Horsecows stomp opponents

The Oberlin Flying Horsecows underwent a makeover and became the Headless Horsecows at the one-day Halloween tournament in Athens, Ohio last Saturday. But that was the least of the changes made by the 'Cows, who took full advantage of the "fun" tourney and had some real fun by going 3-1.

The Oberlin offense, which has progressed by leaps and bounds at every tournament, made another great jump with the assistance of a stellar defense that limited opponents to 21 points through all 3 games. The defense was not the only thing that scared the 'Cows' opponents; every Horsecow took the field in full Halloween regalia.

The 'Cows came out of the gate with a vengeance against Dusquene University, taking the game to half 7-0 and running the tally to 12-0 before Dusquene pushed one across against an all-first year lineup. The 'Cows then finished the game at 13-1.

This day of ghosts and ghouls was also a day of shining first-years. Among them, Adam "Jungle Baby" Marvel brought down the first two scores against Dusquene.

As in the first game, the second game against a southern Ohio club team from the Winking Lizard tavern saw playing time based not on the regular rotation but as a reward for creative costuming. Those who saw much playing time included Mateo "One-Eyed Pirate" Pastore, Kristian "Baywatch" Whitsitt, the cross-dressing Nick "Praying Manti" Dent and Harlan "Chameleon" Fichtenholtz.

The starting line in the second game was the Spandex lineup, as every player on the field exhibited the full extent of their manhood to the shocked opposition. The club team never got over their initial shock, falling to the Horsecows by the count of 13-3. No doubt the team was intimidated by the incantations of Eric "Mad Dog" Le Blanc: "I am the darkness that rests inside every man."

Prior to both games, captains seniors Ben Grubb and John Fedota exercised the captain's clause with regard to the wires that stretched over the length of the field. The aforementioned Baywatch had the only reasonable bid at a two-pointer, but was unable to pull the disc down.

The action then shifted fields and tempos. Oberlin's next game was against perennially solid Ohio club team Thumper. The action was tight from the outset, with the teams playing basically point for point, and Thumper taking the game to half at 7-6. In previous tournaments, the 'Cows have come out flat in close games with good teams; this time, there was no let-down in the second half.

Oberlin stayed close, pulling back from 11-9 to 11-10 and from 12-10 to 12-11. The 'Cows were ever so close to pulling in a score at 12-11, but were ultimately unable to draw the game to a tie, and just missed a defensive effort in the end zone on the game's last point. After finally falling 13-11 to Thumper, the 'Cows had a bye before their last game, a contest against Johns Hopkins University.

After a full day of games, Oberlin was tired both physically and emotionally, the latter especially after the tense Thumper game. The 'Cows came out a little flat, giving up the first point to Hopkins and letting the Baltimoreans get to 3-3. Oberlin turned it up and brought it to half at 7-4.

It was obvious, however, that Oberlin was still not performing to the full extent of their abilities. The goal of no completions in the second half was established and the 'Cows very nearly accomplished it. Until 12-4, OC had allowed 3 completions in the second half, none of them in a row. Hopkins did get 4 completions on the last possession but there were layout defense attempts on 2 of them and finally a successful layout to end the possession. James "Wild Rain" Thompson was the one who got the layout, and it was he who scored the final score of the day, as well.

"It felt good to see such good effort from my shower buddy," junior Horsecow Jono "Morning Fresh" Courtwright said.

The team travels today to the final tournament of the fall season, in Knoxville, Tennessee. The first day of competition features Auburn, Vanderbilt and division rival Notre Dame. Senior Dan "Podin" Feldman, perhaps influenced by Safer Sex Night, had some cryptic motivation for the upcoming tournament in Thursday's practice. "I can show you how to get an erection, but I can't tell you the veins," Podin said.

- Jacob Kramer-Duffield is a member of the Ultimate Frisbee team.

Laying Out: Frisbee shines in weekend tourney. (photo by Heidi Good)