Producing Radio at NPR: Anna Bauman ’17</h1> <article> <h1>Producing Radio at NPR: Anna Bauman ’17</h1> <p>eulrich — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 17:52:04 +0000</p> <span>Producing Radio at NPR: Anna Bauman ’17</span> <span><span>eulrich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-06-06T13:52:04-04:00" title="Thursday, June 6, 2019 - 13:52">Thu, 06/06/2019 - 13:52</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>What did you focus on during your time at �鶹��Ƶ?</strong></p> <p>Outside of classes, I played on the Ultimate Frisbee team, baked bread for Old Barrows, and served as a <a href="https://serve.oberlin.edu/agency/detail/?agency_id=30701" target="_blank">Ninde mentor</a> and Spanish tutor at �鶹��Ƶ High School. During my senior year, I cohosted a talk show on WOBC with my friend Dana Brandes-Simon called <em>Converse</em>, where we conducted long-form interviews with �鶹��Ƶ community members.</p> <p><strong>What do you do as an associate producer for <em>On Point</em>?</strong></p> <p>Each week, I’m tasked with producing two hours of live radio from concept to finished project. My responsibilities include pitching stories, conducting research, booking standout guests, editing sound, writing scripts, and creating a narrative arc for the show. Sometimes I have a few days to prepare, other times news breaks at 8:00 a.m. and we work as a team to pull a show together by 10:00 a.m. After over a year on the job, a deadline will never scare me again.</p> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Anna Bauman ’17 answering calls in the studio.<br> Photo courtesy of Anna Bauman</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p><strong>What has your experience at NPR been like so far?</strong></p> <p>Working at <em>On Point</em> has been an exhilarating and challenging creative experience. Since we broadcast 10 hours of live radio a week, we cover most anything you could think of. I’ve produced shows on a range of topics including Beyoncé, the Mueller Report, and artificial intelligence. It feels like I extended my liberal arts education into my job. Reading and staying informed is a job requirement.</p> <p><strong>Do you have any advice for �鶹��Ƶ students who might be interested in pursuing a similar career path?</strong></p> <p>Leverage all of the resources at �鶹��Ƶ you can! My senior year internship at WCPN was the perfect starter kit for working in radio. They immediately threw me into recording in the field, pitching ideas, and writing short stories for live broadcasts. While �鶹��Ƶ does not have a journalism major, there are so many classes that can help you think critically and become a better writer. Take a class in creative writing! While a subject may not be explicitly related to radio, you’ll still use many of the analytical brain muscles that will take you far in the field. Obies are also all over the audio world. Send them an email! Buy them a coffee or talk over the phone.</p> <p>In the future, Anna hopes to continue covering the news on the radio and maybe even venture into podcasting.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-06-06T12:00:00Z">Thu, 06/06/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jane Hobson ’22</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>At �鶹��Ƶ, Anna Bauman ’17 majored in history and minored in politics and gender, sexuality, and feminist studies. During her senior year, she landed a reporting internship for Cleveland’s 90.3 WCPN <em>Ideastream</em>. After graduation, Bauman decided to continue with radio and took an internship with <em>On Point</em>, WBUR-Boston’s and NPR’s live national call-in show. Bauman is no longer an intern there—she’s an associate producer.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2360">After �鶹��Ƶ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2389">Young Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2407">Club Sports</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2417">Co-ops</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25361">Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/history" hreflang="und">History</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Anna Bauman ’17</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Anna Bauman</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Q&A with Abby Cheng ’20, Captain of Women’s Ultimate Team</h1> <p>eulrich — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:24:48 +0000</p> <span>Q&A with Abby Cheng ’20, Captain of Women’s Ultimate Team</span> <span><span>eulrich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-03-04T10:24:48-05:00" title="Monday, March 4, 2019 - 10:24">Mon, 03/04/2019 - 10:24</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The WFDF Championships take place every two years and feature some of the best college-aged players from around the world. At �鶹��Ƶ, Ultimate has been an important component of Abby’s life. Read more about her experience playing Ultimate in this Q&A.</p> <hr> <p><strong>Please tell me a bit about Ultimate at �鶹��Ƶ. How long have you been playing?</strong></p> <p>I have been playing Ultimate for three and a half years at �鶹��Ƶ. This is my third year as captain of <a href="http://www2.oberlin.edu/stuorg/obult/manti/" target="_blank">the Preying Manti</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>, which is �鶹��Ƶ’s women and trans Ultimate club team.</p> <p><strong>What has your experience been like playing for the Preying Manti?</strong></p> <p>My team is my whole life at �鶹��Ƶ. It has very much shaped my entire college experience and who I am as a person. I’ve seen my team grow into a thoughtful, loving, and supportive community, and I'm so incredibly lucky to have been a part of the success of such a beautiful group of people. In my time here, our A Team has gone from 25th in Division III to 4th. This spring, we are going to reach farther and achieve more than ever.</p> <p><strong>How did you get your spot on the WFDF U-24 Women’s Team?</strong></p> <p>I applied for the Women’s National Team this past summer and was invited to try out. The way the selection process works is that 100 men and 100 women are invited to attend one of two tryout camps before the teams are selected. I flew to the west coast tryout in San Francisco in November because I was performing in �鶹��Ƶ’s fall opera during the east coast tryout. The tryout was intense—we played Ultimate for eight hours on Saturday and four hours on Sunday with very few breaks. Then, the team was announced in January.</p> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Abby Cheng ’19 competing with the Preying Manti at the Women and Trans Division-III Ohio Valley College Regionals in 2018, which �鶹��Ƶ won<br> Photo by Ultiplanning</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p><strong>So, what are you doing to get ready for the championships?</strong></p> <p>Besides staying in shape and building up my strength and speed, I’m investing a lot of time in the �鶹��Ƶ team. The only way I can really improve in the next four months is by playing and learning with my team. Honestly, the Preying Manti is the reason that I’ve gotten this far. In our games and practices, I set very specific goals for myself so that I can be sure I'm always pushing myself to the next level.</p> <p><strong>Last question: are you excited?</strong></p> <p>Yes! I am very excited to play with the best players in the country and in the world. It will be so special to be in a space where every single player values Ultimate as much as I do.</p> <p><strong>The WFDF Championship will be held July 13-20 in Heidelberg, Germany. We wish Abby the best of luck!</strong></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-03-04T12:00:00Z">Mon, 03/04/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jane Hobson ’22</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This summer, senior Abby Cheng, a mathematics and vocal performance double-degree student, will compete at the weeklong <a href="http://nationalteam.usaultimate.org/u24/" target="_blank">World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) 2019 Under-24 Ultimate Championships</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> in Heidelberg, Germany.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2407">Club Sports</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2379">Student Life</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25401">Mathematics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/mathematics" hreflang="und">Mathematics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Abby Cheng ’19 competing at the Northeast Club Regionals with her club team, BENT, in 2017</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amy Leder</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Hogwarts on Campus</h1> <p>Anonymous — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 18:44:43 +0000</p> <span>Hogwarts on Campus</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-04-28T14:44:43-04:00" title="Friday, April 28, 2017 - 14:44">Fri, 04/28/2017 - 14:44</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>If you want to find a particular variety of gleeful enthusiasm, talk to Harry Potter lovers. And if you want to find a lot of them in one place, go to a Quidditch match.</p> <p>This once-niche sport, created by author J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series, found its real-world home on college campuses. It first surfaced at Middlebury College, and the Obliviators are �鶹��Ƶ’s own enthusiastic and dedicated team.</p> <p>Maya Martin, a fourth-year Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies major with an education concentration, has played on the team for three years and describes the sport as “dodgeball, rugby, and tag put together,” with volleyballs, dodgeballs, and lightweight PVC pipes standing in for the respective quaffles, bludgers, and broomsticks that are used in the books.</p> <p>But lest the literary origins confuse anyone, Quidditch is definitely a bona fide sport, albeit a more low-key one. Tara Santora, a second-year biology major, has found her skills in jujitsu grappling to be an asset while playing, but says that at �鶹��Ƶ “we try to say that anyone who wants to play, can play.” People of all athletic abilities are welcomed.</p> <p>Olivia Konuk, a third-year GSFS major and computer science minor who is one of the team co-captains, says, “I think we always want to be improving and honing our skills, but we don’t care too much about the winning and trampling the other teams.”</p> <p>“But, we have won games!” Martin says enthusiastically.</p> <p>It’s not an ultra-competitive atmosphere that attracts students to Quidditch— rather, “it’s the community that draws people in and keeps them here,” says Ilan Davidowitz, a second-year sociology major who was hooked after catching a glimpse of the �鶹��Ƶ Quidditch culture as a prospective student during a recruiting visit. “I decided I wanted to come to �鶹��Ƶ because of the Quidditch team— because of how awesome, down-to-earth, and friendly everyone was.”</p> <p>Another place Harry Potter-influenced inclusiveness can be found is in the �鶹��Ƶ Harry Potter Alliance (OHPA). A club whose membership does overlap quite a bit with the Quidditch team, OHPA is less about sports and more dedicated to hosting events in tribute to Rowling’s magical universe.</p> <p>The group hosts events such as a Potter-Themed Room Escape, Scavenger Hunts, Bad Fanfiction Nights, and the Yule Ball, an extremely popular annual event that also features baked goods familiar to many a hard-core Harry Potter nerd— chocolate frogs, rock cakes, Cornelius fudge, and butterbeer, of course.</p> <p>As a chapter of the national Harry Potter Alliance, which promotes equality, human rights, and literacy through the enthusiasm and intense devotion that the Potter-world inspires, all proceeds from OHPA events are donated to different organizations and causes based on a group vote.</p> <p>And the group doesn’t only try to spread Harry Potter-related enthusiasm on campus. Members regularly participate in Dr. Seuss Day at the �鶹��Ƶ Public Library, getting kids involved in skits steeped in Harry Potter-lore. The logistics of how to let the kids meet Bowtruckles or Pixies, and on who can be found to play Hagrid, are of the utmost importance.</p> <p>“The Yule Ball is the most fun I’ve had at college I can remember,” says Maddie Henke, a first-year and the student liaison for OHPA. “I’ve made some of my closest friends at college when the OHPA went apple picking together— it makes me feel at home.”</p> <p>Whether through the OHPA or the Quidditch team, or both, a certain appreciation for Harry Potter is a path to a community that can be one of the most meaningful parts of the �鶹��Ƶ experience.</p> <p>The experience of Emilee Taxman, second-year Studio Art Major and the OHPA Publicity Coordinator, sums up the potential of being a part of such a fun and close-knit group: “As a prospie I got to referee a Quidditch match, and I just thought, ‘Oh, this is a place where I can actually fit in! I felt so welcome, and now my Harry Potter people are some of my favorite people on campus.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-03-29T12:00:00Z">Wed, 03/29/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Chloe Vassot</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2407">Club Sports</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2355">Student Organizations</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The �鶹��Ƶ Obliviators practice on Wilder Bowl, just steps away from �鶹��Ƶ's very own Hogwarts, Peters Hall.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tara Santora</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Club Brings Fun to the Table</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:02:04 +0000</p> <span>Club Brings Fun to the Table</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:02:04-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:02">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:02</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>On November 14, the <a href="http://www.goyeo.com/sports/2013/7/8/GEN_0708133015.aspx?id=416">�鶹��Ƶ College Table Tennis Club</a>—led by officers Peter Nguyen and Jad Salem—traveled to Akron, Ohio, to compete against students from four colleges in the Ohio West Division: Ohio State University, Miami University, University of Cincinnati, and University of Toledo.</p> <p>The matches were held in a large gymnasium and recorded by officials from the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTAA). �鶹��Ƶ’s contestants split into an A-team and a B-team, facing off against similarly ranked players from opposing schools. Each match consisted of four games that were best of five sets each, with a tiebreaker doubles match.</p> <p>Though �鶹��Ƶ came in fifth in its division, third-year environmental studies major Nguyen says, “we had lots of fun and it was a good experience for many first-timers at a NCTTA tournament.” Especially when facing off against institutions with a much larger pool of undergraduates, the �鶹��Ƶ team’s priorities have become, in recent years, focused not on beating the competition but on good sportsmanship and enjoying the game. Nguyen and Salem contend that downplaying the competitive aspect of table tennis allows more people to get involved.</p> <p>“We think ping pong is important because it is not only a good sport for people to participate in, but a sport that isn't too heavy, so it's good for people who want to take breaks from school and just want to have fun in their spare time. We really enjoy playing at each meeting and teaching people some new skills,” Nguyen says.</p> <p>The club is open to students of all skill levels and backgrounds. Though the game might seem intimidating to some, Nguyen and Salem stress its accessibility.</p> <p>“We've seen beginners who have not even played before get so much better after a semester or two!”</p> <p>The Table Tennis Club meets regularly on Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. in Phillips Squash Courts.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-12-23T12:00:00Z">Wed, 12/23/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Owain Heyden</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2407">Club Sports</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2355">Student Organizations</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Peter Nguyen and Jad Salem</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>A Sport of the Mind</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:02:04 +0000</p> <span>A Sport of the Mind</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:02:04-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:02">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:02</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>On Thursdays at 9 p.m. in the Rathskeller, playing the game of chess is a paradox: both light-hearted and intense. At these weekly meetings, the members of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/�鶹��ƵCollegeChessClub">�鶹��Ƶ College Chess Club (OCCC)</a> cultivate a small but inviting community of chess-playing enthusiasts and hone their skills at a game of sport-level intensity.</p> <p>For Walker Griggs, a third-year biology and Russian double major, winning a chess match is extremely validating. “You get to destroy someone utterly—there’s no chance or risk, I’ve outsmarted you.” </p> <p>Chess club members have had ample opportunities for such success in recent years. Active in the world of competitive chess, for the last three years the club has competed in the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championships, a tournament that brings in high-ranking players from all over the Americas. The club’s advisor Constantine Ananiadis, who is also �鶹��Ƶ’s women’s tennis coach, is proud of how far the club has come—at the Pan-Ams in 2013 the club won in the National Small School Division, and in 2014 it tied with Carleton College for the top prize once again. </p> <p>This year the club is hosting the 2015 Pan-Ams in Cleveland, taking place December 27-30. </p> <p>“We felt it was the next step for our club. We’ve been doing better and better and it’s great exposure for chess at �鶹��Ƶ,” Ananiadis says. </p> <p>Some of the club’s members have been playing for many years. Griggs, who is also the chess club’s chair and treasurer, is a nationally ranked chess master and at 18 was ranked ninth in his age group. Many other members have experience in the national chess tournament scene, too, but the club’s community accepts players of many skill levels. “I like how much of a community we have here, it’s pretty strong, and it’s low-stress to come to our meetings, even if you play only casually,” Griggs says. </p> <p>Linda Diaz, a third-year comparative American studies major with minors in Africana studies and gender, sexuality and feminist studies, has attended the Pan-Ams with the chess club for its past two winning years and agrees that the size and style of �鶹��Ƶ’s club has many advantages. “We’re more underground here at �鶹��Ƶ. We’re less funded than bigger chess clubs like the Ivies who even give chess scholarships, and it’s less pressure from Constantine—he wants us to do our best, but he’s not going to get mad at us if we make a mistake.” </p> <p>The atmosphere at �鶹��Ƶ is especially nice for women players, Diaz notes. “A lot of people have prejudices against women, and there’s a lot of hypersexualization of female chess players. But our chess team doesn’t make assumptions or downplay accomplishments—and we’re all Obies, we’re a lot more aware of the gender dynamics of chess.” </p> <p>In Ananiadis’ view, the chessboard is an equalizer. “Once you’re at the board, any sort of background is irrelevant,” he says. “You and your opponent have the same army, there are no hidden cards.”</p> <p>In addition to the chess club, Ananiadis runs the Chess ExCo class with assistance from Griggs. Though it is a serious class with assigned readings and even a midterm, Ananiadis stresses that it is enjoyable as well and open anyone outside the club.</p> <p>Terrence Pierre, a second-year physics major, is an experienced player and won the Top Individual Upset Award at the 2014 Pan-Ams, but still found the ExCo class extremely informative. He says he sees value in all chess club members dedicating time to continue learning. </p> <p>“You’re able to learn something new every time, and the goal is for all of us to grow as chess players,” Pierre says. He adds that during club meetings, “it’s not really about winning, but the experience.”</p> <p>An integral part of that experience in the OCCC is the camaraderie between club members. “It’s a spirit thing,” Diaz says. At tournaments like the Pan-Ams, “the team aspect is very sporty, and it’s really competitive. I see it as a sport of the mind.”</p> <p>First-year Samuel Waranch, who has played chess since he was seven and only recently become involved with the OCCC, says that chess “is more than a game. After a long tournament, you’ve spent a lot of mental effort and you might dream about chess afterwards.”</p> <p>Across the varying levels of experience �鶹��Ƶ’s chess club players have, the love of the game is consistent. Second-year Rachel Dan sums it up well: “The goal is to improve, but I play the game because I like it, not so much because I want to be a grandmaster,” she says. “And I also consider it a sport.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-11-27T12:00:00Z">Fri, 11/27/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Chloe Vassot</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2407">Club Sports</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2355">Student Organizations</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dale Preston</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Join the Club</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:02:25 +0000</p> <span>Join the Club</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:02:25-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:02">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:02</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Organizational and planning skills, physical engagement, collaboration opportunities, and self and team improvement are all offerings of the �鶹��Ƶ’s club sports program. But, according to rising fourth-year, men’s Ultimate Frisbee team captain, and Club Sports Council Vice President Jason Freedman, club sports means more to athletes than simply a list of achievements: “Time and time again I see and talk to students who cite their relationship with their club sports team to be their defining experience at �鶹��Ƶ.”</p> <p>How does playing a sport come to be such a huge part of students’ �鶹��Ƶ experience? Club sports are student-run, from the creation of the club to its daily operations, meaning that students go from participants to instrumental organizers by nature of their involvement. The officers of each team are in charge of everything, including planning practices, running meetings, writing and managing budgets, ordering jerseys and equipment, and registering for competitions. Without a set of coaches and staff to help keep the team on track, students are entirely responsible for devising workouts, designing practices, focusing on specific skills with players, and preparing the team for competition, with only themselves to drive their improvement. As Freedman puts it, “When club sport athletes go out and work hard to achieve something, we truly do it because we want to do it, for ourselves and for our teammates.”</p> <p>Student design and execution has been the way of club sports for decades, but a new door opened for cross-club organization, collaboration, and support during the 2007-2008 academic year with the creation of the Club Sports Council (CSC). Previously, each club team was isolated, attempting to treat sports injuries on their own, driving student-owned vehicles to away games, and individually submitting budgets to the Student Finance Committee (SFC) for funding.</p> <p>That all changed when Alia Kate ’08 (women’s rugby), Ilana Garcia-Grossman ’08 (women’s Ultimate Frisbee), and Matt Hollenbeck ’09 (ice hockey) decided to unify all the club sports and lead the charge for garnering administrative support. Their original objectives were: obtaining access to a trainer to treat injuries and prevent future injuries, and access to better transportation methods. After an immense representation of more than 50 jersey-clad club sports athletes at a Board of Trustees meeting—“an impressive display that they claim they had never seen before,” says Kate—President Marvin Krislov created a task force to help club sports realize these goals.</p> <p>With the creation of the Club Sports Council, the program not only received access to a trainer and the ability to rent well-maintained cars for travel, but a new system of self-governance and organization that fostered communication between clubs. Students from every club sport have the opportunity to help write and review budgets and charters, serve on the judicial committee, organize fundraising and outreach, and serve as club sports representatives to the �鶹��Ƶ community and schools across the nation. “It’s a way of empowering the groups and ensuring investment,” says Ben Sandberg ’10, a men’s rugby team captain and fellow CSC organizer.</p> <p>The CSC was the first organized effort in recent years to share information between club sports. “We liked the idea of sharing institutional knowledge because we were constantly, as individual club sports, trying to relearn things that [alumni] had already figured out,” Hollenbeck says. “With the [CSC] we could share all of our collective knowledge and experiences.” The CSC took a step toward easier transfers of knowledge and leadership among club sports, but there is always more to do, says Betsy Bruce, director of recreation and club sports since 2008 and an instrumental supporter of the program through the creation of the CSC and beyond.</p> <p>Both Bruce and Freedman say they hope creating a club sports policy manual will help the organization retain more of the wisdom and insight of graduated student officers that would otherwise be lost in transition.</p> <p>Bruce, who Freedman refers to as “the lifeblood of club sports at �鶹��Ƶ,” says she wishes to complete a policy manual before she retires but refuses to do so without students’ input. “I can extract and pull out policies from other school’s manuals and make one for us, but �鶹��Ƶ has always focused on consensus. The CSC will decide on a topic, and I’ll pull out a page from Case [Western Reserve University]’s or Carleton [College]’s manuals and say, ‘What do you think?’ They look at it and say, ‘This is OK, but this,not so much.’ We look at it and discuss it.”</p> <p>Bruce and Freedman say they also aim to create more CSC programming in the hopes of strengthening the bond between clubs and raising awareness about the resources available to them. “We are trying to build a little more community so folks in the smaller and newer clubs realize there is a greater whole to this program,” Bruce says. “That’s my real goal: a little more awareness that there’s more love out there. You’re a small club and you’re struggling? That’s why I want you to come to a council meeting. You will hear other people’s stories and brainstorm with them.” This year the CSC brought athletes together by hosting games of dodgeball and capture the flag, and helped run community events such as <a href="http://www.goyeo.com/news/2014/10/15/GEN_1015143536.aspx?path=gen">Track or Treat</a>, with more to come in the future.</p> <p>Whether it’s traditional club sports such as Ultimate Frisbee and rugby; sports that transitioned from varsity to club such as fencing and ice hockey; or sports more on the fringe such as bowling and Quidditch, �鶹��Ƶ’s club sports program has a lot to give its student athletes. Participating in any one of the <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/student-life/sports-and-recreation/club-sports/">22 active club sports</a>—or creating a new one—as a player, club officer, or council member provides many opportunities for personal and organizational growth. “Most new recruits have never heard of the sport, don’t know the rules, and are not always as athletic compared to varsity athletes. That being said, these new recruits have a general interest in the underlying culture of the sport, the physicality of it, or the social network that comes along with playing a team sport,” Kate says. “In this way, we continue the constant process of learning the sport, mastering it, and then learning how to pass the skills on to younger classes. The transference piece is powerful and creates a lasting bond between club sports athletes that stretches across generations.”</p> <p>No matter a student’s background or level of experience, the most important part of being a club sports athlete is getting involved, says Bruce. “Letting anyone who wants to try, try—to me, that’s what club sports is about.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-08-24T12:00:00Z">Mon, 08/24/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Rosalind Black</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2354">Campus Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2407">Club Sports</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Hannah Rechtschaffen ’06 possesses the ball for the �鶹��Ƶ Rhinos, the women’s and trans inclusive rugby team. Rugby is one of 22 club sports teams at �鶹��Ƶ.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Shawn Wrobel</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Rooks of the Year</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:04:10 +0000</p> <span>Rooks of the Year</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:04:10-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:04">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:04</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>�鶹��Ƶ's chess team made history in December by winning its first division title at the <a href="http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ttuchess/panam.php">Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship</a> and the award for Top Four-Year Small College. The team finished 22nd in the tournament overall, solidifying �鶹��Ƶ as one of the top collegiate chess teams in the Western Hemisphere. </p> <p>The chess team was simply an idea sparked by a conversation in February 2012 between third-year economics major Kalind Parish and <a href="http://www.goyeo.com/coaches.aspx?rc=313">Constantine Ananiadis</a>, the varsity women’s tennis coach, who has a passion for chess. What started as a few games at TGIF has become a club with a core of 10 members, eight of whom competed in the Pan-Am in December. Composed of first-year students Walker Griggs and Linda Diaz, sophomore Ben Stern, and senior August Olsen, the team went 3-3 and finished 11 spots above their initial seed. </p> <p>According to Ananiadis, this is just the first of many successes for the chess team. “The core of our members are fairly young,” he says. “My hope is that we can send two teams to Pan-Ams each year.” The A-team is also hoping to move up to Division III next year.</p> <p>Even with the big wins, the Pan-Am is not the only focus of the chess team. They have also started two after-school community chess programs, one at Prospect Elementary School and the other at <a href="http://www.oberlinlibrary-thebridge.org/">The Bridge Community Center</a>. “Seeing the impact the club can have on the community is really rewarding,” said Parish. “It’s great to help the kids learn how to think critically and be creative.”<br></p> <p>�鶹��Ƶ will host the Ohio State Championships in December of 2014 and is putting together a bid to host the Pan-Ams in 2015, which would bring nearly 300 players to �鶹��Ƶ. “It would be chance to popularize chess a little more here, and it would be a great opportunity for the town,” said Parish.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2014-02-17T12:00:00Z">Mon, 02/17/2014 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Phoebe Hammer</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2407">Club Sports</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Bowling Success Strikes �鶹��Ƶ</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:04:25 +0000</p> <span>Bowling Success Strikes �鶹��Ƶ</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:04:25-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:04">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:04</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>For more than 30 years, the �鶹��Ƶ College intercollegiate bowling team has remained active, consistent, and largely unnoticed. But this year things are different. </p> <p>The A-squad, or Crimson team, is having its best season in history, currently averaging around 218 in tournaments. Senior Griffin Sabelli, who grew up in �鶹��Ƶ, is ranked second in the country for collegiate bowlers. “I can’t really put a finger on why it is, but I guess I am having a pretty good year,” says Sabelli.</p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZglDrXk1ac" class="newshub_embed">Tom Reid ’80</a>Seniors Johnnie Kallas and David Morris are also making a huge impact. “Historically we have not had many students who come into �鶹��Ƶ already as bowlers. We usually have to grow them from the ground up,” says Tom Reid, the team’s head coach and founder. “In fall of 2010, the stars aligned and we had three accomplished freshmen come in.” </p> <p>Still, this year’s success hasn’t come easily. Because there are no divisions in college bowling and regardless of the team’s limited resources, �鶹��Ƶ is aligned with some of the most successful programs in the country. As a member of The American Heartland Intercollegiate Bowling Conference (AHIBC), �鶹��Ƶ faces top-ranked teams in nearly every competition, including Notre Dame College, Saginaw Valley State, University of Michigan, and The Ohio State University. “Even though we have a very small program, we go against the best bowlers in the country,” says Kallas.</p> <p>Despite these obstacles, the men’s bowling team is ranked 78th in the nation. As the top 80 teams qualify for sectionals in March, �鶹��Ƶ will likely attend, a feat that the team has never accomplished before. “We had a narrow miss a couple years ago,” says Reid, “but I think this is the year. That’s the plan.” </p> <p>{% embed oberlin_newshub.image 387side="right" %}Although the team still has several more tournaments, enthusiasm is high. “We just have to hold on from here. We have to go after it still and attack at the tournaments, but I think we have a great shot this year,” says Sabelli.</p> <p>While it is important to focus on competing, the players emphasize that bowling here is not just about winning. “More than anything else, it’s about the relationships I’ve made,” says Kallas. “I’ve developed great friendships and have found a great mentor and friend in Tom. Bowling is also the best conduction of town and gown in the community. As a college kid I’ve been a lot more exposed to the community as whole. For me personally that’s really important.”</p> <p>Perhaps it is the unique �鶹��Ƶ bowling experience that allows this talent to flourish. “At other schools, I think it’s hard to get lessons in, but here, Tom makes himself so available. I think that’s the best part of it” Sabelli says. “Also, at big bowling schools like Wichita State and Saginaw, I can imagine there is a lot of pressure. Here, it’s more relaxed.” The team has only two mandatory practices per week; the rest of the training is on members’ own schedules.</p> <p>When these seniors three graduating in May, the team will take a heavy loss, but they say that they are confident about the future. “Tom is great at developing talent and we have some other great bowlers on the team,” says Kallus. The squad also recently hired Assistant Coach Trevor Hagedorn, an extremely accomplished bowler from Wichita State. “All of these things will keep us competitive in years to come,” says Kallas. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2013-12-11T12:00:00Z">Wed, 12/11/2013 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Phoebe Hammer</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2411">Athletics & Wellness</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2407">Club Sports</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2379">Student Life</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Gregory Wikstrom</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>