Phoebe Christine Bush – Page 58

FIJI sparks excitment in Greek life

The arrival of Fiji fraternity to Ohio Wesleyan has breathed new life and excitement into OWU while bringing members of the Greek community together in fun and creative ways.
Being a member of Delta Delta Delta has been a core part of my Ohio Wesleyan experience. I joined my freshman year and haven’t looked back since.
Throughout my time at OWU, the Greek community has always been a supportive structure for the different organizations to count on for support.
Fiji has not been on OWU’s campus for the last 4 years; however many rumors have circulated throughout my time at OWU about the fraternity starting back up again.
When members of the Greek community heard about Fiji coming back to OWU, we were all excited and interested to see how it would all play out.
The idea of a new fraternity filled with all men who most likely had never considered being a member of a fraternity before made all members of Greek life think about how this new organization could help to strengthen the Greek community in general.
It was hard to believe when we were told they were actually coming back on campus, until Brett Pytel and Josh Moore, two members of Fiji’s Executive Office who are heading the expansion project at OWU, walked into our chapter house asking for our help. They gave us a blueprint of their plan for bringing Fiji back to OWU.
Fiji has started a friendly competition between sororities and whichever sorority helps them the most during their recruitment time is awarded $200 dollars towards their sorority’s philanthropy.
This “competition” between the sororities has caused all students involved in the Greek system to really become involved in the process, while ensuring that our input and voices are heard.
Fiji has reenergized Greek life at OWU and has reminded us all the importance of strengthening the Greek Community in general, not just our separate organizations.
The arrival of Fiji has brought an exciting new aspect to the community and given all members of the Greek life a chance to reflect on what being in a sorority or fraternity is truly all about.

Primary objectives in primary elections

Watchdog ads, debates, press releases and outrageous accusations are in the air as the primary elections reach their peak. For people into politics, the next year is going to be exciting. For those who hate politics, this next year is going to be a confusing overload of political ads and messages.
I am the president of College Republicans here at OWU, and I want to start by saying that nothing I say represents the view of College Republicans; the OWU chapter, the state chapter, or the national organization. College Republicans is not about telling members what to believe, it is about meeting together and being aware of the current events and issues so that members can draw their own conclusions.
The Republican Party has a massive internal battle between the moderates, who generally tend to support Mitt Romney, and conservatives, who generally tend to support Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Ron Paul will always be hanging around, since he has the money to spend and the Libertarians to support him.
The Arizona Republican Debate, which was held on Wednesday, brought up many different kinds of issues, ranging from the economy, border control, social issues and international affairs. All of these topics certainly have their place in the debates, but my problem comes down to what the main focus tends to be in these debates.
Most Republicans want Obamacare repealed. Every candidate keeps saying why they want to repeal it, but the fact is that there is a good chance the Supreme Court will declare it unconstitutional before a candidate even gets to debate health care with Obama.
Also, some states, including Ohio, voted against Obamacare, so it will not go into law in those states anyway. My point with this is that candidates need to stop the thunderous speeches ending with, “and I will REPEAL Obamacare!” because chances are, they will not even have to.
Now this does not mean that I am against all government programs, because I’m not. I think that some governmental programs are good for the country. However, I do not want everything being regulated to the extent that has been proposed this past year. In the end, I believe that decisions regarding some of the regulation should be left up to the states.
International affairs, I feel, are not getting enough attention. I think every candidate needs to ask himself what he would do if he is woken up in the middle of the night to a phone call saying a massive war has broken out, and one of our allies is involved.
Worse yet, they need to think what they would do if our country was attacked. Virtually any country at any time could decide to snap and wage war, especially countries with unstable governments like North Korea and Iran.
Now I know the common argument, that we need to figure out things domestically first before we get involved in anything. However, the weaker Obama continues to make our military and the more he pulls us out of countries, the less prepared we will be if something does happen. We have no control as to when something happens, but we must have a president who is capable of handling the situation if something does happen.
While I think it is difficult for any candidate to answer exactly how he would deal with an attack on an ally or our country itself, I believe that the two front runners, Santorum and Romney, are better capable of handling an international issue than Obama.
Economically, I am tired of hearing what Obama has done wrong. I am ready to hear what the Republican candidates are going to do about it. It does not matter to me as much how the candidates voted in the past in Congress or what they passed in their states, because the situations in the country are always changing. I want to see them stop looking in the past, and telling me what they will do now. While the debt issue will not likely go away in one presidency, it is a problem that has not been fixed and needs to be talked about more.
Another issue I think needs to be considered is working together as parties. Yes, I know that Republicans have been increasingly guilty of filibustering every bill until it dies. I do think that compromise needs to become a word used more often in Congress.
It used to be that the most liberal Republican was more liberal than the most conservative Democrat. What was wrong with that? Our government could get more things done if the extremely conservative and extremely liberal congressmen would relax a little and strike a compromise.
I firmly believe in standing up for your values and your beliefs, but I think that it is time Republicans and Democrats work together to advance our nation, rather than working against each other and bringing it to a standstill.
The intense bickering between the parties probably has something to do with the bickering within the party. The more moderate Republicans try to bring in the independent vote, the more conservative other Republicans, especially the Tea Party, try to push. This has led to the nasty political campaign where the moderate-leaning Romney has been the target of conservative candidates such as Santorum and Gingrich.
To moderate and conservative Republicans, I say that we need to remember that we all are in the same party with the same mission of getting Obama out of office.
At the end of the day, only one thing matters to Republicans in this upcoming election: defeat Barack Obama. Santorum and Romney are in the lead, and I believe they both could do a better job as president than Obama.
While I have some personal feelings as to who I want to be nominated to presidency, if the Republicans take control of the White House, I will be happy.

Current events reflect belief controversy in school system

A wave of intolerance is spreading across this country, and it is leaving death in its wake.
I don’t read the news very often; I’m usually too busy with the down-to-earth details of college life to be bothered. About the only time I do is when I log out of my email and the MSN page comes up. Lately, though, two stories off the page caught my attention.
The more recent of these was about a girl, an 11th-grader, at West Cranston High School in Rhode Island, who was put under regular police protection to guard her from the rest of the town and her own classmates.
Her name is Jessica Ahlquist, and all she did was agree to be the plaintiff in an ACLU-sponsored court case requesting the removal of an 8-foot wide prayer banner from her public school’s gymnasium.
A State Representative, Peter Palumbo, responded by calling her “an evil little thing” in a radio interview.
She was sent death threats online and numerous “burn in hell” letters in the mail.
The day after court proceedings began, the rest of her class turned to glare at her during the Pledge of Allegiance and screamed “Under God!” in her face, while the teacher did nothing.
As tragic as this story is, the other one is far worse. This story takes place in the Anoka-Hennepin school district of Minnesota.
Over the past three years, nine students from the district have killed themselves; all of them suffered from homophobic harassment from their classmates and a lack of action by school authorities.
The school’s policy effectively forbade teachers from commenting on why the harassment was wrong.
Attempts by the persecuted students to form Gay-Straight Alliances as support groups were blocked by school officials because their existence would bring the topic of homosexuality into the school.
As if the bullying, harassment, and suicides hadn’t already.
Thankfully the attempted suicide rate has dropped, the school’s policy has been replaced, and the federal government is investigating. But the problem isn’t over, not by a long shot.
The Anoka-Hennepin school district is within the congressional district of Representative Michelle Bachmann, the same representative who campaigned for the Republican presidential nomination.
The same representative, who has been silent on the deaths of bullying victims, said in 2006 that anti-bullying legislation was “a waste of time.” In 2004, Bachmann attended a rally against gay marriage.
I was a delegate at the Mock Convention, one of those “liberal students” making “a mockery” of it, and I’m damn proud I did.
What this country needs is for its people to set aside party differences and ideologies and give our gay citizenry equal rights, or at the very least equal respect.
I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that part of the Mock Convention platform affirmed the Republican Party’s respect of same-sex couples, even as it denied them marriage rights.
I was appalled when members of the conservative camp pushed for an amendment to remove that mention of respect, and I spoke vehemently against it.
I believe this counter-amendment is representative of the wave of intolerance I spoke of at the beginning of this editorial.
It’s one thing to oppose same-sex civil unions on ‘sanctity of marriage’ grounds. I’d disagree with you there, but that’s a matter for another time, and perhaps another editorial.
But when we live in a society where an atheist can be ostracized and threatened because she stood up for her views and the American Constitution, something is wrong.
When we live in a society where children can be tormented to death because they are gay, or even just thought to be gay, something is wrong.
When we live in a society where a viable presidential candidate is married to a man whose livelihood is based on the idea that homosexuality is a disease that can be cured, and she supports him, something is wrong.
I have no problem with religion and those with religious beliefs. But when public schools use Christian prayer as a declaration of their identity, and are willing to fight to the death to keep it, there is a problem.
When conservative beliefs, drawn from a book thousands of years old, are used to draw a modern line in the sand – a line between who is accepted and who is rejected – there is a serious problem.
This issue is far more important than protecting the supposed religious sanctity of a secular union.
Whatever your views on gay marriage may be, whatever your political affiliation, the children dying in our schools are human beings, and they deserve justice, and an end to the idea that they are anything less than I am or you are. They deserve our respect and support.
How many more kids have to die, or be threatened with death, before we as a nation stand up and say, enough is enough, to the radical religious conservatism that has taken hold of public schools?
Enough to politicians using their religious faith to push for discriminatory social policies.
Enough to the bullying, and to teachers being forced into silence.
Enough to the death threats, and needs for police protection.
Enough to gay students being pushed into their graves by their classmates’ harassment.
Jessica Ahlquist doesn’t stand alone. TJ, Samantha, Aaron, Nick, Kevin, July, Justin, Cole, and Jordan – the Anoka Nine – didn’t die in vain.
A wave of intolerance is spreading across this country, and it is leaving death in its wake.
But we can fight it, and we can end it.

Sleigh Bells give ‘reigns’ to the guitar

As a relatively young band, Sleigh Bells have made a name for themselves with volume.
Their 2009 debut, “Treats,” bore a trademark of incredible loudness. From the opening “Tell ‘Em” to the closing title track, every song—even the slowest and softest of them—was unrelenting and unrefined; but listeners never neglected to turn the record up because the music was so fun to listen to.
Sleigh Bells’ sophomore effort, “Reign of Terror,” brings a new, more polished sound to the band’s repertoire.
There are a greater number of slower songs and more emotional lyrics, and they sound less like they were recorded with an iPhone.
But make no mistake—the volume is still there.
On “Reign of Terror,” it’s simply reincarnated in a variety of different elements. “True Shred Guitar,” the opening track, suggests an overtone of arena rock—the first third of it is a live recording of Sleigh Bells in New Orleans, complete with heavy, echoing guitars by Derek Miller and a screaming crowd led by vocalist Alexis Krauss.
These overtones remain present throughout the record. Instead of synthesized beats holding prevalence as they did on “Treats,” Miller’s guitar takes the lead. The riffs are minimalistic, but they’re loud and propel all the other musical elements. Coupled with Krauss’s pop background, the product sounds like the love child of Cyndi Lauper and Def Leppard
This is exactly what Miller wanted to achieve on “Reign of Terror”—in an interview with Spin Magazine, he said he was at a crossroads with the conflicting pop and rock elements of “Treats.”
“With ‘Treats’ it was less clear to me whether Sleigh Bells was going to be a guitar band or if we were going to do more sample-heavy stuff,” he said in an interview with Spin’s David Marchese in late 2011. “With this record I had to pick sides. The beats are still important to me, but the guitar won.”
Sleigh Bells allow those beats to play a major role on “Reign of Terror” through their ingenious use of layering.
The guitars, synths, percussion and Krauss’s floating vocals are inserted at different intervals in each song to create a noise-pop fugue.
This is most evident on “End of the Line.” The track begins with a foundation of steady percussion, an understated guitar and a chanting vocal from Krauss; then a comparatively blistering hi-hat permeates at the start of the verse.
In the chorus the guitar becomes more strident and apparent, and later the hi-hat gets a subtle but equally swift bass drum to accompany it. All these pieces fit together so seamlessly that the listener is compelled to sing and dance along.
Layers are also used hypnotically well on “Never Say Die,” the penultimate track.
The entire instrumentation maintains a rapid pace; the guitar’s range stays within just a few notes; and Krauss’s vocal hooks and quick cadence induce a sonic trance.
The lyrics don’t quite rhyme, but the phonetic dissonance isn’t noticeable because the music is so bewitching.
Despite pushing their sound in a new direction, Sleigh Bells were sure to keep some of the essential features of “Treats” that worked so well. “Demons” is to “Reign of Terror” as “Infinity Guitars” was to “Treats”
The guitar is commanding, the percussion is driving and bombastic, and Krauss’s spoken vocals bid listeners to scream along with her.
Additionally, the pulsing bass drum cadence and spatial guitars of “Born to Lose,” the record’s lead single, are somewhat reminiscent of the aforementioned “Tell ‘Em.”
Some songs, like the closing “D.O.A.,” effectively use the gasping vocal samples that were an underplayed trademark of several tracks on “Treats.”
This perfectly mixed concoction of old and new gives “Reign of Terror” a diversity its predecessor lacked. It’s a bit difficult to adjust to at first, since “Treats” conditioned Sleigh Bells’ listeners to its raw volume.
But the new sound is one all their own. It proves Krauss and Miller have a great deal of maturity and are willing to push themselves creatively, and know how to have a good time doing it.
This album, “Reign of Terror” surely heralds more good—and loud—things to come from Sleigh Bells.

Poet smashes stereotypes of women in the media with show, “Death of the Diva”

DJ and performer Amanda Seales put on a one-woman musical narrative encouraging men and women to re-examine how women are treated in the mainstream media Saturday in Grey Chapel.
Death of the Diva uses music, humor, and monologue to portray Seales’ message.
The event was presented by seniors Alexis Williams and Samantha DeJarnett, HBC, WOHO, Sisters United, Black Men of the Future, SUBA and the Women’s Resource Center.
Seales received her master’s in African American Studies from Columbia University while serving as an MTV video-jockey. She appears regularly on VH1 and HLN as a music expert and commentator. Williams said she discovered via Twitter that Amanda Seales wanted to begin performing on college campuses.
“She connected her email to her Twitter, so I contacted her. I didn’t expect a response, so I was happy when she replied to the email, and I immediately contacted the heads of various academic departments and clubs to see if they were interested.”
Williams said she hoped the audience would take a different look at how women are portrayed in pop culture after seeing the performance.
“I hoped students would start to re-evaluate the people that they ‘look up to’ or become fixated on. I used to watch the Kardashians and Jersey Shore, but now I feel differently as I think about the messages that are being sent.”
Seales’ performance consisted of various musical and monologue acts explaining the media’s portrayal of women.
In one part of the performance, she acts as a male rapper who regrets recording negative lyrics about women as he holds his infant daughter. In another part, she sings about a woman at an audition with a critical audience.
She communicates all sides of this issue to her audience.
Seales, according to her website, considers her effort a “war against the overwhelming amount of negative images in pop culture.”
DeJarnett, moderator of the House of Black Culture, said Saturday was Seales’ third time performing “Death of the Diva,” and her first time performing the show on a college campus.
“People are becoming complacent with the treatment of women in music and on TV because that’s how one has to be to become successful. I guess the most important thing I took away from it was that Hollywood is making a lot of money off of the negative image of women, and will continue to because the reality (TV show) age is all the youth know and all they want to be. It needs to be made aware to us, and then we need to change it,” she said.
Williams said there are several traits she thinks the term “diva” should embody, and although she thinks it will be difficult, the diva can be revived.
“One of my favorite acts Seales performed was when she pretended to be at an audition, listening other people criticize her,” Williams said.
“A person that stays true to themselves amidst constant rejections knows they’re good at what they do and at being themselves … that’s a diva to me,” she said. “Amanda Seales is the diva that we hope to see in the future … I think more performers under the radar, like Amanda, need to be recognized and acknowledged for the message they are sending.”
DeJarnett said she has no doubt Seales’ show influenced the student audience gathered Saturday. “There’s no way the audience didn’t walk out of there rethinking their favorite TV shows and how they affect their viewers. Somehow we lost sight of the power behind a strong, educated and polished woman…I think women should be portrayed how they used to be to give the younger generation, both male and female, role models for the types of people they want to be and the types of people they want to be with.”

A quick glance at ‘Lax-Bro’ culture:From ‘bro-flows’ to Patagos, stereotypes abound

So you think you’re bro?
Guess again. Lacrosse boys have been stereotyped since the day they learned how to cradle their stick and make the deepest pocket. These young men have been overheard talking about their new Patagonia, the length of their bro’s flow or how they just bought tickets to Pretty Lights or OAR more times than can be recorded.
But what is a lax bro?
Lax bros have been stereotyped as a bro, or dude who plays lacrosse and fully buys into the “lax culture.” Most of the bros populate the East Coast originating either from the Connecticut, Maryland or Boston area, where they most likely attended a boarding or private school.
Sophomore Sam Simon said, “I’m from Darien, Conn., and it’s pretty much lax-bro-county. Every boy I know in my town is the stereotypical lax bro.”
They tend to be suckers for Vineyard Vines, Polo shirts, Madras clothing and seersucker. But let’s also not forget the backward hats, mid-calf socks, neon 80s-styled rain gear or the classic “pinny.” A better example of what most people stereotype as a “lax bro” can be found on the popular YouTube video, “The Ultimate Lax Bro.”
The bros would prefer either a pair of Ray Bans or Oakley shades in the summertime, but most important is a pair of Rainbow flip-flops. After all they will be probably spending their summer throwing parties poolside or boating.
Not to mention that most bros tend to drive Jeeps. Their parents might buy them tricked-out Jeeps so they can carpool to and from practice. It’s a necessity. How else would they get their equipment to the field?
However, the most important feature of a stereotypical lax bro would be the hair. Laxers have sometimes even referred to their flow as “wavy lettuce,” and the longer the flow the better.
A lax bro lives the typical lax lifestyle, consisting of primarily chilling with only their teammates, having a catch with a fellow bro, working hard and partying harder. Lacrosse boys lead life thinking “once a bro, always a bro,” and they stay united as a team whether they play division or club.
Senior David Soohoo is an ex-lax bro and still finds that he hangs with his bros.
“I used to play lax in high school but stopped when I came to OWU, and one thing I’ve noticed is that I still chill with all my lax bros back home,” said Soohoo.
But not all bros fit the “lax bro label.” In fact, most lacrosse players here have broken that stereotype.
For example, junior Calvin Brown broke the lax bro stereotype long ago when he joined his fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. He played lacrosse at his boarding school, yes; however, when he came to Ohio Wesleyan, he didn’t join until his junior year.
“My main focus is on going to class, making grades and of course practice. We’re just trying to get better every day,” Brown said.
Junior Tim Carney from New Jersey is a key example of a lacrosse player who breaks the stereotype of a lax bro. Carney has been involved in the OWU community and demonstrates aspects of a well-rounded athlete, scholar and student.
Carney has played for the OWU men’s lacrosse team, but he was also the executive director for Mock Convention, co-chair of membership selection, former co-chair of leadership development for the President’s Club and former WCSA vice president.
When asked about being stereotyped as an athlete, Carney said, “I think there is a stereotype of the “lax bro” as seen by the YouTube video, but on OWU’s team this year, we have so many guys that break out of this stereotype and show they have a true drive for athletic and academic success.”
When it comes down to it, lax bros live a way of life similar to that of any other sports team here on campus.
They stick together whether they’re walking to class, going to practice, or maxing out their credit cards on fresh Patagonia pull-overs.
But what outsiders need to remember is that every lacrosse player is an athlete and scholar who clearly can break the stereotype of the “lax bro.”

OWU athletes balance course work and practice

More and more students on campus are voicing opinions about their sports teams and the timely obligations that come with them.
OWU athletes claim that they dread going to practices and games, yet continue to play the sport for various reasons. Past OWU athletes have decided to make the decision they found to be “right” for them.
Senior Robbie Shane said there are a few different reasons why he has stayed involved with the OWU baseball team, even at a Division III program.
“First and foremost, I love the game and I love being around my teammates,” he said. “When you’ve got 30 or so guys all working together as hard as they can for one single purpose, it inspires me to be a better player and person.”
Shane said baseball has always been a great stress relief as well as a break in his day and that he thinks it helps him stay conscious about being in shape.
“As everyone knows schoolwork can get very overwhelming and being able to escape from that for two hours a day is a nice way to clear my mind.” Shane said.
“I’ll admit that it is probably lower on the totem pole, but I think that would vary from sport to sport as far as importance,” Shane said.
Shane said he doesn’t know of anyone off the top of his head that has decided to hang it up based solely on practice being overwhelming.
Junior Marshall Morris is in the middle of his third season of basketball for the OWU men’s team and said many sports practices at OWU are intentionally grueling.
“Practices are the opportunity for a team or an individual to improve their skills,” he said.
Morris said no improvement would be seen if athletes just stayed in their comfort zone.
“I think it’s safe to say that you must constantly raise your skill level in order to remain competitive,” said Morris. “We stay in these sports because of the thrill and excitement of competing.”
He said that whether it’s during practice or games, athletes love to compete. Morris said games, matches and meets are an athlete’s outlet for showing that love for competition.
“We’re already in pain from practice, so we might as well see the reward by winning competitions,” said Morris.
Morris said he doesn’t feel as if practices are too intense to mess up the daily structure of his life.
“Many athletes continue playing because of the genuine enjoyment of their sports,” he said. “They do not simply remain in a sport because it’s been a part of their life for numerous years.”
On the other hand, Morris said the sport has become a part of the athletes’ lives.
“Going to practice every day is simply understood,” Morris said.
Morris also said staying in shape is a large aspect of continuing with sports.
“When you’re competing at a collegiate level, it’s necessary to maintain your fitness that enables you to compete,” he said. “Taking one or two days off can sometimes affect your fitness if you are regularly working out every day.”
Morris said some athletes refuse to take days because of that specific reason. He said it depends mostly on the sport and the individual athlete.
Junior Ryan Clark will have no lacrosse obligations weighing him down this spring. Having played for OWU’s men’s lacrosse team the past two years, Clark has decided to call it quits.
“To be honest, it is difficult to put my finger on one specific reason why I left the team,” he said. “There were a number of different contributing factors that led to my decision to stop playing lacrosse and move onto different experiences and opportunities.”
Clark said one big reason was because he just did not feel the same drive to continue playing and working as hard as he had when he arrived to campus freshman year.
“There are a number of different reasons for this, but one of the biggest would have to be that I was simply burned out on playing the sport,” he said. “I had been focusing heavily on lacrosse from a young age and played in summer tournaments and camps constantly since as long as I can remember.”
Clark said he had always been concentrating on playing lacrosse at a high level in college since he was a kid, but that high level eventually factored into him leaving the team. OWU’s program is extremely competitive and has a storied history of success and winning.
“The lacrosse team is consistently ranked within the top 25 teams in the nation and competes at a very high level,” said Clark. “As a result, the team is run essentially like a Division I program where you eat, breathe and live lacrosse.”
Clark said he found that type of schedule to be very tiring because it is what he had been doing for so long and added to the quick burnout of the drive he once had for the sport.
“I still love the sport, but it just became more of a chore instead of a love and passion like it once was,” he said. “That really helped me make my decision in the end, because you should be playing the sport for love instead of thinking of it as a chore and something you have to do.”
Clark said that since lacrosse has a fall season and spring season it can be difficult to deal with at times.
“To be honest, I’m not really sure what would have convinced me to stay on the team,” said Clark. “For me, I stayed as long as I did because of my teammates.”
“My decision was not based on a real hate for anything in particular, it was more my love and desire to keep playing,” said Clark. “I have also always been interested in other things outside of strictly sports.”
Clark said he has never felt that his life needed to revolve around sports. He said he has always tried to be active in other areas of either his school life or life within the community.
“Obviously playing sports interferes with daily life, but you kind of learn to accept it as being your daily life,” he said. “And for me, it just wasn’t what I wanted to keep doing every day for the rest of my time here at OWU.”
Clark said he was ready to try other things and get involved in different groups and activities on campus.
“OWU really does offer a lot of things to do and it can be just as exciting and educational as the lacrosse field can be.” Clark said.
Senior Field Hockey player Kelsey Morrison said she had seen many of her teammates quit the team in the past year due to the time obligations the sport brought.
“Two of my best friends used to be on the team,” said Morrison. “Both of them quit before this fall season to devote their time to school and other activities.”
“I play for my team and go to practices and games for my teammates, however the time commitment often wears on athletes having a full course-load and other extra-curricular activities” said Morrison.
Morrison’s teammate and fellow senior Alyse Marotta said she stayed with field hockey and was happy with the critical role that physical activity plays in continuing with the sport and in her daily life.
“As an exercise major, most of my studies surround all things in motion, but beyond that, I receive a certain amount of satisfaction through sport and activity.” Marotta said.
Marotta also said she enjoys the rigor of training, and the feeling of accomplishment that comes from pushing herself past perceived limits. She agrees with Shane, who explains the time spent during practice or in a game is more of an “outlet” rather than an obligation.
“It is also an outlet during the day through which I can blow off some steam and channel a bit of peace,” she said.
Marotta said she doesn’t know of many OWU athletes who have quit because of practices. “Usually, it would be a combination of pressures including practices that would cause an athlete to make the tough call of leaving their sport.”

Men’s basketball loses in NCAC tourney, invited to NCAA tourney

Ohio Wesleyan’s men’s basketball team was eliminated from the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament in the semifinals on Friday night against Wooster.

Junior Marshall Morris takes a free throw.

The final score was 89-80 in Wooster’s favor.
The Bishops, with shots by juniors Marshall Morris, Andy Winters and Eric Easley, brought the game within 5 points with 2:05 left, leaving the crowd excited.
This proved to be too little too late as Wooster was able to hang on and make free throws at the end to seal the victory.
First Half
Wooster jumped out ahead of OWU and had an 11-point lead with 9:22 left. The Bishops kept the game within 9 points for most of the remaining time.
Easley was fouled with no time left on the clock, giving Wooster only a 7-point lead at half.
Second Half
The Bishops worked to bring the score within striking distance. After the first five minutes Wooster already had seven fouls on OWU.
However, Wooster began hitting 3-pointers and went ahead 70-51 with just 8:34 left in the game. These 3-pointers and successful free throws helped Wooster close out the game and defeat OWU.
Overall
“All of them can shoot, so they are difficult to guard,” sophomore guard Dre White said.
“We couldn’t take possessions off, which has been an emphasis all season. They had two or three (3-pointers) in a row, which made a difference.”
“I was really proud of our effort,” Coach Mike DeWitt said. He said it was constant and aided in wins.
Despite the loss, the Bishops had four players score double digits. Senior guard Tim Brady led in scoring with 18 points, Winters had 17 points, Morris had 16 points and White had 15 points.
“We knew going in the game they were going to focus on Tim for scoring,” White said. “We knew other guys would need to step up, be aggressive and just look to score.”
Although they lost, the Bishops were still able to obtain a bid to the Division III NCAA tournament. The team found out on Monday afternoon when this year’s bracket was released. Winters said most of the team was in the film room when the bracket was released.
“We all thought and expected we were going to make it,” Winters said. “We were still excited to see that we got in with the first region.”
The Bishops will play Hobart on Friday at Cabrini College in Radnor, Pa.
At press time, the time of the game was still to be determined. Winters said the team will leave Wednesday night and have a normal week of practice and preparation at Cabrini. He said they will watch film and scout Hobart.
“It’s a relief to find out we are still playing,” White said. “We do not know much about them (Hobart), but we have to make the most (of) our opportunities now.”

Lacross men crush Concordia

“You guys can’t even make a play!”
That’s what head coach of the Falcons, Jeff Roberts, said to his players after Ohio Wesleyan’s men’s lacrosse team led them in the first quarter 6-0.
OWU showed athletic and strategic superiority over Concordia University on Saturday, Feb. 5, beating them 17-5.
The first quarter was partly propelled by Junior Drew Scharf, who had two assists and one score.
The Bishops won 6 out of 7 faceoffs and had possession of the ball the overwhelming majority of the time.
The Bishops, fast and well organized, easily maneuvered the ball around the Falcon’s defense and goalie, play after play.
OWU head coach Mike Plantholt said they came out pretty strong in the first quarter but doesn’t know what happened in the second, where OWU only scored 2 goals and Concordia scored its first.
“We were started by six freshman and Concordia is not an easy team to play.” It was a big learning experience for (the team). We are just better. Concordia is a good team though.”
Senior Attacker A.J. Pellis, who scored two goals and had an assist against Concordia, said the Falcons are a good team but are in a new program. “We also moved the ball right offensively,” he said.
This is the Falcon’s second season. They went 8-6 their first, according to their athletic website.
Senior Defenseman Nathan Barnett said OWU had some good saves (6 in all).
Plantholt said that it is hard to tell what the game will say about the season.
“They played great, but it’s really too soon to know what just one game means.”
Sophomore Spencer Schnell and junior Pat Bassett each scored 3 goals. Drew Scharf, Colin Short, Tommy Minkler, David Walter, and A.J. Pellis each scored 2.
The team will play their next game against Washington & Jefferson College on Feb 3 at 1 p.m. in Selby Stadium.

Women’s lacrosse edges out win against the Thiel Tomcats

Despite Thiel College’s attempt to make a comeback late in the game, the OWU women’s lacrosse team was able to open their season with a non-conference win (11-9) last Saturday.
The Bishops led the first half, taking an early lead with the help of a goal by junior midfielder Molly Curry, followed by three goals by sophomore midfielder Cate Bailey. That brought the score to 4-1. The Bishops finished the half leading 5-2.
Following the break, Thiel closed the deficit to 5-4 with a pair of scores early in the half, but the Bishops countered with another 3-0 run with goals from junior attacker Annie Swanson, sophomore midfielder Theresa Wolfgang and junior midfielder Meredith Wholley to make the score 8-4. Thiel fought back late in the half, bringing the score to 11-9 with 2:36 left in the game. A foul near the end of the game gave Thiel a free-position shot that would have brought them within 11-10, but senior Lauren Figy made the stop, and the Bishops were able to run out the clock to win the game.
Bailey said that she thought the team performed very well in their first game and was happy with the way they played as a team.
“I think the game went well. It was pretty cold out there, but we had a great little fan section, which was awesome, and it was definitely a fun and great way to start off the season, especially with a win,” Bailey said. “We worked really well together and the freshmen did great!”
Wolfgang also though the win was a good way to start the season, especially because it gave them an idea of what they need to work on.
“It was a good first game, and we were able to see what our current strengths and weaknesses are,” Wolfgang said. “It could have been a little warmer, but we still had fun.”
Freshman Eilee Foley agreed with Wolfgang and said that she thinks this season looks promising.
“I thought yesterday’s game was a good way to start our season,” Foley said. “We still have things we need to work on, but yesterday was a great way to test our ability, and to start with a win, it does not get any better than that.”
Sophomore Steph Martineau said that she is excited about the rest of their season and hopes that the team will continue their success.
“I am so excited to start our season with a win and cannot wait for the rest of the season,” Martineau said. “It was really great to see everything from practice come together.”