Balancing Sports and Science

Written By: Jessica Churchill
Sophomore, Duluth, Minn.
Softball

Being a college student is a challenge. Being a student-athlete is an even bigger challenge; trying to juggle class, practice, and extra-curricular activities while also finding time to sleep is never easy. But when you throw in the demands of a science major (biology, chemistry, physics, etc.) you are presented with the biggest challenge of them all.

For everyone that is a science major and participates in a sport, they know exactly what I mean, everyone else will likely comment "Oh boo being a science major is no different and no more time-consuming that any other major". Let me tell you, unless you are a science major, it is very hard to grasp just how much time lab, presentations, seminars, and research suck out of the week and your life in general. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be a science major if putting in all this extra time wasn't enjoyable, but I think it's important to recognize the incredible amount of time and effort expended on completing labs, assignments, and studying for exams (especially those fearsome ACS standardized final exams) while giving up your evenings for practices and games. I know that other majors definitely have their share of papers and work, as well as research projects and seminars but the sciences demand just a bit more of your time; lab, seminars, and research are usually year round for the science geeks. Summer vacation doesn't exist for us, it's just a convenient time to do our research projects. That adds up to a lot of hours spent ingesting chemicals, dissecting organisms, and analyzing numbers on a computer that could have been spent hanging out with friends, working out, or sleeping.

I believe that all the athletes here at Hamline work very hard, maybe even harder than regular students who don't have to sacrifice study time for game time. But I also believe that the athletes who are also science majors need to be recognized especially for the amount of work they take on as well as dedicating themselves to their sport(s). Although its a lot of work trying to figure out the multiplicity of each hydrogen peak in an HNMR and as time consuming as five games in a week can be, it's always worth it. The rewarding sensation of that A on an ochem test and the joy felt after beating St. Thomas will always be worth it.

Nothing like California to start the season

Written By: Lisa Harfield
Assistant Softball Coach

With the spring trip and first part of the season over, this year has proven to be very different from the previous years on and off the field. The last two, my first two seasons here at Hamline, were dominated by sophomores and juniors that were all seasoned veterans on the college softball field. This year we have lots of new faces filling important roles, some roles still being fought for. One thing for sure is that we are a very athletic team this year, mixed with upperclassmen and freshman, with a very exciting future. On top of it all, as a group we can have a lot of fun!

California was a jammed packed trip filled with new experiences. We had seven players step onto the dirt for their very first college softball games. Some girls got their first hits, and a couple lucky ladies hit their very first home runs of the season and their college careers. After every person on our team volunteered for the ARC chain of thrift stores, most of us were able to enjoy our first time at the magical world of Disney. Though the players that have been with us for three years have been to Knotts Berry Farm, more than half the team got to experience the amusement park for the first time. Then there was all the firsties to In n Out Burger, Jack in the Box, Chick-Fil-A, and let's not forget the ever enticing Yogurtland. It was a great trip of first times, but the best first to experience was how well each person involved with this team, players, coaches, friends and family, came from all over to be together. It's going to be a great year with many more firsts to come!!!

Dance Team: Beyond the Sidelines

Written by: Kara Eliason
Head coach, Dance team

When most people think of dance teams, they envision pep rallies and halftime shows.

Make no mistake, promoting school spirit is our No. 1 job. We support students, athletes, faculty and staff by performing on campus. But that’s just part of what we do.

The world of collegiate dance is competitive, especially in Minnesota. Two of the three reigning national champions—the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas—hail from the North Star State. In addition, Minnesota has some of the best studio and high school dance programs in the nation. Hamline is proud to be part of this amazing dance community.

The dance team competes regionally, and the results have been great so far. The Pipers placed in the top 10 in every competition they’ve entered in the last two years. It’s no small feat, given that Hamline competes against DI, DII and DIII dance teams from across the Midwest.

College dance has an intricate scoring system, similar to that of gymnastics. Judges score routines based on several elements—from synchronization to technique to showmanship. It takes months to perfect a routine, from learning choreography to making sure every dancer performs in unison.

This season, we hired choreographer Rachel Doran to put together our competition routine. She incorporated new elements, including lifts, leaps and turn combinations. The dancers learned the routine in September and spent weeks perfecting it. It was the most challenging routine in the team’s history, but the hard work paid off.

Here's that routine:


Hamline took 3rd place in the DIII jazz category at the Tommie Invitational in November 2009. In addition, the Pipers competed against DI, DII and DIII teams at the Mall of America in January 2010 and earned 10th place overall in jazz. Of course, winning trophies isn’t our primary objective. We compete because it provides a forum for us to showcase our talent, and it pushes us to continuously improve as a team.

The dance team will start performing again in September, and we look forward to promoting school spirit on campus. But we also hope to make our mark in the competitive arena—and maybe win some trophies along the way.

From one sport to the next

Written by: Kara Poirier
First-year, Eau Claire, Wis.
Women's Basketball, Softball

The sun was finally starting to shine, the snow had begun to melt, I could walk outside without wearing thirteen layers of clothes, and I was sad and excited at the same time. My emotions had very little to do with the weather, and almost everything to do with my sports. At this time of year, basketball had just ended. The season that people say seems to last forever did come to a close, and it seemed all too soon for me. It’s always disappointing when the season ends. I had put so much time and effort into it, and practice and games had become a habitual part of every day. My schedule seemed all messed up now. Most people wouldn’t know what to do with all this extra time. Not me, though. This is where the excitement comes in. One day my season ends and things are sadly brought to a close, and the next day (literally) I’m at a new practice, beginning a new season.

The overlap of basketball and softball doesn’t allow for much down-time, or any for that matter, and it can be difficult to switch from one sport to the next overnight. I have to admit, the first couple softball practices were pretty rusty, and felt all wrong, but soon enough I got into the flow of things. I did have to go back to those feelings and experiences of being a first-year athlete again, not knowing what to expect or what was going on, like I had had when basketball first began, but nonetheless, I was grateful to be active. It took my mind off moping about basketball, and gave me the same type of schedule I had before. We’re now playing outside, and I’m excited to be a part of this new team, and have another season ahead of me. (Although I will continue to make appearances in the gym, of course.)

Being a first-year athlete

Written by: Kara Poirier
First-year, Eau Claire, Wis.
Women's Basketball, Softball

Being a first-year athlete in college was just about the best experience I could have asked for. Sure there were times when I felt like I had no free time; sleep, eat, class, and practice was basically my whole schedule, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I’ve met some great people because of my involvement and we’ve had some even better times.

At first I was always nervous for practice, not really knowing what to expect from day-to-day, and wondering how I was going to be able to move at all since I was so sore from Hartman workouts. I spent a lot of time cluelessly following the actions of the upperclassmen, really having no idea what was going on, and then getting yelled at for not doing the little things right in a drill (even though the drill was never really explained to me in the first place). But pretty soon I began to pick up on exactly how things were done, and before I knew it I wasn’t nervous for practice anymore, I was completely excited. Practice became my break from everything else.

The transition from high school to college is a big one, but for the most part, it’s a positive change. I went from riding a rickety old school bus to away games to nice coach buses (though no one cares to use the on-board toilet facility, which I didn’t realize until I noticed I was the only one to use it…the whole season), from buying my own food to team meals on game day that were paid for, from a team consisting of some people who didn’t really want to be there to a team full of dedicated athletes that share my passion. It’s exhilarating to be challenged to step up to the next level, even if you don’t succeed every time. I’ve definitely had my ups and downs this year, but the best part about being a first year is that I’m a sophomore next year.