Senior ultimate players Braden Paynter and Ted Olds can usually be spotted in North Fields with their hair blowing in the wind and their arms snatching discs out of the sky. This past month they expanded their gaming interests to running, euchre and bowling. The housemates spoke to me about rainbow sequins and what really happened at Case.

How were your Winter Terms?
TO: We were both here to train with the track team.
BP: I also have an honors project to work on.

What’s your honors project?
BP: It’s in the history department.

Teddy, did you do honors?
TO: No, I hate my major.

What’s your major?
TO: History.

How did you entertain yourself if you didn’t have an honors project?
TO: I bowled a lot. Bowling three was my Winter Term project.

Doesn’t it only go up to two?
TO: Until Winter Term.

Is there a bowling four?
TO: Oh, I wish. Sadly, no.

Don’t you get a t-shirt if you bowl over winter term?
TO: I don’t think so. But I do have a bowling shirt from the team I’m on during Monday night bowling. Born Brothers Beef. (Teddy proceeds to get the shirt to show me.) My favorite part is this. (Points to the name “Ted” embroidered on the shirt.)
BP: You’re ready to work at a gas station.

Was it worth it to stay on campus for a month and run track?
TO: I got a little overwhelmed with track because I was volunteering at the Great Lakes Science Center and my days were long. I stopped running track for a little while. Other than that, Winter Term was awesome.
BP: It was worth it.

Does Oberlin have a big social scene during Winter Term?
TO: I would come home during the day to find various people in our living room wearing anywhere between four and ten articles of our clothing.
BP: We played a lot of euchre.

The ‘Sco is having poker tournaments on Monday nights. Are you going to prepare for those?
TO: You got to know when to fold.
BP: “You got to know when to hold, know when to fold...” I heard a great country song on the radio. “I hope my compact can take this impact because there is a diesel on my tail.”

When does frisbee practice start?
BP: We have the early morning slot in Jones.
TO: Our first tournament is the first weekend in March at Wooster.
BP: That’s sort of a warm-up tournament, though.
TO: It’s actually called the Wooster Warm-Up.

Don’t frisbee players wear costumes to tournaments?
BP: Only on Halloween.
TO: It’s hard to play in costumes.
BP: We wouldn’t stop someone if they wanted to wear one
TO: Cheelo wears a dress sometimes. A rainbow sequin dress.
BP: It’s more of a skirt than a dress.
TO: I have sisters, I should know better.

Have either of you done a layout in frisbee?
BP: I’ve dislocated my shoulder twice doing a layout. The moment before impact on each of those was good. That’s actually my favorite time – when you are just hanging in the air. You’ve just caught the disc, you are about to come down and you are praying that nothing dislodges.
TO: In two years each of us has had one layout that has broken the heart of CWRU [Case Western Reserve University] at sectionals. Each time they thought they were going to win one of us made a big bid. We broke their spirit and sent them home crying.

Have you ever lost to Case?
BP: Yes.
TO: When it counted?
BP: Yes.
TO: No, the only time we lost to Case was playday sophomore year...
BP: No, we lost in the backdoor of sectionals.
TO: Oh, right. Damn, I hate losing to Case.
BP: But we have a new offense now.

Having played on club and varsity teams at Oberlin, have you noticed a difference between the two types?
TO: It sure would be nice if club athletes had access to the training room.
BP: On a varsity sport, it’s nice to have a coach and not have to determine your workouts yourself. But when you are running sprints with a club team it is nice to know you are doing it for yourself and not because some old guy is telling you to.
TO: Yes, but Coach Hudson could take me in any race.
BP: You might be able to take him in the high jump.
TO: No, I couldn’t. That man has ups.
BP: Yeah, he does.
TO: It’s just different to have someone leading by example on frisbee.
BP: Being on a club team makes you get more involved. But there actually aren’t that many differences.

Braden and Teddy (if Teddy rejoins) will be running in the home track meet tonight at 6 p.m. in Philips.