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sports series

Equestrians as athletes: Do they measure up?

April 20, 2018 by

By: Leah Palm
Email: Palml@findlay.edu

The debate surrounding equestrians as athletes is nothing new to those of who compete in the industry. For years, equestrians have been told that riding horses is not a sport, and for many reasons. Most commonly, the majority of people have come to know an athlete as a person who they can witness physically exerting force to win a game. Whether that means tackling the quarterback, running sprints for track, or blocking the point guard, most people define athletes as being both physically and mentally fit.
University of Findlay Equestrian Senior Brandon Morin says his idea of an athlete is someone who needs skill to complete whatever event it is that they are competing in. Morin was awarded a National Championship title at the 2017 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) finals and is beyond familiar with the athletic skill required to ride and compete.
“You need to have skill, you need to have athletic ability, you have to have that demeanor that you’re going to do well, and you have to be able to deal with stress,” said Morin. “If you’re competing for points for a team or competing for a national title that would be considered an athlete and it takes all of those things mashed together.”
According to Morin, a common misconception is that when people see an equestrian riding they automatically assume that the horse is doing all the work, therefore the rider cannot be considered an athlete. However, Head Coach of the University of Findlay’s western IHSA team, Spencer Zimmerman, explains that the best riders are the ones that make it look that effortless.
“Our riders are working to stay in rhythm and in motion with that horse to make it look like they are not moving, which can be a lot more work than just sitting there,” said Zimmerman. “I think the good ones that just sit there are doing it correctly, and there is a whole lot more going on underneath them than meets the eye.”
Kimberly Zimmerman, the wife of Spencer Zimmerman and assistant coach of the UF western IHSA team, explains this in another way.
“I think IHSA is way more about the people than the horses and that’s what we tell the judges that they are looking for. Who would you want to ride your horse and have the finesse and feel to do that, and I think that takes a lot of core strength and muscle memory and strength from the rider,” Kim Zimmerman adds.
Spencer Zimmerman discusses the training routine of his athletes outside of practice sharing that he tries to focus mostly on cardio conditioning as well as building core strength within his riders.
“They do not necessarily lift weights to get bulky, but enough to be able to pull on a thousand-pound animal that might not want to say yes to you the first time,” explained Zimmerman.
As for getting inside the brain of this animal, Zimmerman says it is difficult that the horse ultimately holds the power.
“The horse really holds the playbook for you and sometimes there is not a playbook because it is all in their brain. As you are going through your ride, they may throw the ball over here and you do not know it is going over there so you have to be ready to catch it over there and bring it back into play, hypothetically speaking. I think that it becomes a much more mental game,” shared Zimmerman.
He adds that this is what can take riders to the next level as well. Learning to understand what the horse is thinking so that the rider can know what they are going to do next and be able to counteract their move.
“I find that to be the most challenging for me and that is what keeps a lot of people hooked because if it is not challenging people will just get bored with it,” said Zimmerman.
Whether debating the mental or physical, Morin hopes to put an end to the argument that riding horses cannot be considered a sport.
“I would not be able to go on a football field and perform, but I would like to see a football player get on a horse and perform.”

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: sports series

From the tennis court to the baseball diamond

April 13, 2018 by

By: Dylan DeWitt
Twitter: @dd_witt
Email: dewittd@findlay.edu

Findlay Oiler athletics have continued to show the conference, and the nation, what kind of student athletes the University of Findlay has.
In the last week, the University of Findlay was ranked seventh among all Division II institutions for athletic department performance this year. This has been made up of plenty of records and accolades in the fall and winter.
With the spring teams and their respected seasons being halfway through, these teams are showing plenty of success as well. Two teams in particular have shown their success on the tennis court and the baseball diamond. The UF men’s tennis team and baseball team have been a part of many victories, and even some winning streaks along the way.
On the court, the men’s tennis team is starting to hit their second wind of the season as they look sharp, especially in conference play. The UF men’s tennis team has now won five straight matches including a win against Davis & Elkins College, 7-2, at home. The men have also won six of their seven conference matches. The team has one remaining match of the regular season on Sunday, April 15 against the conference leading Hillsdale Chargers. Following this, the Oilers will move on to GMAC Tournament play and into the postseason.
On the diamond, the baseball team is off to a 16-7 start while heading into the back half of the regular season. With the remaining games left to be played, the Oilers baseball team will look to face many of the GMAC teams before entering the conference tournament. The Oilers are 9-2 at home on the year, and will look to keep the winning ways going at home with eight home games remaining on the schedule.
Throughout the year, the Oilers have been led at the plate by Senior Pete Burkett, Sophomore Casey Gould, Freshman Ethan St. Clair, Junior Derrick Herd and Senior Cameron Johnson. All of these players have a batting average of .300 or more throughout the season thus far.
On the mound, pitching for the Oilers has relied on many different arms to secure and help them in their 16 victories. Collin Gossard, Mark Delas, Alex Harter and Cory Carl are pitchers that have thrown more than 20 innings so far for the Oilers. Alex Harter was named Pitcher of the Week when he was 2-0 on the mound with an astounding earned run average of 0.00 along with 12 strikeouts.
All in all, the entire year has been filled with student athletes getting it done in the classroom along with their respected contests. With the postseason right around the corner, Oiler athletics will look to continue their success and bring back victories to Findlay.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: sports series

Oiler teams on spring break

March 16, 2018 by

By: Olivia Wile
Twitter: o_wile
Email: wileo@findlay.edu

It’s that time of the year. The sports teams in Oiler Nation seem to be all over the map, literally. Some are nearing the end of their seasons, while others are just getting warmed up. Whether in the post, pre, or regular season, however, a trend among teams seems to be traveling to nicer weather this spring break.
Among those traveling over break are the University of Findlay golf, tennis, baseball, and lacrosse teams.
Mackenzie Kennoy, sophomore and UF golf player, says her team traveled to Orlando, Fla. to play in a pre-season tournament on Monday, March 5 and Tuesday, March 6. Keenoy feels the change in scenery was beneficial for her team.
“We had a great time and improved because we got to hit off real grass,” said Keenoy. “[My] favorite memory was two of the boys jumped in the pool fully clothed after our team dinner!”
The golfers were joined in the sunshine state by the UF tennis team. Though they were in close proximity to the golfers in Orlando, Fla., the tennis players are in a much different stage of the season. Freshman Tennis Player Eliza Kirov says her team played five regular season matches during their trip, finishing with a record of 3-5. Though traveling primarily to play matches, Kirov says the team had some time for fun as well.
“My favorite part of the trip was by far spending time with my teammates and creating the absolute funniest and greatest memories in the house we stayed in,” said Kirov. “It was an overall amazing bonding experience for us.”
Joining the spring break travel squad is the UF women’s lacrosse team. The women were was also on the road facing regular season competition. Sophomore Ciara Burud says unlike tennis and golf, her team was all over the place this break.
“We went to North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia. We played a game in North Carolina and then we went on a hike the next day,” explained Burud. “Then we traveled to South Carolina to play a game.”
The Oiler women are currently 4-0 for the season.
The UF men’s baseball team also traveled across states to compete over break.
“We traveled to Auburndale and Winter Haven, Fla. We also traveled to Carey, N.C. where we played at the USA baseball complex,” explained UF Baseball Player Austin Rawlins. “We played eight baseball games while we were down there and with the free time we got we spent it by the pool.”
Though in different parts of their seasons, and traveling to many different states, these UF sports teams do share one thing in common; working and playing hard.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: sports series

Who is allowed in the varsity weight room?

February 16, 2018 by

By: Trevia Gumbs
Email: gumbst1@findlay.edu

In having a weight room with a schedule that caters to varsity athletics, the question remains if University of Findlay students and student-athletes alike should have separate work out facilities.
Oiler Athletics is home to 24 collegiate sports including both men and women’s track, basketball, swimming, and soccer just to name a few. Many of these sports teams are in the gym day in and day out.
Student athletes have unlimited access to the gym because of workouts given to them by their coaches. For other students, however, this becomes a challenge because they aren’t “allowed” to be in the weight room during the times that these teams are working out.
Theresa Russell, an avid gym user at UF, says finding time and space to use the gym can be quite a task.
“I work out at home now due to the inconvenience of not being able to work out until 11:00 p.m. when the gym closes,” said Russell.
The varsity weight room is located in the Koehler Fitness and Recreation Complex. It is also home to the Student Recreation Center and the cardio center, which a lot of students use as well. Many students express that they have not had issues with the cardio center as much as they have had with the weight room.
“For the last two years, I attended the gym on average three times a week,” said Russell. “I have learned within the last month that we aren’t supposed to use the weight rooms until after 6:00 p.m. for the athletes’ convenience.”
This poses an issue when many students have hectic class schedules where they cannot use the weight room at any other time. In addition, athletes express their frustration in having to wait to use equipment in the gym. Many of them have classes scheduled around their practices just so they have sufficient time to complete the entire workout provided by their coaches.
Alex DeVincentis, a thrower on the UF women’s track and field team, says it is frustrating to wait for students to finish using the equipment.
“We, [the track team], use the weight room usually from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. almost five days a week. The gym can become very crowded especially around that time. Sometimes it gets so crowded that we have to wait for like 10-15 minutes to find a rack,” said DeVincentis.
Many of the track and field athletes express that non-athletes are not as good at returning the weights where they belong. This creates another issue that athletes find themselves having to do extra labor in terms of moving weights that they do not need to use out of the way just to get the lift they need accomplished.
Both DeVincentis and Russell agree a separate weight room for non-student athletes would be beneficial.
“I think non-athletes should only get a separate weight room. I haven’t had any issues sharing the cardio center with athletes,” said Russell. “This is because the majority of the sports teams do not use the cardio center on a regular basis.”

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: sports series

Club sport brings women together

February 9, 2018 by

By: Louisa Woltermann
Twitter: @louisa_wolt
Email: woltermannl@findlay.edu

The University of Findlay’s rugby team, created in 2011, brings women together both as a club and as a sport. Kaitlyn McCann, rugby president, says her favorite part of being involved in rugby is the unity.
“I have bonded with the girls on this team more than I ever did in any other sport,” said McCann. “And because it is so physical, it pushes you to do things you might not have thought you would be able to do.”
Club sports at UF were developed in the fall of 2011. According to the University’s website, club sports were established on campus so that all students could promote and develop their interests and skills in a particular sport. Club sports at UF can be classified as instructional, recreational, and/or competitive.
These teams can practice two to three times during the week and may also compete on the weekends while in season. Club sports are also able to attend regional and national tournaments.
The UF women’s rugby team is made up of approximately 25 women who are registered to play.
The rugby team accepts women of all different shapes and sizes. The only requirements for joining the team are that the women are in good academic standing and that they attend at least one practice each week according to McCann.
“Rugby is a very take you as you are sport,” said McCann. “So I don’t think we have ever turned anybody away and I don’t think that’s going to change.”
Alesha Blake, rugby treasurer, has been on the rugby team for five years. Blake explains that her interest in the sport stemmed from wanting to make new friends. When she received the rugby recruitment email she was excited to get involved.
Rugby is not only a sport at UF, it is also a club. Members are able to be players on the field as well as hold positions of leadership within the club. McCann holds the title of rugby president and also plays as hooker and flank on the field.
Blake states that leadership opportunities are not the only thing she appreciates about the sport.
“We’re a big family,” said Blake. “We’re there for each other whether it’s a good day or a bad day, if we’ve won or if we’ve lost. We are just very close knit.”
“It’s a different dynamic than the other sports that I’ve played,” said McCann. “It’s very much so relying on your entire team.”
Samantha Ponczoch, a freshman rugby player at UF, says joining the club was a good move for her.
“I suggest [freshmen] join the team,” said Ponczoch. “As long as they are willing to do a lot of hard work and be physical.”
To follow along with the rugby team, join its fan page on Facebook at UF Women’s Rugby Fan Page.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: sports series

Oilers Club supports over 600 athletes

February 2, 2018 by

By: Markell McCoy
Email: Mccoym@findlay.edu

The Oilers Club works behind the scenes of athletics as the official booster club for sports at the University of Findlay. However, not everyone might understand what the club does behind the scenes in support of more than 600 athletes.
Associate Athletic Director for Development and Business at the University, Jim Givens says the Oilers Club helps supporters such as alumni, family members, and friends connect to UF athletes.
“Our mission is to ‘inspire student-athletes to become motivated, well balanced and successful’ and without financial support, it would not be possible,” said Givens.
He explains the Oiler Club is not a new organization. It has been around for over 20 years. Before the specific group ‘Oilers Club’ was in existence, there was a similar, yet smaller, booster club called Varsity F. The reason for expansion was to include more members.
The athletic department is always looking for new members to join the club. Like most groups, social media is the largest used platform to raise awareness for the Oilers Club. In addition to social media, information about Oilers Club is advertised at all athletic events.
Givens explains that all gifts are accepted, but in order to qualify for benefits, there is a minimum gift amount.
“Any gift to the Oilers Club qualifies one to be a member. Benefits begin with a $50 gift,” Givens said.
Oilers Club member benefits have a wide range of possibilities. From recognition in game programs, to qualifying to have lunch with the coach of their sport of choice, to season passes, Oilers Club members reap many benefits. Givens says members of the club join for various reasons. He also states why he manages the club.
“Overseeing the Oilers Club was very important to me early in my career because it provided an avenue to establish and maintain relationships with donors or potential donors,” explained Givens. “Also, I understood the importance of the financial component. Those two elements inspired me to become as involved as possible.”
Givens says the Oilers Club helps all student-athletes to succeed in obtaining the ideal ‘championship experience’ as all sports are supported through the gift donations.
If you would like to join the Oilers Club or just read more information, see http://athletics.findlay.edu/oilers_club/Oilers_Club_Brochure_Web.pdf.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: sports series

Not just along for the ride

January 26, 2018 by

By: Stephanie Radloff
Twitter: @SRadloffUF
Email: radloffs@findlay.edu

“You just sit there.” “The horse does all the work.” “Horseback riding isn’t a sport.” These are statements almost every equestrian athlete has heard at some point in their lives.

“As a serious equestrian, these statements are hard to hear,” said University of Findlay senior IHSA Hunt Seat Team member Peter Patch. “We work extremely hard just like any other athlete and I wish more people realized the hard work that goes into our sport.”

Universities all across the country have equestrian teams or clubs. At the collegiate level, there are two organizations that govern the sport. The NCEA (National Collegiate Equestrian Association, a part of the NCAA) and IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association). The NCEA has 16 Division I teams, five Division II teams, and two Division III teams.

Across the country, over 400 schools are a part of IHSA, which is not broken down into divisions set by the NCAA, but rather by regions and zones as defined by the IHSA committee. Findlay has both a Hunt Seat and a Western team, with 91 varsity athletes (54 on Hunt Seat, 37 on Western), which are a part of the IHSA section.

Athletic Director, Brandi Laurita says that Findlay chose to remain part of IHSA due to female only restrictions in the NCEA teams and that with IHSA the structure of the association allows for more diversity in the skill level of the riders. This gives more people a chance to compete.

At UF, the two IHSA teams (Western and Hunt Seat) are considered varsity sports and recognized by athletics. Both teams officially joined the athletics family in 2001 and have been a part of it ever since. The teams became part of athletics to help benefit both the athletic department and the teams themselves.

“There’s a lot of value for the equestrians in getting the publicity and being a part of something bigger. They can recruit a little bit better because of that since they are a part of varsity athletics,” said Laurita. “For us [athletics], it gives us a wider variety of student athletes. Both teams help get us to 26 varsity sports which is a lot. It also helps us learn a lot about the sport.”

Brandon Morin, a senior on the UF western team, loves the added value of being an athlete at UF.

“We get funding, vehicles to use, they feed us at every show, and pay our fees,” said Morin. “I think that the University of Findlay Athletics most definitely recognizes us as a sport. They provide tons of funding to our IHSA teams and recognize us like any other sport at the school.”

Morin notes that UF athletics is stepping up its game in promoting the equestrian teams.

“Up until this year, our team lacked team photos and head shots of our riders on the athletics website, but this year we got them done!” said Mroin.

Both Patch and Morin say equestrians do not get enough credit over all in the sports world.

“Too many people think we just sit there and don’t do anything when we ride,” said Patch. “But that’s the point! If you can’t see what we’re doing, then we are doing our job. The amount of strength and body control it takes to look like that requires us to be just as strong as any other athlete.”

“Across the nation, I do not think our sport is properly recognized as an athletic event,” said Morin. “I think that trying to explain what we do to other types of athletes is difficult because we cannot really compare it to anything else. It is a very unique sport.”

Both teams have a full schedule this year, with hopes of once again competing at nationals. Last year, both teams qualified after winning regionals and zones (Hunt Seat) and regionals and semi-finals (Western).

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: sports series

The toll of being a student athlete in college

January 19, 2018 by

By: Abigail Frye
Twitter: @Abigail_EF
Email: fryea@findlay.edu

Being a student and an athlete is never easy, as students and faculty at the University of Findlay both agree. With school and sports combining to make for a busy schedule, student athletes sometimes find it difficult to find the time for it all.

“The main struggle of being a student athlete is being able to balance out everything between games, practices, and school work and having enough time for it all,” said Ashton Kester, a sophomore Pre-vet major and UF softball player.

Kester says during the off season the softball team only practices two hours a week. During the spring season though, the players dedicate about three to four hours a day to their sport, including 5 a.m. practices.

“Sometimes I do feel like my sport comes before school, but not much,” Kester added.

Lelo Hess, a sophomore Pre-vet major and previous UF soccer player, also describes it hard to find time to do homework, especially while traveling. Hess explains the soccer team practices for about two and a half hours a day. Practices ranging from 5-8 a.m. were also normal.

Hess doesn’t feel as overwhelmed by the juggling act, as she’s always had to balance school and athletics. “Sometimes I did, but I was used to balancing my time, it really depended on the week,” said Hess.

Markell McCoy, a junior marketing major, says his football schedule is similar. He explains that classes take place between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. with lifting before or during followed by meetings and practice until about 6:30 p.m.

Dr. Sarah Fedirka, an associate professor of English at the University, has seen student-athletes getoverwhelmed.

“Yes, without a doubt under the pressure of athletics,” said Fedirka.

Federika does want to see the athletes be successful both in their sport and in the classroom. “They need to be held to the same standards, but faculty should be flexible,” Fedirka said.

Fedirka also added that to help the students, faculty and coaches alike should give them clear expectations and affective advising with a good class schedule to work around their busy lives.

Students can also help themselves by talking to faculty in person and having good communication skills about when they will miss classes for a sport will help both the professor and the athlete according to Fedirka. Office hours are also a good way to reach busy professors and be proactive

“Try to stay on top of your work,” offered Fedirka.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: sports series

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