov's account of his trip to London and a brief history on Oberlin's (somewhat confusing) mascot.

Athlete of the Week

2011-03-24T10:07:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Katie Baldonieri who was named Domino's Pizza Athlete of the Week! In six games, Katie is hitting .455 with ten hits, two doubles, and seven RBI. She's also been doing a great job defensively as she's been shuffling around between center and second. Keep up with Katie and the rest of the team as we head off to Florida on Saturday!

Best New Artist

2011-03-18T10:26:00.000-04:00

Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding, the first jazz artist to win Best New Artist, performed at Oberlin College last week. Although we had practice at the time and were unable to attend the show, we only heard great things about her sold-out performance here at Finney Chapel. (Finney Chapel, by the way, can hold nearly 2000 people!) As is customary when artists or speakers come to campus, she held an informal Q&A with students in the new jazz studies building earlier in the day.

Yum

2011-03-02T10:50:00.001-05:00

Once again, Oberlin has been named to a "Top....." List. This time, we've been named #5 on bestcollegesonline.com's list of the "Top 20 Most Conscientious College Dining Halls." With 1/3 of our food coming from local sources; our reusable container policy; food made from scratch and prepared to order; our composting of kitchen scraps and donating used cooking oil to area farms; and the opportunity for students to buy, plan, and cook their own meals in through the co-ops, our dining options are amazing! I can say, without a doubt, that our chefs need to market their honey mustard dressing, as it's the best I have ever tasted! As a non-vegetarian, their vegetarian options (tofu burgers, vegetarian chicken patties) are out-of-this-world. And as a well-versed dessert eater, I delightfully sample at least two cookies and a piece of cake every day. Check out all our dining hall info.

Charles Martin Who?

2011-02-24T16:16:00.000-05:00

In 1886, Oberlin College student Charles Martin Hall discovered an inexpensive way to produce aluminum. 125 years later, even with technology evolving every day, Hall's life and work are very modern:
- the house Hall used for his work is still owned by the college
- Alcoa (the company he founded) is the world's third largest producer of aluminum
- like Oberlin students today, Hall worked one-on-one with his professor toward his discovery
- his process is still used today
- Hall is the single greatest benefactor to Oberlin College, with gifts including beautiful Tappan Square, Hall Auditorium, and the Allen Memorial Art Museum

An aluminum statue of Charles Martin Hall in Oberlin's science center. Chuck likes to dress up for every major holiday.

Elementary, My Dear Watson

2011-02-15T10:53:00.003-05:00

This week on Jeopardy, two of the best contestants in the show's history are facing off against Watson, a supercomputer developed by IBM to process information and answer questions accordingly.

What does Jeopardy have to do with Oberlin? Well, we're one of the few liberal arts colleges in the nation to also possess a supercomputer. While Watson runs on 90 servers, we're not too far behind at 70. Watson can work through intricacies, nuances, and double-meanings of words; our supercomputer can process and research data sets for chemistry, physics, astrophysics (a student recently discovered a new pulsar in the center of the Milky Way) and computational biology.

"This college's graduates earn more PhDs every year than any other liberal arts college in the country."
"What is Oberlin?"

It's A Menagerie

2011-02-07T13:09:00.000-05:00

A trip to the Cleveland Zoo on Super Bowl Sunday was not enough to stop our Steeler fans (we have six of them!) from supporting their team.

Everyone's favorite bird starred at us throughout our rainforest journey.

This colorful little guy was another favorite. Had the otters and porcupines not been sleeping, however, they certainly would have been #1 and #2.

What's the best way to keep a softball player happy? Take her to Melt Bar and Grilled in Lakewood, of course!

The Winner: A Liberal Education

2011-01-28T15:12:00.003-05:00

Sean Decatur, Oberlin's Dean of Arts and Sciences, was recently published in The New York Times. He wrote that students who take traditional liberal arts and science courses score better in skills measured by the Collegiate Learning Assessment than students who take undergraduate courses in pre-professional fields. Courses demanding more work from students (e.g. classes with larger quantities of reading and/or writing) also raise learning more.

Read Dean Decatur's article and learn why a liberal arts education is the best way to start your future.

Of A Revolution

2011-01-18T10:36:00.002-05:00

Yesterday people across the country celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. There were many remembrances of his work for nonviolent activism and civil rights. Here at Oberlin College, we looked back to the words and meaning of his 1965 commencement address.

Drawing on the story of Rip Van Winkle, the man who slept for 20 years, King's message was simple: "There is nothing more tragic than to sleep through a revolution." Rip Van Winkle went to sleep under an inn bearing the image of King George III and awoke to see George Washington's face on that same sign: he not only slept for 20 years, he slept through a revolution that changed the course of history.

The closing words of King's address are as relevant today as they were nearly fifty years ago: "Let us stand up. Let us be a concerned generation. Let us remain awake through a great revolution. And we will speed up that great day when the American Dream will be a reality."

Winter Term

2011-01-10T21:07:00.000-05:00

Oberlin's unique Winter Term encourages and enables students to discover the value of self-education and take advantage of unstructured time outside of classes to learn. There is an emphasis on experimentation and creativity, intellectual independence, and personal responsibility.

Melanie, one of our first-year players, is undertaking a cooking project. If you know Melanie, I'm sure you wonder as I do what she's like near a hot stove or sharp knife. But so far, with her mother's guidance and careful eye, Melanie seems to be seeing success. Follow her along her journey.

White Squirrels?

2011-01-04T11:34:00.000-05:00

Gray squirrels abound in parks and wooded areas across the country. Many cities are known for their famous black squirrels. But unless you've been to Oberlin, you've probably never seen a white squirrel before. And while they seem a rare thing to visitors, I can assure you that there is no shortage of the little critters here. Our unofficial mascot, the white squirrels like to stay in Tappan Square but have been spotted close to the gym and even running the football stadium stairs!

Spider Man

2010-12-14T13:53:00.001-05:00

Spider Man? On Broadway? Yep. That's what Bono, the Edge, and Julie Taymor, OC '74 thought when they created their new Broadway hit.

Check out the official website, a feature on 60 Minutes, or some pictures (like this one) taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Scientific Ohioan

2010-12-07T12:34:00.000-05:00

Nearby Cleveland, although not as widely known as New York or Washington, D.C. for its museums or for being as "brainy" as Boston or San Francisco, has wonderfully rich cultural landmarks. One of these is the Museum of Natural History, where a paleontologist has recently discovered a new kind of dinosaur.

And from right here in Oberlin, Felisa Wolfe-Simon, '00, an Astrobiology/Exobiology fellow at NASA has just found that yes, there could be other forms of life in the universe (or at least in highly undesirable places here on Earth). While at Oberlin, Dr. Wolfe-Simon majored in Biology, Chemistry, AND Oboe Performance. She then went on to Rutgers for her Ph.D. in Oceanography.

Refreshing

2010-11-30T11:32:00.000-05:00

Since 2002, Oberlin has hosted the Credo Chamber Music Summer Program, one of the most intensive pre-professional music programs in the country. Every summer, hundreds of talented teenage string players and pianists from all over the world apply to attend the rigorous 3-week music workshop. In addition to their practices and performances, the students spend a significant portion of each day volunteering.

Impressed? So is everyone else: through the Pepsi Refresh Project, Credo received $25,000, or full scholarships for 8 lucky students!

Energetic

2010-11-17T12:06:00.000-05:00

Because the vast majority of energy on college campuses is used by dorms (here at Oberlin it's 92%), students across the country are competing to reduce their energy and water usage. Check out our real-time monitoring website: dorm energy competition and the homepage of the Campus Conservation Nationals for more information and to see who will be crowned the winner on November 19th!

Movember

2010-11-08T16:47:00.000-05:00

Vote: check.
Turn back the clocks: check.
Honor our veterans: check.
Eat turkey: check
~~Grow a mustache: check.~~
Support LIVESTRONG and men who grow mustaches: check!

This month, watch as the men in our athletics department grow mustaches ("mos") to raise awareness and funds for men's health.

Read an article here. Donate money here. Watch week one's progress here.

Autumn in Oberlin

2010-11-02T13:27:00.000-04:00

The pumpkins have been carved. There's a chill in the air. Students just returned from a much-deserved fall break. The women's cross country team won the conference championship again. And the beautiful reds and oranges of trees around campus are beginning to carpet the sidewalks. Ah. It must be autumn in Oberlin!

Slow Train, Good Times

2010-10-18T10:41:00.001-04:00

Oberlin (both the College and the town) were featured in this Saturday's Plain Dealer for an article on the new East College Street project, an environmentally friendly apartment and shopping center. Developed by three Oberlin graduates, one of the first tenets in the development is The Slow Train Cafe, a coffee shop owned by our men's soccer coach, his wife (an Oberlin alum), and one of his former soccer players.

As Bob Dylan once said, "On the slow train, time does not interfere." Stop by for good coffee, good times, and good friends!

Happy Birthday!

2010-10-12T10:56:00.001-04:00

What a great week! The AJ Lewis Center for Environmental Studies turns 10 today and Megan Widmer clocks in an important year as she will celebrate her 21st birthday on Saturday. While the environmental studies building has been called "the most important green building constructed in the last 30 years," Megan can be considered the best first baseman at Oberlin in the last 30 years.

Happy birthday Megan and AJLCES!

Muggles Among Us

2010-10-04T14:54:00.000-04:00

So this whole semester I thought Katie Baldonieri was studying abroad in Amsterdam. It turns out I was wrong...she's been studying at Hogwart's! I wonder what Kristen Dix has been up to........

A Year In The Life

2010-09-28T19:55:00.000-04:00

Ever wonder what it would be like to go to school at Oberlin? By taking a photo a day, senior cinema studies major Ma'ayan Plaut is able to tell you. From dorm life, to concerts, to sporting events, to Oberlin weather, behold a year in the life of Oberlin College!

Since it's well past dinnertime for me, I decided to include one of Ma'ayan's pictures of food. Yum!

Running Wild

2010-09-23T16:07:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to both our men's and women's cross country teams for being ranked nationally! The men's team (#31) is ranked nationally for the first time and are also ranked fourth in the Great Lakes region. The women's team (#28) is no stranger to the national ranks, as the team is the two-year defending conference champion and senior Joanna Johnson was Oberlin's first-ever NCAA Cross Country All-American last season.

Stay up-to-date with all Oberlin sports by signing up for our text message updates or becoming a fan on Facebook!

The Resourcerer's Apprentice

2010-09-10T09:54:00.000-04:00

Remember the Disney movie Fantasia? One of the segments features Mickey as the Sorcerer's Apprentice (it uses Paul Dukas' music based on the Goethe poem). Mickey is a little bit lazy - but very ambitious! - and believes he can use spells and magic from the Sorcerer's spell book to complete his chores.

This film is an Oberlin student's adaptation: it takes place in our very own Mudd Library and features two other Oberlin students as the Resourcerer and the Resourcerer's Apprentice.

A Fresh Perspective: Moving In

2010-08-30T13:02:00.005-04:00

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

2010-08-27T08:09:00.002-04:00

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

2010-08-19T08:41:00.005-04:00

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

2010-08-16T19:57:00.001-04:00

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

2010-08-12T11:13:00.002-04:00

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

2010-08-03T11:53:00.011-04:00

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

Under Construction

2010-07-30T13:35:00.000-04:00

Yep. This is the weight room. Although it looks more like a warehouse/skating rink now, it will be a thing of strength and beauty in a few weeks.

Other athletics department projects include:
- New entrances to Philips Gym.
- A repainted and newly varnished gym floor.
- New administrative office space.
- Drainage pipes and tiles placed under the field hockey field.

Summer Break

2010-07-16T15:24:00.001-04:00

As Katie and Kristen's summer trip was coming to a close, mine was just beginning! My trip began with a week-long recruiting trip to Colorado, where I watched great softball at three outstanding tournaments.

Here's a short photo journey of my trip after that point:

A beautiful mountain lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. I ran into the venerable Sue Enquist on this hike, and I was shocked to learn that she didn't know who I was. ;)

My twin sister, Emily, is a park ranger at Grand Canyon National Park. She is displaying a bit of nature's handiwork here.

Who knew that the desert has so much water? This waterfall at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is part Phantom Creek, which flows to Bright Angel Creek, which goes directly to the Colorado River.

The only place to find the Grand Canyon Pink Rattlesnake? The Grand Canyon! A rare sight. Even rarer was the fact that I saw TWO. While this one slowly slithered across the trail in front of us, the one I had seen earlier actually rattled at me. According to my sister, though, "it was just a baby and only being polite."

I hiked down the South Kaibab Trail, stayed at Phantom Ranch, and hiked up the Bright Angel Trail. Many folks opt to ride down on mules. This wrangler and his mule train are on their way to Phantom Ranch to deliver some supplies.

Because it gets so hot at the bottom of the Grand Canyon (it was a cool 104 when I was there), hikers must get an early start. This is us looking happy and wide awake at 6am...three miles into a short (12 mile) day hike.

Although it is already mid-July and my summer vacation is over, I still can't help but agree with the words of Henry James: "summer afternoon - summer afternoon...the two most beautiful words in the English language."

Coach Davis

Lights, Camera, Action!

2010-06-22T14:23:00.000-04:00

Hollywood is coming to Oberlin! Filming on a movie starring Michael Shannon (who was in Groundhog Day, Vanilla Sky, Pearl Harbor and was nominated for an Oscar in last year's Revolutionary Road) started last week. Dave's Army Navy is the first location in Oberlin to be filmed, and sites in nearby Grafton, Lagrange, and Elyria will also be used. (Read an article here.) The movie takes place in a cute and charming small town...just like Oberlin!

On The Road

2010-06-06T17:19:00.000-04:00

Like Willie Nelson, five softball players (well, two current softball players and three very recently graduated players) are taking a road trip this summer to places they've never been and seeing things they may never see again. Follow the adventures of Katie, Kristen, Julia, Kate, and Sophie here.

Tennis, Anyone?

2010-05-24T15:41:00.001-04:00

Oberlin College has the privilege of hosting the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championships this week. Starting tomorrow (May 25), the nation's top eight teams, as well as the top 32 individuals and top 16 doubles teams will compete for the national title.

Cleveland was chosen as one of six cities across the nation to serve as a member of the NCAA Championship City program. Over the next few years, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and other area colleges will host NCAA championships: this year our nearby rivals Baldwin-Wallace College (cross country and outdoor track) and John Carroll (volleyball) also hosted championships.

Hakuna Matata

2010-05-19T10:52:00.002-04:00

Tony-award winning director and costume designer Julie Taymor, OC '74 will be this year's commencement speaker.

Perhaps best known for directing the Broadway smash hit The Lion King (which celebrated its tenth year on Broadway this year), Taymor has also received accolades for her films Frida (starring Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo) and Across the Universe, which features 35 songs by the Beatles.

Look for her newest movie, The Tempest, to be released later this year.

SUPERstition

2010-05-13T12:00:00.004-04:00

On May 1st, I had the unique and amazing opportunity to hear the great Stevie Wonder perform here on Oberlin College's campus in beautiful Finney Chapel. Wonder's concert was the official dedication and opening of our new jazz studies building, the Kohl Building.

The day before, Bill and Camille Cosby were also on campus to celebrate the new building. All three received honorary Oberlin College Doctorates for their contributions in music and philanthropic causes.

While the Oberlin College Jazz Studies Department has been in need of their own building for quite some time (they've been practicing in an old gym since 1972), the country has an ever-increasing need for "green" buildings. Environmental stewardship is central to Oberlin College's mission and the Kohl Building's goal is to be the first LEED Gold rated music building in the country.

The building will also be home to the country's largest privately held jazz collection. And to honor Oberlin's newest PhD in music, the Kohl Building's piano recording studio will be named after Stevie Wonder.

Read a recap of the events from the Oberlin Review, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.

Red Fish, Blue Fish

2010-05-06T09:56:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Sophie Schacht and the softball team for their success at Dr. Seuss Day! Dr. Seuss Day is an annual event put on by America Reads tutors at the public library to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday. Because of Sophie's organization and the team's participation, they all won the prestigious Bonner Center's Student-Athlete Award!

Senior Day

2010-05-01T18:57:00.004-04:00

A big congratulations to our five seniors! Julia Chauvin, Lauren Luther, Kate Phillips, Sophie Schacht, and Jen Sees ended a wonderful - but very short!- college softball career this afternoon against the Kenyon College Ladies.

To highlight just a few of their career accomplishments:
- Sophie Schacht is the career leader in games played and games started, having started every single game of her career.
- Julia Chauvin ends her career with 15 school records.
- Lauren Luther has the 3rd most at-bats (behind Sophie and Julia) and 2nd most career hits (behind Julia) of anyone in Oberlin College history.
- Jen Sees finishes her career as the program's third best pitcher.
- Kate Phillips holds the single season record for putouts and is 2nd in career putouts.

The day was made even more special with the attendance of our family, friends, and top fans: Ross Luther (who attended 119 of 129 games over four years) threw out the first pitch, Jessie Ullman (an honorary member of the softball team) shouted our team cheers from the sidelines, and Rocky (our newest mascot!) brought his boundless energy.

Thank you to our seniors for making this another wonderful season!

Peace Out

2010-04-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

For the tenth consecutive year, Oberlin College has made it to the Peace Corps' list of top schools in producing volunteers. With 16 alumni currently serving, this places Oberlin 15th among small schools and universities. Since the Peace Corps began in 1961, 510 Oberlin alumni have followed their passion for helping others by volunteering for the Corps.

2009 was a record year for the Peace Corps, as they received over 15,000 volunteer applications, the largest amount of applications ever. There are 7,671 volunteers currently serving in 76 countries.

See the full list of schools from the Peace Corps' website.

15 Minutes of Fame

2010-04-21T11:54:00.028-04:00

- the number following 14 and preceding 16.

- the 4th Bell number.

- the atomic number of phosphorous.

- the age of a quinceanera.

- the retired number of Yankee great Thurman Munson.

- the number of Oberlin College softball season and career records held by senior Julia Chauvin.

Read a recent interview with Julia from the Oberlin Review.

One Fish, Two Fish...

2010-04-18T13:10:00.007-04:00

Every year on the first Sunday of March Oberlin’s chapter of America Reads throws a “Dr. Seuss Day” celebration at the Oberlin Public Library in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Over 200 kids from Oberlin and the surrounding area come to the library to enjoy free music, performances, activities, and food and this year I spent my winter term organizing the event. Of course, my first order of business was to recruit the entire softball team to have a booth at the event and to help with its preparation. I immediately invited the Black River Belles, the team’s favorite student bluegrass trio, to perform and the team was convinced that they had to attend.
Needless to say, the softball booth was the most popular activity. We set up a beanbag toss right next to the popcorn machine, gave away a free tattoo to every kid, and offered them some water and a wash cloth to apply the tattoo right then and there. While we hung out with the kids in the activity room, a whole other group of kids watched performances on the “stage” that Kate and I set up in the main library. The Obertones, Round Midnight, OSteel, And What!?, the Black River Belles and OCircus all performed between Dr. Seuss readings by prominent community members.
The activities and music were a lot of fun, but by far the most entertaining part of the afternoon was when Katie, Megan and I dressed up in the costumes we had rented for the event. To my complete surprise, Megan volunteered to dress as the Cat in the Hat and she roamed the library, delighting children with her Seussian wit the entire afternoon. Because the usual costume shop that rents out Elmo and Blue’s Clues costumes is temporarily out of business, Katie and I ended up taking turns navigating the library in a giant, old, particularly pungent St. Bernard costume. It was hard to be a loveable mascot in the tattered suit and we almost knocked down more than a couple of toddlers that ended up in our blind spots, but we managed to attract some fans and at least one little boy was teary-eyed when it was time for the puppy to leave.
After Julia ran all around town looking for temporary tattoos not of princesses or butterflies (gender is a social construct), and Kristine, Kristen and Kate lovingly applied them to countless hands, arms, and faces, the softball team probably spent more time, effort, and money on the event than anyone else that helped out. When the last kids had left, most of the America Reads volunteers went home, but of course the trusty softball team stayed behind to pick up the mess, load up the cars, and transport everything back to the Bonner Center. Thanks team!
Sophie Schacht, #5

Taming the Tigers

2010-04-13T11:28:00.004-04:00

For the first time in our program's history, the softball team beat conference rival Wittenberg University! We made the Tigers look like cranky little kittens in our easy 5-0 victory. Senior Jen Sees held Wittenberg to just three hits, while fellow senior Julia Chauvin was 2-3 with an RBI. First-year right-fielder Brittany Dawson had a two-hit, two-RBI game and her classmate Cheryl Lindsly was on base a perfect three times. Read the re-cap here.

Students of the Game

2010-04-06T12:52:00.009-04:00

National Student-Athlete Day recognizes the accomplishments of student-athletes who excel in the classroom, on the playing fields, and in their communities. To honor this day, Oberlin College student-athletes participated in a "sport swap:" all student-athletes met at the track for warm-ups and then dispersed to different "clinics" held by each coaching staff.

The softball players participated in and excelled at volleyball, lacrosse, tennis, and soccer. Only Cheryl was not able to participate, as she had music rehearsal. (I wonder if they swapped instruments for the day?)

Spring Break II

2010-04-05T13:58:00.006-04:00

Well, if there is one thing that all of the seniors have learned in all of our four years of going to Florida for Spring Break it's that at Planet Hollywood you are only paying for the atmosphere. In some obscene lapse in judgment we decided that going to Pleasure Island (a part of Downtown Disney) was a good idea on one of the busiest weeks of the year for tourism. Needless to say after my last two sentences, there were a great deal of people and long, long waits at the restaurants.

Okay, okay, okay, it wasn't necessarily a lapse in judgment that brought us to Downtown Disney. It was this dinosaur-themed eatery. It was too good to resist, well, at least until we got there and realized there was an hour and a half wait....as well as designated stroller parking. So maybe too family friendly for us, which is how we came to pick the taste-bud disappointing Planet Hollywood. And even though the one in Orlando is the largest of all the Planet Hollywoods (it's capacity is about 781, I think our waitress said, on all four levels) and it held a Rockford Peaches uniform from the movie A League of Their Own, it was still a highly disappointing eating experience for us all.

Of course our sad restauranting certainly did not mar our entire week. It was just one unfortunate evening for the seniors and coaches, is all. We went to a number of delicious restaurants as a whole team (Sweet Tomato, Panera), played pirate mini-golf, watched UCF vs. Florida (Florida won 4-3 in the 9th!), hung out by the tiny-tiny frigid pool at the hotel, watched some life-changing Animal Planet, about seven of us went to a wonderful Amos Lee concert...oh, and we played some softball and stuff, whatever.

In all seriousness, though, I really think that these games in Florida have been particularly excellent. I mean, of course we've had our good games, our bad games, our okay games, but the team this year has been more offensively ready than any other team in the past four years by this time. We've really stepped it up at the plate. Hopefully this exciting energy and fun-having will carryover into our conference games. Why am I saying "hopefully?" It will. We will be ready for teams in conference this year. Besides, this has to be our best season ever because there's five seniors. It's just a fact.

Alright folks, it's about dinner time, and time to go into the unpredictable Ohio weather....which has changed in the last two hours from sunny and warm to weird, windy, and rainy-ish. Oh Ohio.

Love,

Julia, #9

Spring Break

2010-03-31T15:17:00.003-04:00

From the stories I’ve heard team bonding has been a large part of the Spring Break trip. We started our bonding this year by painting our nails. I personally chose a maroon color to match the crimson and gold colors of Oberlin. We eventually went to the poolside to show off our newly painted toenails and get some sun. The rays were great to soak up, but the temperature of the pool was not so great. Only three of us attempted the plunge into the chilly water behind the hotel. Soon after, we slightly regretted it…

Monday was an extremely exciting day! We ended the day with our first win against Buffalo State! We were able to come together as a team and everyone surely contributed to the win. There was so much excitement on and off the field, during and after the game. I’m so happy to be down here apart of this team and I can’t wait for what awaits the rest of the week.

Cheryl, #16

Fine Arts

2010-03-24T12:12:00.000-04:00

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a 2009 recipient of the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the United States government to artists and art patrons in recognition of the wealth and depth of their creative expressions.

Other recipients this year include singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, director/actor Clint Eastwood, composer/conductor John Williams, and artist/designer Maya Lin.

Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Green Thumb

2010-03-18T19:24:00.003-04:00

In its third annual ranking, Sierra magazine has once again named Oberlin to its Top 10 "Cool Schools" list. Why?

- A third of the food served in our dining halls is produced locally.
- We started the first car-sharing program in Ohio.
- Half of our electricity comes from green sources.
- Our “trayless” system at dining halls discourages food waste.
- All new construction and major renovation projects must meet a minimum LEED Silver standard.
- Commencements are eco-friendly: biodegradable utensils and programs printed on 100% recycled paper are just two examples.

Oberlin College Office of Environmental Sustainability
Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies

Hurts So Good

2010-03-08T09:57:00.002-05:00

After writing an article for Playboy about his year-long experience following a bomb squad in Iraq (including an IED specialist who defused the most roadside bombs during the war), journalist and Oberlin grad Mark Boal, '95 turned his eye-opening story into the now award-winning screenplay, The Hurt Locker.

The Hurt Locker was nominated for nine Academy Awards and took home six, including Best Picture and Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow (the first female to win Best Director), and Original Screenplay for Boal. In his speech, Boal dedicated his Oscar to the troops still in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with those who didn't make it home.

Watch the trailer or read Roger Ebert's review.

Tour de France, Part Deux

2010-03-06T12:18:00.004-05:00

Sometimes life in Alençon can get boring. We only work about 12-15 hours per week, and while some of our extra time is taken up by making lesson plans, we still have a lot of free time that we need to fill up. I bought a bike and go around town and the surrounding areas, I go to the local swimming pool with two other assistants, we take train trips to Paris every once-in-awhile and we even try to watch French films at the local movie theater (I saw Avatar for my birthday and got the gist of most of it…). BUT, even after factoring in that stuff there’s still quite a bit of down time, so I think I’ll be happy to go back to school next year: I have applied to the Middlebury French School. I love France and I plan on doing grad school in Paris through Middlebury, but my plans can still change.

I love the food (I have yet to try foie gras, though…) and the cheese and the wine and the bread and the pastries and the people. Did you know that France has almost 500 different varieties of cheese? Normandy is pretty much the cheese and milk-product capital of France because of how many cows there are (I would estimate that there are two cows for every person in Normandy!), so I also love that...I don’t love the smell all of the time. All-in-all France is great and my first post-graduate year isn’t going too poorly. But I often find myself missing Oberlin and wishing that I could transplant Oberlin College to France with me!

Michelle Zanni

Related By Blood

2010-03-04T15:54:00.005-05:00

Last Wednesday, the Oberlin Softball team got an A+ (or maybe an O-) for their support at one of the college’s monthly blood drives run by the American Red Cross. All team members, including coaches, showed up at the student union to lend either an arm, support, or even homemade cookies (thank you, Coach Davis). While waiting to donate, the team engaged in a variety of activities such as intense crossword puzzles, homework, or a favorite team pastime, eating!

It was great to see the team come together and help out during a time when there is such a critical demand for blood donors. The American Red Cross helps people in emergencies every day. Whether it’s a large-scale disaster, like what Haiti and Chile are facing, or one sick child who needs blood, we all need to find a way to contribute.

Did You Know?

2010-02-25T20:05:00.004-05:00

The name Moses Fleetwood Walker doesn't mean much to anyone other than devoted baseball historians, collectors of obscure knowledge, and fans of Oberlin College athletics. If you fall in one of these three categories, you'll know that "Fleet" Walker was the first African-American to play major league baseball, preceding Jackie Robinson by 63 years.

Walker enrolled at Oberlin College in 1877. In 1881, his last year at the college, he joined the first varsity baseball team as a bare-handed catcher. (The team was 3-0 that year.) In 1883 he joined the Toledo Blue Stockings of the Northwestern League...a year later, the club joined the American Association, a major league. He played in 42 games that year, hitting a respectable .263 and helping the Blue Stockings win the championship.

Responding to a 1920 alumni questionnaire, Walker summed up his experiences at Oberlin in one word: "excellent."

Walker was in the inaugural Heisman Club Hall of Fame class at Oberlin, inducted in 1990.

Interested in learning more? Read a newspaper article from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and an online entry from the Negro League Baseball Players Association.

Tour de France

2010-02-22T09:47:00.003-05:00

Hello! I am here to just give a fun little update on what I have been up to this past year as a recent Oberlin graduate. Since the beginning of October I have been living and working in Alençon, France (lower Normandy) as an English language assistant. I decided to take the job because I studied French in college and wanted to take a year off before going to grad school, and I thought that living and working in France would help me out a bit. It’s been great so far!

I’ve been able to travel on school breaks and meet new people from different parts of the world. I live with a Spanish assistant and a German assistant, so the common language in the house is French. For fall break I went with my Spanish housemate, Celi, to Barcelona for 10 days. I speak no Spanish. But, we stayed with her family and they were wonderful hosts. For winter break I went with another English assistant to Wales to stay with her and her family for the holidays. Even though it is an English-speaking country, it was still a different cultural experience. There were lots of castles and pubs and enough strange British people to make the whole vacation rather interesting...I really want to go back! We even went to Liverpool, and I got to see the nightclub where the Beatles started out (that was particularly amazing for me)! Once the weather is nicer I want to take some trips to the south of France to enjoy the sun and Mediterranean, which is really just an excuse for me to take the TGV (high speed rail) around the country.

You'll hear from me again soon....

Michelle Zanni, Oberlin '09

Lloyd!!

2010-02-18T15:28:00.002-05:00

I am sure many of you seen the infamous show Entourage on HBO, but did you know the Ari Gold's assistant Lloyd is really Oberlin College graduate Rex Lee. Recently, Lee was back on campus for an interview with Associate Professor of Theater and Dance Matthew Wright where they chatted about Hollywood, Lee’s time at Oberlin and how he got to where he is now. Read the whole Article courtesy of the Oberlin Review here.

Back in the OC

2010-02-15T12:56:00.002-05:00

After five months of amazing adventures in New Zealand followed by three less exciting months at home, I'm finally back in Oberlin for my last semester. Not only is this my last semester as an undergrad, but it's also my last softball season EVER. I was unusually nervous about returning to Oberlin; my friends and teammates had had a whole semester together creating memories and of course, practicing. I, on the other hand, was M.I.A., which I feared would leave me out of the social loop and well as drastically out of shape compared to everyone else. Thankfully I was wrong and my reunion with the team went smoothly.

Practice has kept us all on our toes. Thanks to pitching, practicing, conditioning and lifting there isn't a part of my body that hasn't been sore this first week, and undoubtedly I am not the only one. We have eleven on the team this year and there will definitely be some challenges to come, especially when it comes to the various positions everyone will be playing. However, I am confident that everyone, including myself, will put their all into the season this year, making it one to remember.

Cheers for now,

Jen Sees, #15

This Day in History

2010-02-11T09:35:00.008-05:00

On February 10, 1835 the Oberlin College board of trustees passed a resolution to admit and educate black students alongside white students, making it the first college in the country to do so.

Roland Baumann, a retired archivist, writes in his new book Constructing Black Education at Oberlin College, "Time has confirmed the 1835 resolution as one of the milestones in the struggle for racial equality in the United States."

To find out more, check out the following link.

And to read President Marvin Krislov's memo "One Vote Makes a Difference", click here.

Helping Hands

2009-12-19T13:02:00.005-05:00

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.

Oberlin Community Services
Oberlin College Athletics

A Thanksgiving Feast (Or Two)

2009-12-02T12:10:00.005-05:00

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

2009-12-02T11:57:00.005-05:00

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....

2009-10-05T11:08:00.024-04:00

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

2009-09-29T13:19:00.008-04:00

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

2009-09-23T10:43:00.005-04:00

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

2009-09-17T13:53:00.006-04:00

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

2009-09-15T09:48:00.006-04:00

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

2009-09-12T11:46:00.002-04:00

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!!!

2009-09-08T09:55:00.006-04:00

So Long, Farewell...

2009-05-19T22:04:00.013-04:00

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

2009-05-15T17:11:00.003-04:00

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

2009-03-29T11:00:00.001-04:00

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

2009-03-26T21:59:00.000-04:00

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

2009-03-25T21:58:00.000-04:00

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!

2009-03-24T23:34:00.001-04:00

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

2009-03-23T22:28:00.000-04:00

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

2009-03-22T21:16:00.000-04:00

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.

2009-03-19T15:23:00.000-04:00

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