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(06/05/08 4:00am)
The number of theories explaining why gas prices have risen so drastically should be enough to satisfy even the most creative of conspiracy theorists. From White House intrigue to the tanking of the dollar, everyone seems to think they know why gas prices are sky- high. What exactly is going on and what can be done to fix it are some of the most pressing concerns both Congress and the presidential candidates are planning to address. Many theorists agree that increased oil costs have directly influenced the pump price. Gasoline is made from refined crude oil purchased by the United States and made by domestic refineries. According to an Energy Information Administration (EIA) brochure, "Consumption in 2007 was about 142 billion gallons (of crude oil), an average of about 390 million gallons per day." One barrel of crude oil measures in at about 42 gallons and produces about 19.6 gallons of gasoline. The U.S. produced 90 percent of the gasoline used for 2007, but less than 35 percent of crude oil needed to make the gasoline was produced domestically.This reliance is reflected in the pump price because of the record high cost of crude oil. According to the EIA, "the cost of crude oil now accounts for almost 70 percent of the gasoline pump price. World crude oil prices are at record highs due mainly to high worldwide oil demand relative to supply."This is where the theories come into play. Based on supply and demand, price should balance between how much oil there is and how much oil people want. Unfortunately, a few factors are disrupting that price balance. First, the demand for oil is higher than the supply and that is raising prices. Secondly the U.S. dollar is weak. The "bickerfest," as US News termed it, between President George W. Bush and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) neatly illustrates these two problems. Bush asked OPEC to increase oil production in order to meet the increased demand. Based on the supply and demand laws, more supply should drive down the costs caused by high demand and balance the price. OPEC responded by saying that the problem is not low supply and high demand, but the weak dollar. Crude oil is priced in dollars on the world market. According to MIT professor and former White House economic advisor Kristin Forbes, in a US News article, "when the dollar is weaker, foreign currencies are stronger... people in other countries can buy more oil for the same amount of money... that oil becomes cheaper to foreigners." This "cheaper oil" increases world demand, which drives up the price of oil on the market in dollars. "In the United States it looks like the price is going up sharply, in dollars, while in other countries it's actually going up by much less, or staying about the same," said Forbes in the article. Federal, state and local taxes also take their toll on the price you pay. In fact, taxes account for a bigger percentage of the overall retail price than markups by the gas companies. Although it may seem like owners are marking up the price to make a huge profit, only 10 percent of the price is retail cost. This percent is actually down from the 12 percent prior to 2000. Refinery costs make up 17 percent and taxes make up 24 percent of the total retail price. So if we know why gas prices are on the rise, common sense would suggest there are people out there trying to fix the problem. The information below explains the ideas presidential candidates and members of Congress are coming up with on how to bring the price of gas back down to something closer to affordable.PLAN-Sen. John McCain: proposed a "gas tax holiday" which would remove the 18.4 cent Federal tax on gas from Memorial Day until Labor Day. -McCain and Obama: support a "cap-and-trade policy." Cap-and-trade policy means that a limit (cap) is set on the amount of pollution a company is allowed to emit. Then, if companies need to emit more pollutants then they have permission to, they buy emission permits from companies that have more than they need (trade).-Obama: supports a "windfall profits" tax on oil companies. Oil companies that make profits above and beyond a "reasonable" amount would be charged 25 percent of the "unreasonable" profit unless the surplus was put into funding for renewable energy research. -The most controversial of ideas proposed to deal with the gas price rise involves opening up Alaska and the coastlines to oil companies for drilling. Republicans have proposed a bill that would open up the Arctic National Wildlife refuge to drilling companies-The Senate and Bush have been in a veto battle around a proposed bill to encourage funding for biofuels, or fuels made from biological products like wood chips or corn. Congress overrode the veto May 22nd. -Republicans and Democrats are calling for a halt to the purchase of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which was created to store oil in case of a sudden shortage. Currently, there are 701.3 million barrels in the reserve. Bush wants to fill the SPR to capacity, 727 million barrels, by October. PROS-The "holiday" would allow motorists to afford gas required to enjoy the summer season and vacation, without breaking the bank.-The "cap-and-trade policy" was created to help make companies more environmentally friendly at the lowest cost to society, giving people the "green" companies they want without taxing them for it.-The money from the tax would go toward helping middle class families pay their utility bills.-Drilling in the preserves would increase domestic product output, which would decrease the ratio between oil supply and demand and may balance the price out. Opening the preserve could shave as much as 75 cents off each barrel of crude oil.-The ethanol industry would help the economy by creating new jobs and tax revenue. Also, in 2007 ethanol reduced oil imports by 228 million barrels, which roughly comes to 45 million per day. -This halt could mean 5 to 24 cents off the per-barrel price and also would increase the available supply of oil, which would offset demand and lower pump prices. CONS-It is only temporary and may actually raise prices because cheaper gas will increase the already high demand.-Oil companies would have to purchase emission permits and they would most likely charge more at the pump to cover the permit cost. In essence, we would pay so that companies can legally pollute.-Companies may raise prices to pay the tax so here, again, consumers would be paying the bill for the company. Also, in the 1970s this approach was tried and, not only did prices not go down, but domestic production suffered as well. -These bills are difficult to get through Congress because of the many environmental concerns, like endangering the natural habitat of the polar bear, a species that is under a "threatened" status.-The research is not complete and there are "knowledge gaps," according to the New York Times that make determining ethanol's use difficult. Also, ethanol production could strain water and corn resources. -If there was to be an oil emergency, having the oil available in the SPR would be beneficial. Also, Congress isn't considering a permanenant halt, only a temporary one, until price per barrel falls back down to $75 or less. t&c; Information compiled by Rachel Scali, News Editor. Sources include Redorbit.com, Msnbc.com, Sciencedaily.com, Eia.com, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times
(05/15/08 4:00am)
Whether or not you know anything about the weather, the wailing tornado sirens this past Sunday should have let you know, in their annoyingly high-pitched way, that something big was coming. That "something" was a severe storm system that created tornadoes in Madison County, as well as Hilliard, Powell, Lewis Center, Galena, Sunbury, Pataskala and Newark. Between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. tornado sirens blared in Franklin County, alerting hall director Chris Hempfling. He alerted Jeff Akers, assistant director of Residence Life. "I texted all the hall directors and said 'tornado warning in effect until 1:46 please be advised,'" he said. The regular process for a tornado drill at Otterbein includes several steps and the cooperation of staff members to evacuate students to the designated safe locations. The location for each building is on the back of the dorm doors. The process begins with hall directors tuning into the weather station on special radios provided by Otterbein. Then hall directors contact resident assistants (RAs) and take a count of available staff in the building. After that, RAs and hall directors work together to get students to the safe locations. Some RAs moved students to the designated locations while others gathered residents in lounge areas to keep an eye on the weather. Many of the hall directors had gone home for Mother's Day, which made communication more difficult and may have contributed to initial confusion about what to do on the part of RAs and residents. The Davis Complex, Hanby Hall and Dunlap-King all evacuated students to safe areas while the Triad and the Suites gathered in lounge areas. Both directors of Mayne Hall were out of town and said the residents "knew what to do" but the directors were unsure if evacuation actually took place or not. Becky Vogt, junior English and health promotion and fitness major and RA in the Suites, was on duty Sunday. She was spending time with her boyfriend when his dad called to let them know about the tornado. "His dad called and we turned on the TV and were watching it. Allison (the Suites hall director) texted me and told me to tell people where the safe spots were," Vogt said. She felt that the process itself seemed fine. "A bunch of the residents themselves didn't know we had safe spots but once we told them everyone knew what to do," she said. Sarah Martindell, senior English major and hall director for Hanby Hall, moved her residents to the safe locations until the warning was over, in accordance with Otterbein policy. "The RAs are supposed to knock on resident's doors as they are walking to the safe location," she said. "We can't force anyone to go but we can set a good example by going there ourselves." In normal cases, a tornado warning would be preceded by a tornado watch, giving Otterbein and Franklin County time to prepare. Sunday's tornado was unique in that no watch was issued, only a warning. The sirens were delayed approximately eight minutes, activating at 1:24 p.m. while the first warning was issued at 1:16 p.m. "The unfortunate thing was normally we have a (tornado) watch, which gives us a little bit of time to know that something might pop up," Jim Leonard, Franklin County EMA director, told 10TV News. "Unfortunately, this time there was nothing before the warning and by the time I got the pager off my belt and got the button pushed there was a lag time," he said. Akers agreed, saying "it was really rapid." In April, NBC 4 investigated how many tornado sirens were active in and around Franklin County. According to the article, "NBC put in a public records request recently to find out if most sirens are now in working order. Most of them are, except for the occasional problem location." The problem Otterbein students and resident life staff faced with the sirens on Sunday wasn't necessarily the timing but the quality of sound. I heard them, I just didn't know if they were a drill or not," said Vogt. Martindell felt the sirens were loud enough. "I could hear them over my music," she said. TORNADO TIDBITS 2008:1. Last year 1,092 total tornadoes were reported. Already 910 have been reported this year.2. Last year 50 people total were killed by tornados. This year 96 have been killed. 3. Last year the total amount of time tornadoes touched the ground was 12 minutes.t&c;
(05/01/08 4:00am)
Everyone remembers trooping outside into the freezing cold or the pouring rain during a fire drill. Now, students and faculty get to enjoy this exciting event four times a year instead of two. That means that there will be a fire drill somewhere on campus about every two and one half days, said Assistant Director of Residence Life Jeff Akers.The Westerville Division of Fire and Otterbein personnel met in February to discuss increasing the number of drills. In September, the Ohio fire code revised the amount of fire drills R2 class buildings have to run each year. This classification includes college and university buildings. At Otterbein, this applies to dorm buildings and fraternity/sorority houses. An increase in campus fires could be a reason for the change. "They look at fires across the country and I think they realize the increasing number of fires in dorms, fraternities and sororities is going up. I think this is how they answered, by upgrading the code," said Battalion Chief John Bokros. The goal of a fire drill is to document how many people are in the building, how long it takes to evacuate, conditions during the drill and any problems encountered during the drill. The Otterbein staff members who monitor the drill submit a report to Bokros, who reviews the total procedure. The drills are scheduled in advance, so although it may seem like they are planned for inclement weather, any uncomfortable conditions are totally coincidental. However, the drills are supposed to be conducted in different types of conditions to make sure no problems arise.Akers said students do not enjoy the practice alarms already conducted, let alone an increased number. "They are very angry when we have a practice fire drill," he said. Akers attributes this negativity to the fact that the alarm system is very sensitive and there have been quite a few false alarms. "The false alarms ruin the good ones," he said.Students can be documented for campus policy violations during a fire drill as well. "If there's a violation on college property, we document it," Akers said. Alcohol or illegal substances have been found in the rooms during fire drill room checks, and students have been caught breaking visitation curfews. "You see a male student walk out of a female dorm, (and) you can pretty much make the assumption they were violating campus policy," Akers said.Otterbein measures up well in fire safety, both in safety equipment and precautions. New sprinkler systems and smoke detectors have been installed during the construction and renovation of campus buildings and Otterbein has conducted fire drills even though the drills weren't mandatory. t&c;
(04/10/08 4:00am)
Everyone has an unforgettable moment, a brief period of time that makes all the efforts of life "worth it." Those moments don't get much better than winning a John Simon Guggenheim fellowship. Professor Fredrik Marsh and his partner of 27 years, Ardine Nelson, were the first couple to receive individual Guggenheim fellowships in the same year for the same category."It's a real high point in my career. Frankly, I never expected to win. If you look back in my field of photography, it's daunting... There isn't much more for art folks," Marsh said. Marsh received the award with his first application. Usually, a Guggenheim fellowship takes three or four attempts.The professor has spent the past six summers in Germany photographing industrial landscapes in Dresden. Moving between teaching during the school term and working on the Dresden project over breaks allowed him to watch the piece evolve and make necessary changes, like the addition of color."I would step away during fall quarter and then come back to it and think 'Oh my, this is what I accomplished'... I finally realized I needed to move to color," he said. Applying for the fellowship was a relatively simple process. However, other visual artists submit slides of their work; photographers must submit original compositions. Marsh submitted 20 pieces of 30 by 40 inch, color prints of German industrial landscapes. He decided to continue the theme and style of his work in the city of Guangzhou in the Guangdong Province of China. During the Lianzhou International Photography Festival, Marsh will be giving a public lecture in the Cultural Square and there will be a solo exhibition of his work from Dresden. "I want to make a connection with post-Cold War Germany to China. China is a juggernaut. We are unleashing the West...It's really scary what's going on in China," he said.His work started off with specific landscapes, and ended up becoming "very universal statements," said Marsh.The project funded by the Guggenheim fellowship is titled "Vanishing Voices, Disappearing Neighborhoods: The Price of Modernization in China." Marsh will be capturing the effect of modernization on old neighborhoods in Guangzhou. The old cultural neighborhoods are being destroyed by the Chinese governments in their efforts to "smash the old and build the new," as Marsh described it. Along with video, audio and photographic work, he may include some oral history as well. "I've got to get there as soon as possible," Marsh said. "I've got to get shooting." t&c;
(04/10/08 4:00am)
Playing the blame game seems to be a typical response to a tragic event, especially tragedies involving school violence. Everyone wants to know where to point the finger.The recent shooting of 15-year-old California high school student Lawrence King follows the same pattern. Reports are flying about his personal life and habits, his friends, his grades and his home life. An ABC news headline reads "Hate Crime for Shooting Cross Dressing Student," which sums up the majority opinion of the reason why King was shot. The addition of "hate crime" to the charges the 14-year-old shooter is facing is due to King's alleged tendency to cross dress at school. According to the ABC news article, "Prosecutors would not say why they filed a hate-crime enhancement with the attempted murder count, but several classmates said the 15-year-old victim, Lawrence King, sometimes wore makeup, high heels and other feminine attire."Michael Sweney, a classmate of King's, was quoted as saying his cross dressing was "freaking the guys out."According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, hate crimes in colleges and schools accounted for 12.2 percent of the 7,722 reported hate crimes in 2006. In Ohio alone, 300 hate crimes were reported in 2006.Because of this high percentage, schools like Otterbein are finding ways to create safe discussion places about diversity and individual respect, in order to prevent situations like King's from happening. One of the ways schools prevent hate crimes is to institute and support the development of programs that encourage safe discussions, like FreeZone at Otterbein.FreeZone promotes discussion and understanding of issues facing the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (GLBTQ) community. They also encourage allies, or supporters of the community, to get involved. Robert Bildstein, freshman music education major, said he felt that school violence is less likely to occur at Otterbein because of diversity programs."As with anything, there's always a possibility of it [school violence], but with groups like FreeZone, it's less likely because there's more knowledge and more awareness going around. It's a safer environment," he said. The group is interested in pushing awareness and providing support for those affected by GLBTQ issues. "What we're going for is not as much lessening or preventing occurrences like that [King shooting] as much as making the people who are there for you visible," said sophomore Matt Langenhop.The Otterbein Day of Silence, to be held April 24th, is dedicated to King this year. Students around campus will remain silent until 4 p.m. Then a "speak-out" will be held on the lawn of Towers. "You don't change opinions by attacking them, but by discussing. It's a back and forth," said Langenhop. t&c;
(04/04/08 4:00am)
As the saying goes, there's no arguing with success, and nobody understands successful arguing better than the Otterbein debate team. The team qualified for nationals, which comes as no surprise. Otterbein has sent students to the national competition for the last five years. "Last year we placed 11th in the nation. The year before we were 10th in the nation. We compete against schools like Northwestern University, Creighton University, Ithaca College, Western Kentucky University and University of Pennsylvania," said Nichelle McNabb, debate coach and assistant communication professor at Otterbein.Out of approximately 12 competitions this year, Otterbein students scored in the top three on numerous occasions.In preparation for the competition, debaters have done extensive research on the yearly topic given to them and held practice debates. A retreat in early April may also be in the works to help the members prepare outside of local distractions. A debate competition works in two phases. First, students debate for or against a predetermined United States policy, twice for and twice against. The winners of these preliminary debates advance to elimination rounds, which make up the second phase of debate competition. McNabb said this year's topic was "The United States Federal Government should substantially increase assistance to the Greater Horn of Africa in one of the following areas: economic development, human rights protection or public health.""I have loved this year's topic on the Greater Horn of Africa because I feel it has opened my eyes to a vast amount of issues outside of my safe, little world," said junior English-education major Judith Holbrook. "You can't spend hours researching and debating child starvation, female genital mutilation, AIDS disease, etc. without being taken out of your little me-world bubble." Besides Holbrook, Fahmiya Ismail, Randi Hopkins and Jessica Hansen will be going to the national competition held April 16-21st at Tennessee State University in Nashville. A four-person team is on the small side. Other schools usually have around six members. Although the team is challenged by the small number of participants, Otterbein faculty has stepped in to help. "Our political science department has a great deal of expertise on Africa. Marsha Robinson came and talked to my debate class about the topic, Deb Halbert has attended tournaments and judged for us, and she sometimes watches practice debates, and Alan Cooper has spent time talking about some of the issues with various students," said McNabb.Otterbein graduates who have won distinctions at past competitions include David Root, who won Pi Kappa Delta, National Champion, junior varsity division and the Lincoln-Douglass Debate. Also taking the Lincoln-Douglass award was alum Sean Hayes. He also earned the 2004 Ohio State Champion award.McNabb feels that her team has a fighting chance in the national competition. She believes the student's stint with the debate team will have lasting benefits for their careers."My perception is that they work really hard and learn a great deal that will be helpful in their careers," said McNabb. "In the case of Randi and Judith, as high school teachers. Or in the case of Jess and Fahmiya, as lawyers." t&c;
(03/13/08 4:00am)
Ohio, at least among Ohioans, is infamous for its unpredictable weather. However, this past weekend the weather forecasters hit the proverbial nail on the head with the "Blizzard of '08". Of course, the blizzard hit in March, so Ohio's claim to wacky weather still holds true.The blizzard caused winter storm warnings from Tennessee all the way north to upstate New York and Maine, according to ABC news.Westerville received 20.5 inches of snow over the weekend, 15.5 inches coming on Saturday alone, which caused a number of cancellations. Franklin county was under a level 2 snow emergency warning and Delaware County was under a level 3 last Saturday. These warnings meant Westerville citizens were to avoid driving and use extreme caution if driving became necessary. "You kinda bank on the common sense of the individual," said Westerville Police Chief Joseph Morbitzer. High winds between 30-40 mph caused near-whiteout conditions and blizzard warnings Saturday, making driving or going outside dangerous. Drifts of snow reached 5 feet or more in some areas, covering cars and making Sunday travel difficult.Morbitzer felt roads were cleared in record time by the crews, compared to surrounding areas. "I complimented those folks several times over the weekend...my opinion is they did an outstanding job," said Morbitzer. "Our roads were much clearer."Otterbein was the last campus in the area to close on Friday, five hours after OSU. "OC is kind of like the gold standard. It's like 'OK we held out long enough'," said assistant director of physical plant Mark Ewing about the 3 p.m. closing. In the 21 years Ewing has been working with Otterbein, the college has closed only one other time for inclement weather. The service department is responsible for clearing out all college property, while Westerville road crews take care of the streets. President C. Brent Devore takes recommendations from the director of the service department and then makes the call to close or reopen the college. "I actually called him [the director] on Saturday and said they need to cancel these events," said Ewing. The most stressful event for the service department was the track meet held over the weekend that continued despite the blizzard. "There was at least one event this weekend that I thought should have been closed...there was a level 3 warning, that means people could get arrested for driving," Ewing said of the meet. The security department and the service department worked together to help students deal with the blizzard's aftermath. "The biggest problem that we had was students snowed into their parking place," said head of security Larry Banazsak. "We have shoveled many students over the weekend, sometimes they have to shovel themselves out, sometimes we can help them."The service department brought in extra equipment and workers put in overtime hours to help dig the college out. Two subcontractors assisted in plowing parking lots. "When you get hit with a record-breaking storm you just have to get it done and that costs money," said Ewing. t&c;
(02/14/08 5:00am)
The plot thickens concerning the reconstruction of the West Main Street Bridge. Jim Pike, the bridge engineer for Franklin County, told Westerville city council members that Otterbein was unwilling to enter into a financial partnership to help pay for construction of a temporary walkway. The walkway would keep the bridge open to pedestrians during construction and cost roughly $250,000-$300,000 to construct. "At this point [Otterbein College] could not be a financial participant," Pike said. Both Otterbein administration and community responses are putting pressure on the county to keep the bridge accessible to pedestrians throughout construction. Twenty-five of 36 community responses said there should be access across the river at all times."In talking to the representatives from Otterbein College ... certainly one of their big concerns is student access during construction," said council member Terry Winebrenner. Bob Gatti, dean of Student Affairs, said another concern of the college is responsible allocation of tuition money. "The college has limited resources, which come from your tuition money. We need to determine the best way to spend those resources," he said.Gatti also felt it was inappropriate of the county to ask the college to use students' tuition money to pay for the walkway, especially since the student body would be inconvenienced by the construction. He recalled a similar situation during the construction of Lane Street Bridge, which was disruptive to Ohio State University students. No cash was exchanged between the county and the university, and a walkway was kept open for students. Pike told the council that the offer from the county was made in good faith. "We tried to make them a pretty good deal," he said. The situation on Main Street is a little different because of the limited amount of space available. The road is narrow, so construction is occurring in what Pike termed a "tight space." In the 1970 construction, a one-way road was kept open for vehicular use, but that option isn't feasible in this decade. One other option brought up at the Monday work session was constructing a temporary walkway and then salvaging parts of it for use in the permanent walkway to go with the Otterbein Lake project. A permanent walkway structure is part of the project to spruce up Otterbein Lake. Reusing the materials from the temporary walkway might make the expenditure more reasonable. Gatti didn't seem to think that the option to salvage the walkway for more permanent use would make a difference regarding the college's unwillingness to contribute financially, but he didn't completely dismiss the option. "Never say never," he said. All in all, the county is excited about the new bridge, despite community concerns about pedestrian access. "If you know our history of Franklin County, we like to do interesting bridges ... we think this bridge on West Main Street presents that opportunity," Pike said.
(02/07/08 5:00am)
The intrepid Otterbein students who travel between the two ends of campus may face a tougher trek next year.The city of Westerville has decided to renovate the Main Street bridge, which students use to get from the main part of campus to the new science and art/communication buildings. The renovation is starting ahead of schedule, said Westerville Fire Division Chief Bernie Ingles. The current bridge was designed to last for around 30-40 years and was last renovated in 1960. There are some safety concerns, but Ingles said it is not an immediate safety hazard. However, he said he's "starting to see some conditions under the structure that means it needs to be replaced." The bridge would be closed during renovations, which could pose a challenge to Otterbein pedestrian traffic. President C. Brent DeVore and Dean of Student Affairs Bob Gatti have been attending decision-making meetings to make sure the college has input. They requested that construction plans include a walkway to remain open during renovation so students can get to class. However, there has been no final decision made about this addition."We had asked the city and architects to put in a walkway for students," said Larry Banaszak, director of Otterbein security. A new design for the renovation will hopefully be chosen sometime this month. The city is currently considering three bridge designs, with costs around $6 million. The cheapest would involve leaving the original support structure in place, repairing any damage and adding on a new bridge over top. Single- or double-arch designs would require the structural support be removed from the creek and the bridge lengthened. These choices are more expensive but are getting serious consideration. "I would guess they're leaning toward the cheapest. It always depends on the final cost," Ingles said. All the bridge choices would separate pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic, which could make getting to classes easier and safer for students in the long-run, said Ingles.Ingles doesn't believe the renovation will affect traffic, thanks to the construction of County Line Road, which provides an alternate route around the construction.The county is still taking feedback through a questionnaire that can be found online at franklincountyengineer.org
(01/31/08 5:00am)
Women's Basketball at MariettaW 84-64Men's Basketball vs. MariettaL 96-95 (OT)UPCOMING:Men's and Women's Track02/01 at Ohio NorthernWomen's Basketball02/02 vs. MuskingumMen's Basketball02/02 at Muskingum
(01/24/08 5:00am)
Women's basketball at Capital W 77-69Men's basketball at CapitalL 86-57Indoor Track at Kenyon2nd of 8Women's basketball 01/26 at John CarrollMen's basketball 01/26 vs John CarrollMen's and women's track 01/25 at Baldwin Wallace
(01/17/08 5:00am)
Women's basketball at Wilmington L 73-62Men's basketball vs Wilmington L 79-65Indoor Track at Capital 2nd of 8Women's basketball 01/16 at CapitalMen's basketball 01/16 vs CapitalMen's and women's track 01/19 at Kenyon
(01/15/08 5:00am)
Inside or outside, up and down hills or on a cushy track, the running men and women of the Otterbein track and field program just can't seem to slow down. The winter snow (or lack thereof) may keep the fleet of foot off the streets until spring, but to catch all the track action just head to the Clements Center. The season opener is set for Saturday, Jan. 12 at Capital starting at 3 p.m. It's a pretty safe bet that the team is ready to stomp on Cap like any good Otterbeiner would, assistant coach John Lintz said the meet is really just a good way to feel out the season."The meet on Saturday is our opening meet, but it's not a really big meet; we're just going to train through it. We're just gonna try and see where we are," he said. Head coach Doug Welsh aslo feels Saturday's meet will help the team test the waters. "This is our first week of practice, so we are trying to see where we are in our conditioning and attempting to learn solid practice habits and routines," he said.Looking at the season schedule, it seems that this February brings with it the track invasion. Three big meets will be held in the Clements center: the Greater Columbus championship, the All-Ohio championship and finally the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship. The first championship will be held on Feb. 9 at noon. According to Lintz, if things go as planned, it will be one meet you don't want to miss. The men's team has never lost this invitational and the women are running against another team that received recognition last season: Ohio Wesleyan. "Our women's team and Ohio Wesleyan were nationally ranked, so that ought to be a good battle," Lintz said. Facing an unbeaten men's team and a strong, competitive women's team (they took both the indoor and outdoor track championship last year), will be Kenyon, Muskingum, Capital, Dennison and Ohio Wesleyan. "Our goal is always to win the conference championship. If we can stay healthy we'll be right up there again this year," said Lintz. Welsh views the conference contenders as strong competitors for the team. "The conference will be as strong and balanced as it usually is. Teams will be very competitive at Baldwin Wallace, Ohio Northern, Heidelberg, and Mt. Union, with every school having quality athletes to contend for top finishes," he saidd. This week is the first week of practice for the team, so the upcoming Capital game should prove to be a good gauge of where the Cardinal team is and where they need to go in order to contend for the conference title.
(01/08/08 5:00am)
Ashley Payne, the freshman midfielder from Worthington, toughed it out during the OAC semi-final game against Capital with- believe it or not-a broken arm. Her admirable derring-do earned her much respect and admiration from her coach, Brandon Koons. According to Koons, her arm was so badly broken that she recently had surgery to put a pin and screw in her arm. "She broke her arm in the 57th minute of the game, but didn't tell anyone until after the game," said Koons. The women's soccer team finished out the season at 10-7-2. Payne made four goals this season, ending up with a 19 percent shot average.
(01/08/08 5:00am)
The women's cross country team has had an all-around "wow" season. The Cardinal team has placed in the top ten in every single meet. At Wilmington and Marietta they placed first out of eight and 22 teams, respectively. At the Ohio Athletic Conferece (OAC) championship they took an impressive second place, which gave them momentum heading into regionals. At regionals the team placed tenth, fulfilling a team goal. All these high finishes were a team effort. However, Niki Reese finished in first place for Otterbein at every single meet. Recently, she has qualified to compete at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. for the national title. Along with teammate Abby Ludwig, she finished in the top 35 runners, which earned them both all-regional honors. "I'm definitely excited to qualify for nationals, it's been one of my goals throughout the summer. I have all my training behind me," said Reese. Reese also runs the 5k, the mile, the 4x8 (outdoor) and the distance medley (indoor) in the track season and plans to take her national competition experience and apply it to the upcoming season. "I can definitely take the experience from nationals and apply it to track....I'm stronger now and I can help the team more," she said. Senior captain of the men's cross country team Jared French has run the gauntlet this season. He placed in the top five for six out of eight competitions, coming in second at the Wilmington meet. "Placing in the top five...is pretty significant. I would have liked to place in the top five in conference as well," said French. At the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship he placed 33rd. After having such a successful season, this placement was suprising to French, especially coming off of the Worthington meet. "Unfortunately I got sick," he said by way of explanation of the low placement. In the NCAA meet, French placed 17th, which he was very happy with. "I was 17th overall, which was very impressive," he said. The team didn't make it to nationals, but there was hope that French would make it as an individual. Unfortunately, he missed the cutoff by one place. Still, his senior cross country season finished on a high note and he is looking forward to track season. He is planning on continuing his strong leadership and performances. While practicing indoors, French ran a personal best for the mile (4:21), which bodes well for his chances of sweeping the conference and qualifying for nationals.Jared French was named runner of the week by the OAC twice this season, once for the Wilmington classic and once for the Otterbein invitational.