Sports Shorts

Athlete Of the Week

Junior sprinter Courtney Stackhouse, from Woodbridge, Va., set new records last weekend at the NCAC Championship meet.
Stackhouse not only broke through an Oberlin record, but also set a conference record for indoor time in the 55m dash with 7.30. The time was good enough for a provisional Nationals qualification.

Stackhouse also finished fourth in the 200m — two spots behind teammate Nzinga Broussard — and was a member of the third-place 800m relay team.

The women’s track and field team placed third overall at the conference meet, finishing only 17.5 points behind first-place Allegheny and 11 behind second-place Denison.

Next up for Stackhouse and the track and field team members is the outdoor season, which begins on Mar. 30.

Quote of the Week

“When you don’t win a conference game, you can’t expect respect.”

–Eric Lahetta
Baseball Head Coach

On Oberlin’s last place ranking in the preseason coaches’ poll.

Marquee Event

Oberlin vs. Hope College
Women’s Tennis
Saturday, 1 p.m.
John Heisman Club Fieldhouse

The women’s tennis team is still unbeaten as they prepare to face Hope College. The Yeowomen will seek to improve their record to 4-0 for the season.

In the Locker Room with. . .

As we both sit in a booth at the Rathskellar and stuff ourselves with pizza, first-year hoops player Ronnie Goines shares views covering it all, from veganism at Oberlin to homophobia in sports.

What’s your favorite thing about Oberlin?

RG: The people.

Are they what you expected?

RG: No. I expected the people here to be very liberal, but they’re not. Most people here say, “Everyone should be equal, save the Earth…” and whatever, yet they don’t have one Republican friend. I think that’s horrendous.

I notice there is a contradiction here. After all, he has just said that his favorite thing about Oberlin is the horrendous people. But I choose not to point it out, as I am interested in where Ronnie might be going with this. I say—

I think that’s really observant. How do you deal with it?

RG: If I have to call somebody on it, then I just tell them, “You’re very closed-minded.” But I’m actually the sort of person who hangs with anybody.

Is there anything else about Oberlin that you don’t like?

RG: I don’t like how it caters to the vegetarians and vegans.

Would you rather they have to fend for themselves?

RG: I would rather the College appeal to the majority, and the majority are the meat-eaters. They can go to Harkness and Fairkid, and they can go to Stevenson. Yet there are only so many places I can go to eat meat.

What is your greatest inspiration?

RG: God. Yes. The thing is, people see me at the ’Sco acting all wild and dancing crazy, but they have to realize that I do that one night out of the entire week and I go home alone. I pray every day. I pray before I go on the court. I pray in the classroom. I know I can’t do anything without God. I’m in constant prayer.

How do you respond to the idea of following your passions?

RG: I’d say don’t abandon your loves. Yet at the same time, live. If you know you want to live in a $1 million home, then do what’s necessary. You can still help your community. Start a foundation.

How do you feel about gay people?

RG: I don’t have a problem with them.

‘Hmmm,’ I think to myself.

How do you feel about the stereotype of the homophobic jock?

RG: I have gay friends. I have bi friends. I have been to LGBTU meetings. If you talk to any gay person who has actually interacted with any athletes, then I think that that stereotype wouldn’t stand up.

Did you ever have sports recruiters telling you not to come to Oberlin because there are so many gay people here?

RG: Yes, definitely. But in high school, I did the frat boy thing. I didn’t want that for college. I wanted to meet people who knew different things.

I decide to end the interview on a completely different note, as I see that Ronnie is a pretty big guy, and his hands are enormous. I have always had pretty big hands myself, and so I ask him—

Raise your hand up to mine. I want to see how big it is.

He does so.

Yeah. You’re the second person I’ve ever met whose hands are bigger than mine.

RG: Yeah, you know what they say about guys with big hands… Big gloves.

I wonder to myself, “Is that all they say?” I come away from this interview with a strange sensation because, as controversial as some of this guy’s views may be, he is charming and, though I want to smirk at him, he has left me all smiles.