The most rewarding thing is that winning at any cost doesn't exist at Oberlin. This is the true sense of Student-Athletes.

The most frustrating thing is the lack of commitment from the athletes. We don't approach varsity athletics with an inter-collegiate attitude and/or effort. We have more of an intramural approach, which is fine if losing doesn't matter. But if winning is to become part of the equation then our attitudes must change. When things get tough, quitting is NOT an option. We must learn to be held accountable. Then and only then will winning have a chance to take place.

The most rewarding thing is working with dedicated athletes and seeing people improve on their personal skills and abilities. That's rewarding. I find it very rewarding to be in athletics because I love athletics. Having the opportunity to work with college students every day in any kind of athletic venture is very rewarding to me.

You don't have enough pages for the frustrations. Specifically, it's very hard to see people not have an equal opportunity to be successful as a team. The real benefit is seeing a team succeed and having enough people on the team to allow that to take place. I think the cause of the lack of participation is that we keep burying our heads in the sand as an institution, and we don't allow for the fact that winning and having the opportunity to be a success is really important. Continued failure would not be healthy in the classroom. I feel very bad that I have to see a student spend four years really working hard and trying and the success rate of the team is minimal at best. It's an institutional thing. I've seen four presidents and five deans come and go, and I don't think anything's really changed. I don't think you can put it on any one segment of the campus. I've also seen a lot of athletics directors, including myself, come and go.

The most rewarding thing is working with really great, intelligent, wonderful kids who are not necessarily great athletes but work hard and reach their potential, and to see some kids become mothers and fathers and professional people... some of my graduates are 50 years old and are deans of law schools, etc. That's really rewarding. So many of them keep in contact it becomes rewarding to know them for such a long time. It's the ultimate for a kid to come here, where the academic demands are so great and achieve things like national and conference championships.

It's frustrating to not be able to recruit the number of athletes you need to be successful here, to compete in our conference. I say it's frustrating, but I've begun to accept that Oberlin is not the place for everyone. We're a lot different with diversity of student body and diversity of thought here. It works to our advantage sometimes, though.

What I find rewarding about Oberlin athletics is being able to teach/coach smart people and watch them succeed in their learning.

What I find most frustrating about Oberlin athletics is the fact that the school environment is not conducive for those trying to coach. The athletes also struggle with limited dining hours, and limited times during the day classes are offered. Show me another liberal arts college that has an academic day as long as ours. I could understand night classes and seminars at a commuter school but I do not understand it here!

There are several frustrating things about coaching at Oberlin. The first that comes to mind is the number of quality athletes on campus and our ability to retain them. Most teams have just enough to get by, and while those players are very dedicated, it is hard to win without numbers. Most coaches will tell you that if they could have kept all of the athletes from a certain class, they would have a good team. I think this is related to the issue President Dye is trying to address right now, retention. I truly believe that the students here are under way too much pressure and stress to lead a healthy lifestyle. Our academic day never ends, there are seminars, night classes, weekend classes, etc. People don't have any time to unwind or have fun; instead they escape the stress by binge drinking, smoking and whatever else is a release for them. At some point this cycle becomes too much for a person to handle. A Liberal Arts education is supposed to be learning to appreciate various aspects of life as well as becoming educated.

The only other thing that is frustrating is our ability to attract quality student athletes. I think that the College gets so hung up on trying to be diverse that we forget that normal, apple pie-type kids are part of diversity. It is very hard for a coach to go out and find a smart, athletically gifted, well-rounded, rich kid, and that is what they are asking us to do.

The rewarding thing about coaching at Oberlin is working with smart, talented, dedicated individuals. The kids here really want to learn, and they work extremely hard. The other aspect that I really enjoy is that each and every person you associate with is very talented in one way or another. I have had tremendous musicians, actors, etc. on my teams, and it is great to go and see them in another aspect of their life.

I hope that the administration sees fit to change many of these negative aspects of Oberlin's culture because athletics truly is an important part of an educational environment. The athletes that are here need more support and more people like them on campus.

The most rewarding thing about Oberlin athletics is being associated with the many athletes who put the needs of the team above their own personal desires.

The most frustrating thing about Oberlin athletics is being associated with some athletes who put their own personal desires above the needs of the team.