Over the past three and a half months, the St. Olaf baseball team has played 38 games, accumulated nearly 4000 miles in traveling distance, and logged well over 200 hours of practice time. Yet in the end, the previous 100 days have been little more than a prelude for the next two.
For those of us unfortunately devoid of sufficient athletic prowess to compete at the collegiate level, the rigors, triumps and challenges of college sports are often a distant mystery. In an effort to bridge that knowledge gap, I participated in one practice with four different St. Olaf athletic teams: baseball, volleyball, womens swimming, and mens track and field. I chronicled my experiences and now hope to impart my new-found knowledge unto you, the reader.
After several remarkable performances, the St. Olaf mens track team will head into the MIAC championship meet this weekend, fired up to accomplish more.
It was a hectic week as the womens track team made final preparations for this weekends MIAC conference championship. The ladies first competed in Wednesdays Tommie Twilight Meet, and then in Saturdays St. Thomas invitational.
Throughout the 2004-2005 academic year, stuents go to the Ole games, cheer on the players, and when they miss an important match, read about it in the Messenger. But entering into finals madness, students brains often run out of room for sports trivia. Fortunately, students can glance over highlights from Ole fall and winter seasons to refresh their memories.
As I strolled across campus to Buntrock Commons on Tuesday, I noticed two 20-something males, presumably students, wearing baseball gloves. They were playing catch. I didn't stop to notice if they were throwing a baseball, a tennis ball or something else altogether, but their game stuck in my mind. It reminded me of the many games of catch I played with my father.
