Soccer captain Krasnow gets a kick out of football

Junior Sam Krasnow has dreamed of kicking a football for his whole life.

He has fulfilled his dream by kicking for the Oberlin Thunder. It's the first time Oberlin has had a player solely kicking, and though Krasnow is unable to begin practicing daily with the team until after soccer season is over, it is a luxury for both Krasnow and the Thunder.

"It was completely his idea," coach Pete Peterson said. "He approached me and said he wanted to kick for us and I didn't turn him down."

Krasnow is currently a varsity soccer player, and competes for both soccer and football teams when the game times don't conflict. Having just begun kicking a football in October, the first game Krasnow kicked at was against Ohio Wesleyan where he missed his first shot, but made the second and hasn't missed any of his four kicks since.

The day Krasnow kicked against Ohio Wesleyan University, Krasnow also scored against Denison in a soccer game. Scoring against teams in more than one sport is likely to be a repeated feat for Krasnow, who will have more opportunities this season.

An experienced athlete who has played soccer, lacrosse, and ice hockey at Oberlin, Krasnow made the transition from soccer kicking to football kicking. Taking care to time the kick right and to get the steps are important in football.

Hopefully the steps will become a ritual," Krasnow said. "[Senior football player] Mike Brown helped me figure out the steps [to account for the angle of the kick], three steps back, two steps left."