May 2009 Director's Chair
A Salute to Our Seniors
This usually is a bittersweet time for college coaches and administrators. With commencement nearing and our seniors graduating, we are sad to see some of our great student leaders depart campus. We wish them well in the world of work, service, or graduate school, but we also secretly wish we had them around for another year to lead our teams.
On the other hand, we are eager to welcome a new crop of first-year students to campus. Oberlin recently completed the admissions process for the Class of 2013, and our coaches will spend the month of April busily converting admitted prospects to incoming scholar-athletes. We are particularly excited by the potential of this year’s class. They represent the very best of scholarship and athletic excellence.
Recently, I spent some time in Arizona with the baseball team. I am particularly fond of the seniors on this squad. This being my fourth year as the director of athletics, I feel as though I have grown up with the Class of 2009. The baseball seniors have helped change the culture of the program … because of their leadership, I have great confidence that Oberlin baseball will be successful for many years to come.
While watching this group play 12 games in six days over spring break, I became a little nostalgic about the seniors. As I spoke with their parents and reminisced about the development of the program during the last four years, I realized how much I would miss this bunch of guys. But then a funny thing happened.
One of baseball’s incoming recruits is from Scottsdale, so he (along with his parents) attended several of the games during our spring break. He was admitted through the early decision process, so I knew he would be attending Oberlin next year. As I watched him interact with one of our senior captains at a post-game barbeque, I was taken back to this captain’s first year at Oberlin … he has really grown in his four years on campus! I was reminded of the contribution athletics makes to the personal development of our students, and I am excited for our incoming first-years as they begin this marvelous journey through Oberlin.
Thank you to our graduating seniors for your contributions to the college and the athletics program. To the incoming first-years, welcome! May you have a transformative experience at Oberlin shaped by your participation and achievement in varsity athletics.
Joe Karlgaard
The Delta Lodge Director of Athletics and Physical Education
