| << Front page | Sports | September 28, 2007 |
Sports Talk with Hot Tip and Lulu: Homecoming Hurrah
Saturday is Oberlin College’s
2007 athletic homecoming, but
odds are if you have not hung
around Philips Gymnasium, talked
to one of your football classmates
or gone to the athletic website
within the last week, you probably
have no idea that September
29 will be unlike any previous
sports day in the recent history of
Oberlin athletics. Or at least that is
what I expect.
Games and festivities start at 10 a.m. with an alumni swimming and diving meet and end in the late afternoon with a men’s soccer game against conference powerhouse Ohio Wesleyan. Sandwiched in between is an alumni volleyball game, a Heisman Club Tailgate, women’s soccer game, a football game, scoreboard dedication and the Fred Shults Field Dedication. The action-packed day concludes with a free homecoming semiformal dance at the ‘Sco from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
When I discovered that the athletic department was having a homecoming this weekend, I stopped what I was doing and stood motionless and befuddled. After going two years without even hearing the word whispered around campus, I was not sure what to expect. Before I knew it, memories of high school homecomings came flooding back.
I don’t know what other Obies experienced during their golden years in high school, but as a person from a decently large public school in a well-populated city that had a somewhat functional football team, homecoming week had a little more spice than the rest.
“Spirit Week,” as it was so eloquently dubbed, consisted of the school creating daily themes to encourage students to show their pride through wearing eccentric outfits. The end of the week culminated with the muchhyped and occasionally amusing pep assemblies, which were followed that night by the football game and homecoming dance at some fortunate B-grade hotel conference room. That allowed boys and girls of all ages and sizes a legitimate reason to grind up on each other while listening to Nelly’s “Ride with Me.”
While they were amusing at the time, I assumed that after I graduated from high school these memories would slowly vanish into oblivion. Before Lulu informed me that homecoming was an annual event at most colleges, I thought they were not even a part of college athletics.
Boy was I wrong.
The history of the homecoming dates back to a University of Missouri 1911 football game during which the athletic director was worried about a lack of attendance after changing the location of the game. To draw a huge crowd, he added additional activities on top of the game, including parades and parties that also were geared towards returning alumni. Now schools nationwide have homecomings, except Oberlin.
But that is about to change. With Saturday supposed to be a relatively warm, sunny day, the atmosphere around North campus should be buzzing with passionate alumni, parents, fans and friends eager to cheer for their beloved Oberlin. I only wish that the homecoming day was advertised a little more on campus.
Regardless, it will be a day to remember, hopefully not just for the homecoming itself, but for the teams that make headway into their respective conference schedules. Women’s soccer goes up against Denison, no stranger to the national rankings in past seasons, in the first conference game of the season. Football will hope to bounce back after a tough start to the season and bring the dedicated Oberlin fans something to cheer about. Men’s soccer is hoping to dethrone OWU from its perch at the top of the conference.
The day’s games should be full of excitement. As for the homecoming dance, I can’t really say how that will stand, but I will keep my fingers crossed that it is somewhat of a success. After all, it seems few know about it, let alone want to spend their Saturday night in semi-formal attire. But I was wrong about homecoming in the first place, so I can’t really hypothesize about the dance.
All I do know is that I am excited. For prospective students, this could be a great opportunity to see what Oberlin athletics is all about. As Samuel Jackson perfectly put it in the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, “Hold on to your butts.” So fans, be prepared for a great day.
Games and festivities start at 10 a.m. with an alumni swimming and diving meet and end in the late afternoon with a men’s soccer game against conference powerhouse Ohio Wesleyan. Sandwiched in between is an alumni volleyball game, a Heisman Club Tailgate, women’s soccer game, a football game, scoreboard dedication and the Fred Shults Field Dedication. The action-packed day concludes with a free homecoming semiformal dance at the ‘Sco from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
When I discovered that the athletic department was having a homecoming this weekend, I stopped what I was doing and stood motionless and befuddled. After going two years without even hearing the word whispered around campus, I was not sure what to expect. Before I knew it, memories of high school homecomings came flooding back.
I don’t know what other Obies experienced during their golden years in high school, but as a person from a decently large public school in a well-populated city that had a somewhat functional football team, homecoming week had a little more spice than the rest.
“Spirit Week,” as it was so eloquently dubbed, consisted of the school creating daily themes to encourage students to show their pride through wearing eccentric outfits. The end of the week culminated with the muchhyped and occasionally amusing pep assemblies, which were followed that night by the football game and homecoming dance at some fortunate B-grade hotel conference room. That allowed boys and girls of all ages and sizes a legitimate reason to grind up on each other while listening to Nelly’s “Ride with Me.”
While they were amusing at the time, I assumed that after I graduated from high school these memories would slowly vanish into oblivion. Before Lulu informed me that homecoming was an annual event at most colleges, I thought they were not even a part of college athletics.
Boy was I wrong.
The history of the homecoming dates back to a University of Missouri 1911 football game during which the athletic director was worried about a lack of attendance after changing the location of the game. To draw a huge crowd, he added additional activities on top of the game, including parades and parties that also were geared towards returning alumni. Now schools nationwide have homecomings, except Oberlin.
But that is about to change. With Saturday supposed to be a relatively warm, sunny day, the atmosphere around North campus should be buzzing with passionate alumni, parents, fans and friends eager to cheer for their beloved Oberlin. I only wish that the homecoming day was advertised a little more on campus.
Regardless, it will be a day to remember, hopefully not just for the homecoming itself, but for the teams that make headway into their respective conference schedules. Women’s soccer goes up against Denison, no stranger to the national rankings in past seasons, in the first conference game of the season. Football will hope to bounce back after a tough start to the season and bring the dedicated Oberlin fans something to cheer about. Men’s soccer is hoping to dethrone OWU from its perch at the top of the conference.
The day’s games should be full of excitement. As for the homecoming dance, I can’t really say how that will stand, but I will keep my fingers crossed that it is somewhat of a success. After all, it seems few know about it, let alone want to spend their Saturday night in semi-formal attire. But I was wrong about homecoming in the first place, so I can’t really hypothesize about the dance.
All I do know is that I am excited. For prospective students, this could be a great opportunity to see what Oberlin athletics is all about. As Samuel Jackson perfectly put it in the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, “Hold on to your butts.” So fans, be prepared for a great day.
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