Why we hate Capital

Capital University. What do those two God-forsaken words mean to you when they're next to each other like that?

' ' ' ' If you are taking the time to actually read my article, it must mean you care about Otterbein sports, and I'm going to assume that you might be an athlete. If that is truly the case, then you most likely share the same dislike I do for their sports programs.

' ' ' ' Previous sports writers for the T&C; have also written about their hatred for Capital, in which great writers like Brett Hiltbrand and Lucas Buck come to mind. Those two guys were great personalities around the sports atmosphere at Otterbein and were very passionate about us crushing the souls of Capital fans everywhere. I'm here to expand on it and bring an athlete's point of view.

' ' ' ' Now in my fourth and final year here at the OC (depressing), there have been a few glorious moments here at OC in which we beat Capital in heartbreaking fashion that I'll probably never forget.

' ' ' ' The first happened during the winter of my sophomore year, when the women's basketball team found themselves in a close game with the Crusaders. There were a lot of fans at the game (there's always more for Capital games), and it was pretty intense to say the least. Capital goes up by two points with just a few seconds left in the game.

' ' ' ' The inbounds pass was thrown to Sara Fee on the right side of the court. She cut hard to the left, dribbled to half-court, and took the shot just before the buzzer sounded. I was sitting perfectly in line with the shot, in the second row of the student section, surrounded by my baseball teammates and football players.

' ' ' ' She drained the shot. For a few seconds, I just sat there in disbelief. My teammate Zach McGrain was next to me, and he jumped so high in excitement, it actually startled me. Football players rushed the court, and the look on Capital nation's faces was priceless.

' ' ' ' Another unforgettable moment came this past fall in OC's homecoming football game.' The game was back and forth all day, when the Cards made the best drive of the game by tallying 97 yards on 11 plays in just over three minutes. On the last play of that drive, quarterback Austin Schlosser dropped back and threw one deep to receiver Dan Gendron, who rose up above the defender and made the game winning catch. Game Otterbein, who has beat Capital three consecutive years in football.

' ' ' ' After asking multiple athletes here at OC why they hate Capital, I found out that most of the freshman and sophomores don't yet realize the rivalry's importance to upper classmen. I have found that juniors and seniors have been far more passionate about beating the crap out of the Crusaders. All it takes is a little time and motivation for most athletes to get the point.

' ' ' ' For example, take Ashley Payne, a junior on the women's soccer team. Many people at Capital expected Ashley to go to there because her mom works there. When she chose OC instead, this upset some people on Capital's soccer team.

' ' ' ' Coincidently, in her freshman season against Capital, a girl who played for Capital broke Ashley's hand that required screws to be surgically put in her hand. It's extreme situations like this that should make us want to crush them.

' ' ' ' 'They are our cross-town rival, and everyone should hate them for that reason,' Corey White, a pitcher on the OC baseball team, said. Donnie Reinhart, OC linebacker, said, 'I personally hate Cap because of how cocky they are on the field in football, even though we've handled them the last three years.'

' ' ' ' Brian Hiscox has a very interesting take on hating Capital. 'I hate capital just to hate capital. I don't need any reason. Why does Tom hate Jerry? Why does Roger Klotz hate Doug Funny? Nobody knows. Sure Capital's baseball field is a piece of crap 'hellip; their mascot is real lame, but that's not a reason to hate them. I don't know why I hate them, all I know is that I do,' Hiscox said.

' ' ' ' Whatever your reason, there is not a bad reason to hate Capital, as long as you have one. This Saturday, the women's and men's basketball teams host 'Crapital' at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively. No matter the records, anything can happen. If you haven't been to a basketball game yet this year, this is your chance. The teams need our support. It's a red-out, so wear a red Otterbein shirt, or just a red shirt to show your pride. It's almost the end of week four, and Capital still sucks.' t&c;
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