You Can Say that Again

I had almost forgot how good it feels to stop sucking

-Jim Woodroffe

College Senior

Senior Amy Kremen led the women's lacrosse team in scoring this week. She chipped in four and five goals, as the Yeowomen edged the College of Wooster Saturday and thumped Kenyon College Wednesday. Kremen is currently fifth in the conference in scoring with 29 goals.

Amy Kremen (photo courtesy of S.I.D)

Marquee Event

At the beginning of the season the men's tennis team hoped to finish in the conference top five. Eight straight losses have the team reeling, and Saturday the team hosts two key conferences matches. With wins, the team can stake a claim as the fifth-best team in conference.

IN THE LOCKERROOM WITH...Jessica Pittman

High School: Montgomery Blair High School Hometown: Silver Springs, MD (photo courtesy of S.I.D)

How long have you been riding?
I started riding when I came to Oberlin. I'd been very interested in horses for a while, but I didn't have time to ride in high school. I saw signs around for the equestrian team that said beginners welcome and I called up and asked, 'how beginner is beginner?'

What draws you to horses?
Riding is exciting and relaxing at the same time. It's something pretty much indescribable when you're riding great.

Is the sport of equestrian noticed much?
There are schools where the teams are huge. At Oberlin, we are tiny. Not many people notice us. We don't have practices on campus. People don't automatically see us.

Where do you practice? Do you have your own horse?
Our coach, Dawn Bircher, runs a stable at Muddy Creek Farm. It's about 13 miles outside of Oberlin. I don't have my own horse. Some team members do, but it's not a requirement. That's the point of the intercollegiate draw. You draw a horse so people with great horses don't have a huge advantage.

How are you financed?
We get some money from SFC. We have some people who give generous donations every year that double what SFC gives us. In that way, we're lucky we're a small team.

How many people are on the team?
There's actually the team and the club. The team competes. We have around twenty people who are signed up to be on the team. We average about ten people who go to shows.

Were you around riding much in the past?
Not really. Literally, I'd probably been on a horse only four times in my life. In the middle of high school I literally had a music lesson every night of the week.

How does your riding affect the rest of your life?
Riding is one of the places that you really learn the old saying that if you fall off the horse, you have to get right back on. It makes you persevere. And honestly, it keeps me sane.

Do you have a favorite gait?
Cantering. When you have a horse with a good canter it's really fun. I really like to jump too. It's not so much the gait as it is the communication with the horse.

There's a lot written about horseback riding. Do you read all that stuff?
I haven't really done that much reading. I'm lucky enough to have good teachers here. You get a lot of personal attention from the coach, which is really nice.

This Week's Events

Men's lacrosse

Saturday vs. Marietta 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday vs. Ohio Wesleyan 4:30 p.m.

Women's lacrosse

Saturday at Lynchburg

Sunday at Bridgewater

Baseball

Saturday at Wittenberg

Wednesday at Allegheny

Men's tennis

Saturday vs. Allegheny 9 a.m., Wittenberg 4 p.m.

Wednesday at Case Western

Women's tennis

Saturday at Case Western

Sunday vs. Ohio Wesleyan 1 p.m.

Tuesday vs. Baldwin-Wallace 3:30 p.m.

Outdoor Track and Field

Saturday, Division III All-Ohio Meet at Ohio Wesleyan