Joe Karlgaard, Ph.D.

Dear Friends,

I recently passed my two-year anniversary as a member of the Oberlin College department of athletics and physical education, and what a wonderful two years it has been! The enthusiasm of our scholar-athletes, the allegiance of our alumni, and the support of the College and Board of Trustees constantly reenergize me. I can think of no greater opportunity for the facilitation of excellence than on this campus and in this department.

In our never ceasing quest for excellence, the department of athletics and physical education has embraced the simple concept – one that you will hear in other corners of campus this year as well – of fearlessness. As we think about the umbrella under which we all sit at Oberlin College, no word better defines us than fearless. From faculty pursuing controversial lines of research to students staging political rallies to a bassist interpreting Mingus, Oberlinians are bound together by fearlessness.

In the arena of athletics and physical education, the need and necessity to be fearless holds just as true. Each day, our varsity athletes push their own physical and mental limitations and attempt to do things they have never done before. Every time a cross country runner toes the line at a race, he or she must compete without fear of failure to achieve victory. When a rugby player darts ahead for the score, she cannot afford to worry about the defender hoping to bring her down. And if a baseball player wants to hit that game-winning double, he had better not be afraid of hitting a curveball.

Fear has no place in a department that is striving for excellence. As the Oberlin College department of athletics and physical education moves ahead in 2006-07, we must be bold in our pursuit to be the best we can be and we must not be afraid of reaching new levels of excellence. For if we strive to create a department on par with Oberlin’s nationally renowned academic disciplines, conservatory of music, art museum, and student life, we must also put our fears of failure and the unknown behind us. Fortunately, Oberlin is exactly the right place to be pursuing such an ideal.

Joe Karlgaard
Delta Lodge Director of Athletics and Physical Education

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