The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Sports November 10, 2006

Equestrian Team Performs Well in Recent Shows
 
High Jump: An OCET member jumps over an obstacle in a show.
 

6 - 42.

No, that wasn’t the score at Oberlin’s last football game.  Nor is it the number of House and Senate seats gained by Democrats in our most recent election. Those two numbers represent the increase in membership of the Oberlin College equestrian team over the last six years from six members to forty-two members. What was once a fledgling organization with a half dozen people has turned into one of Oberlin’s largest club sports.

The team’s growth can be attributed in large part to former member Becky Rudolph, OC ’06, and hard-working current members.  The once-tiny team is bigger and better than ever.

The Oberlin College Equestrian Team is actually divided into two distinct teams and styles of riding: English and Western. Both train at Equine Differences, a well known horse farm and training facility located just outside of Oberlin. Riders receive instruction from Coach Ric Weitzel who also runs and owns the farm, along with his wife Julie. Ric and Julie have even gone so far as to add an addition to their facility specifically to accommodate all of the horses and equipment needed for the team and are even talking of building on even more to help with the recent influx of riders.

In addition to discounted prices for lessons to members of OCET, horses and tack (riding equipment) can be provided at an additional cost for those who do not own their own horse but wish to join the team. Horses in a mix of colors and ages are boarded in 20 stalls throughout the facility, including one lucky horse named “Chase.”  Chase is an eight-year-old gelding that was scheduled to be euthanized by his original owner because of what was originally diagnosed as a chronic medical problem, but was saved two months ago by Julie Weitzel. Chase has since fully recovered and is now a valuable member of the team.

Oberlin has long been known for having club sports that are able to compete not only with larger schools, but also on a national level, and OCET is no exception.  Competing with the likes of The Ohio State University, Akron University and Kent State University on a regular basis could bruise the egos of smaller schools, but what Oberlin may lack in numbers is made up with talent.

Just over the last few weeks the OCET has shown successfully at Akron and Lake Erie College, placing well enough to qualify two of the teams’ members, junior Cecilia Galarraga and Senior Abby Wolf, to go to regionals with several other members expecting to qualify in the near future.

Oberlin had a number of standouts at the recent shows. Galarraga placed first and second in intermediate flat and first in Open Fences, senior Lynn Gerbec placed first once and third twice in beginning walk-trot-canter and sophomore Sarah Fisher finished third twice and fourth once in advanced walk-trot-canter.

Senior Erin Romberg placed second in novice flat, while junior Lisa Greenberg placed third in novice fences and fourth twice in novice flat. Sophomore Lauren Cunningham placed third in advanced walk-trot-canter, Wolf placed fourth twice in intermediate flat and fourth twice in novice fences. Finally, junior Robin Holmes placed second once and fourth twice in intermediate fences.

From now through March, OCET is scheduled to compete throughout Ohio in both IHSA Hunt Seat (English) as well as IHSA Western and is expected to do well. For more information on the Oberlin College equestrian team please visit the teams’ homepage at www.oberlin.edu/stuorg/ocet.


 
 
   

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