Sports Column – The Oberlin Review

Hype Music You Can Wash Your Hands To

March 13, 2020

Life is chaotic right now, and everyone is handling the turmoil in their own way. For many athletes, chaos comes with the territory of competition. Whether it’s psyching themselves up for an early morning practice or getting themselves ready for a big game, athletes across all sports consistently find ways to navigate chaos and manage stress. One of the most common ways to do this is through music. Hype music, as it is typically referred to, is an integral part of many athletes’ preparation for competition. More recently, music is being championed as a way to teach people how to wash their hands in this trying time. Below are some of the best, most unique, and most classic hype songs, according to me, your friendl...

Recruitment Brings a Variety of Athletes to Campus

Zoë Martin del Campo, Contributing Sports Editor

March 6, 2020

For many high school students around the nation, applying to college is a tedious process that often begins their junior year. However, for student-athletes, the college search process can begin years in advance, with some students contacting coaches as early as middle school. Oberlin coaches typically begin looking at the performance of high school students in their sophomore or junior season. They search for individuals who will not only fit their program, but also thrive at Oberlin both socially and academically. For Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Erica Rau, the character of the individual is at the forefront when she is evaluating potential recruits. She believes that skills can be improved, but the character ...

Oberlin Should Support Women’s and Men’s Athletics Equally

Jackie Brant, Opinions Editor

February 28, 2020

After attending both women’s basketball and men’s basketball games several times this year, I have begun to notice a disturbing pattern. The women’s basketball team has been playing the earlier game slot this season, while the men’s basketball team plays the later game slot. This has been the case the whole season — with the exception of last Wednesday. The women’s basketball games consistently have lower attendance than the men’s basketball games, and I chalked this up at least partly to the convenience of the time slots. I gave people the benefit of the doubt. However, after last Wednesday, I know that this is not the case. After the men’s game, which took place at 6 p.m., almost the entire stadium...

Former NBA player Dwyane Wade and daughter Zaya Wade.

The Wade Family’s Positive Influence

February 21, 2020

NBA star Dwyane Wade recently announced that his daughter, Zaya, is transgender. This announcement was immediately met with support from those who saw Wade’s acceptance of his daughter’s gender identity as evidence of a shifting norm; and criticism from those without a full understanding of what this announcement means, both for the Wade family and for society as a whole. At Oberlin, the separation between the LGBTQ+ community and others, like the Black and athletic communities, is not as s...

The Oberlin College varsity football team.

Current and Former Football Players Express Concern About Team Culture

February 21, 2020

Founded in 1891, Oberlin’s football team has provided a community to both athletes and spectators, alike, for generations. Despite this history, the team has seen significant turnover over the past few years; this past season alone, seven players left the team. This upcoming season, the team will have seven rising fourth-years on a 29-person roster. In previous seasons, this number was higher; in 2017, the roster included 16 fourth-years. At the end of the past season, Head Football Coach Jay Anderson announced that he was st...

College fourth-years Jasmine Sorrells and Cheyenne Arthur.

New Dynamic Duo Steps in to Lead Yeowoman Basketball

February 21, 2020

In all college sport programs, filling leadership roles after star players depart is a source of stress. The Oberlin College women’s basketball team faced this issue after captains and star basketball players Alex Stipano, and Liv Canning, both OC ’19, graduated last year Stipano, a guard, finished last season averaging 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, and earned All-North Coast Athletic Conference her third and fourth years. Canning ended her final season averaging 1...

Christian Fioretti: Men’s Basketball’s Selfless Leader

February 7, 2020

As a first-year, Christian Fioretti, now a fourth-year guard on the men’s basketball team, started in only three of 25 games. That modest start to his college career has led him to become an incredible team leader, and — in his final season — Fioretti has started in 72 straight games for the Yeomen. “When [Christian] got to Oberlin, I think he felt a lack of security with what his role was and would ultimately become,” said Head Men’s Basketball Coach Isaiah Cavaco. “Having played smal...

Ruminations on Kobe Bryant and What He Left Us

February 7, 2020

Every now and then, an event occurs that makes the world stand still. These “where were you when” moments can define a year, a decade, and, at times, a generation. The death of basketball player Kobe Bryant, who passed away with eight others, including his daughter Gianna, in a tragic helicopter accident on Jan. 26, 2020, was one of these moments. For millions across the planet, Kobe was their first exposure to greatness. He was untouchable on the court and, as a result of his immense tale...

College fourth-year Grace Finney takes a final step before launching herself into the air.
Photo courtesy of OC Athletics

Women Pole Vaulters Look Toward Future

December 6, 2019

When College fourth-year Grace Finney is not mentoring first-years through the Peer Advising Leader program, and College second-year Sarah Voit is not working on the Solarity board, they are pole vaulters on the varsity women’s track and field team, regularly sailing over nine feet through the air. A mighty duo, both have brought the team prestige through their success at meets. With track season starting this week, both are energized to get back into competition — in part due to wat...

Marija and Lilly Crook: Sisters and Cross Country Teammates

November 22, 2019

College first-year Lilly Crook walked into Perlick Commons on Tuesday morning wearing a long, flowing yellow dress with a floral pattern on it. She laughed and said, “Marija will probably be late.” A couple minutes later, she laughed again. College fourth-year Marija, her older sister and cross country teammate, entered the room wearing a long and flowy red dress with a floral pattern on it. “We don’t usually do this,” Lilly said. “Everyone always says we look so alike, but...

Athlete PRSM Trainers Open Conversations

Khalid McCalla, Contributing Sports Editor

November 22, 2019

Following the emergence of the #MeToo movement in 2017, many prominent athletes, such as Olympic gold-medalists Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, came forward as survivors of sexual misconduct. Others stepped down or retreated from the public eye in light of accusations brought against them. For many, this shift was a long time coming, as accusations of sexual misconduct in athletics had occurred for years without the accused experiencing any lasting repercussions. On Oberlin’s campus, students are educated about sexual misconduct, consent, and healthy sex practices throughout their college career by Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct, a student organization housed within the Office of Equity, Diversity, an...

The Review’s Sports Editors Went Pole Dancing, and It Was Difficult

Jane Agler and Khalid McCalla

November 22, 2019

This week, the Review’s sports editors decided to attempt an athletic endeavor known for its test of strength and agility, as well as its controversial recent popularization as a fitness practice: pole dancing. The Cleveland area has a number of locations that offer pole dancing classes as a form of exercise, and after extensive research, we settled on Expressions Fitness’ Beginner Level 1 & 2 class in Berea, OH. As sports editors and recreational athletes, we felt confident going into the class. But even Khalid McCalla, our contributing sports editor and a former Division-III varsity football player, was breaking a sweat just ten minutes into the class. We were very naive. Pole dancing is physically d...