A more appropriate title for the week’s interview might be “Out of the Locker Room,” since neither subject currently plays on an Oberlin team or plays a sport at all...

KS, you almost were a varsity athlete.
KS: I was several times.

Rumor has it you quit softball four times in one year.
KS: Four times? Who told you that?

I counted.
KS: I quit twice freshman year and I joined and quit sophomore year.

Okay, three times. Do you have commitment issues?
KS: Probably.YL: We were roommates and KS would always say, “I think I’m going to quit softball again.”KS: That was a really tough decision, my third and final time.

I always see you in the gym. In the locker room, ironically enough. You haven’t abandoned athletic pursuits altogether?
KS: I couldn’t actually run when I played softball because I had really bad shin-splints. I’ve rebuilt my legs and now I can run again.

You’re also the sports photo editor for the Review. Does that fulfill your athletic quota?
KS: It fills the void in my life.

What’s your favorite sport to photograph?
KS: Does dance count as a sport...Probably soccer.

Yael, I’ve also seen you in the gym a lot.
YL: Yup, it’s my second home.

About how many times a week do you go to the gym?
YL: I’m there three times a week.

And what do you do when you’re at the gym?
YL: I work.

Out?
YL: No, I work. I am a wonderful desk monitor and weight room monitor.

Do you play a sport here?
YL: No. I rowed in high school but then I came here and there’s no crew team. I did the next best thing – I became a gym monitor.

So you’re in the gym three days a week?
YL: No, two days a week. Wednesdays I have two shifts. Talk about dedication. I couldn’t let Mark Fino [supervisor] down. He said he needed someone to take an extra shift and I said, “I’ll take one for the team.”

You’re really a team player.
YL: That’s not something people realize about the desk monitors.

Recently, the monitors have been given shirts to wear. A uniform, perhaps?
YL: My only regret is there’s no number on the back.

Can you describe the physical strain your job places on your muscles?
YL: It’s a very difficult job. I work out vicariously through the people I see working out. I see their sweat and their tears and I feel their pain. I get the burn.

Do you have any favorite people to watch?
YL: No, but there are definitely people I like the least. The people who use the punching bag. When I’m really concentrating on doing my job, well, it is very distracting to hear the people hitting the speed bag.

What exactly is your job?
YL: The security of the gym is in my hands! It depends on where I am working. If I am in the weight room you need to be a presence. I need to make sure people are putting their weights back, staying hydrated...KS: You really have to make sure people are staying hydrated?YL: No.

If the Review challenged the Grape to a softball game, who would win?
KS: The Review. Not because of me, we just have better athletes.

Were the helmets ever a problem in softball?
KS: I hated them. That was the thing I hated most. I have a very large head and I have a lot of hair. I just remember seeing my shadow when I went up to bat. There would be the helmet and then a puff of hair coming out under it.

Do they have helmets in your size?
KS: I would have to get the largest size. Oberlin was good in that respect, they had large sizes.

Isn’t your hair enough of a shock absorber? Do you even need a helmet?
KS: Don’t say that. One of my high school softball coaches said, “KS, when you swim, does your hair make your float?” then he pitched the ball and I hit a triple off him. It was a good day.