SPORTS
11
SOUP —
BOWL I
September?, 2012
FOOTBALL AND FOOD,
WHAT COULD BE BETTER?
Continued from Page i
This year's installment was key for
the Quakers.
Last year was about gaining
experience," said head football
coach Chris Rusiewicz.
"Last year we had a lot of
players playing their first
game ever in collegiate
football. This year was about
proving all that hard work paid off.
We hope to take it to a new level
this year."
The quest for a new level of
competition began with a great
performance in the Soup Bowl.
"Winning is a Guilford
Senior Julian Stewart
cheers on the Quakers
through a megaphone at the
Soup Bowl.The crowd was
excited not only about the
game, but about donating
food to a good cause.
tradition," said co-captain of the football
team Paris El-Ali in an email interview.
"As a team captain, I hope to see us
dominate Greensboro in every aspect of
the game. I know we will dominate on
defense, special teams, and in rushing
the football."
Tyler Fearrington, a sophomore
football player at Greensboro College,
also saw the game's importance in setting
the tone for die season.
"The Soup Bowl is a game between
cross-town rivals, arguably the biggest
game of both teams' schedules," he said.
Fearrington believes the game is a
good time to settle the rivalry on the field
while helping the community.
Although the game is important in
its own right, the food drive is equally
important for the Greensboro community.
"Last year, Guilford College and
Greensboro College collected over 10,000
cans for local food banks," said Director
of Community Learning James Shields.
"Both schools understand that helping
the food banks is more important than
the bragging rights."
Chelsey Wilson, Bonner Center hunger
fellow, believes in taking action.
"Bringing as many cans as you can is
a great first step, but it would be great
if students became involved more than
once a year," Wilson said.
One way to get involved is the
Community Kitchen.
"Our site is an on-campus group
called Community Kitchen's Project,"
Wilson said. "We cook every Tuesday
and Saturday in the basement of Mary
Hobbs. On average we make 50 meals
to bring on the streets of downtown
Greensboro."
The game's impact lasts more than a
day. Associate Professor of Sports Studies
Bob Malekoff believes the Soup Bowl
raises awareness of the hunger challenges
faced by our community, hopefully
motivating people to take action.
"Food pantries are struggling to meet
the needs of people who will go hungry
withdut their assistance," Malekoff
continued. "No one should go hungry."
This was
the 16th
annual Soup
Bowl versus
Greenshoro
Over 10,000
cans collected
for local food
banks
Guilford: 5,249
cans
Final: 14-13,
Greensboro
Men's golf looking forward to
team in recent memory
BY THOMAS DEANE
Staff Writer
"Tweet, tweet. I want my birdies all day
long."
Words of wisdom delivered to us
courtesy of the Professional Golfer's
Association of America's exclusive boy
band, the Golf Boys. The Guilford men's
golf team is looking for their birdies all
day long as well.
Unlike most sports on campus, there
really is no true offseason for the golfers
of Guilford College. Members of the team
hone their skills over the summer by
playing in tournaments throughout the
country against some of the top amateur
golfers.
Entering his third season. Head
Golf Coach Corey Maggard knows the
importance of the summer months, and
what the time off can do for a team.
"It is a long time to try and keep a group
of guys focused," said Maggard. "But just
from a time-management standpoint, it
allows us to really put a lot of work in."
These summer tournaments are vital
for players who hope to compete against
top golfers on the collegiate level. With
the way college golf is structured, it is
imperative to develop a "golf resume."
"You compile a resume and then you
send it in to tournaments and hope they
send you an invite," said Maggard.
Recently, the Quakers were ranked fifth
in the. preseason national poll. Indeed,
there is a lot to be excited about, like the
return of senior and Division III National
Golfer of the Year, Noah Ratner. Although
Ratner is the lone senior, the other three
statistically best players, sophomores
Drew Thompson, Mitch Robinette and
junior Alex Wise all return. Robinette
and Thompson received All-Conference
accolades last year.
With so much power returning to one
team, national tide talks are not out of
the question. First-year Ben Pinkleton
competed all summer long, hoping to add
even more depth to the team.
"Starting in about April, I played in
about five or six tournaments," said
Pinkleton. "I think we've got a group of
guys who can compete for a title."
The talent on the team is clearly visible,
however the intangibles that make a
close-knit team may not be seen by the
average observer. On an average day in
the cafeteria, the golf team can always be
seen sharing a laugh over lunch.
"We have great team chemistry and
this could be the strongest team we've
had since I've been here, on and off the
course," said Ratner.
Maggard will be the first to admit that
his team "devotes all of their time to
golf" and getting better. This hard-work
mentality will be what gets them through
the grueling golf season, including two
tournaments in which they are the lone
Division III institution.
Performing well in those tournaments
will surely bolster the team and their hopes
of winning a national championship.
"If you win some big tourneys, you get
a higher ranking, then you get a chance to
get an at-large bid at the end of the year if
you didn't get the automatic bid," added
Maggard.
"You can't just want it; you have to
work hard," said Ratner. . ',
That is what the team has been doing
all summer, and will continue to do for the
following months. "We're always looking
forward to the national championship,"
said Maggard.
Team bonding: the fine line
between camaraderie and hazing
BY MALIKAH FRENCH
Staff Writer
The college experience is comprised of
prominent memories, responsibilities and
interactions. For a select group of students,
these components revolve around their
dedication to engage in intercollegiate sports.
The media has recently covered national
concerns regarding team bonding and its
borderlines, which may be vital to reiterate.
In Guilford College's all-athlete meeting
this fall, team image, twitter posts and
appropriate types of online communication
were all discussed with substantial rigidity
regarding appropriateness.
The question students, coaches and athletic
directors are all struggling with is: When is
the line crossed between substantial team
bonding and inappropriate group behavior?
Head volleyball coach Emily Gann noted
that team bonding is a vital component of the
intercollegiate athlete experience.
"Teams have to get along to play well
together," said Gann.
Although she could not recall any acts
of hazing or publicly-noted line crossing at
Guilford, she did actoowledge the existence
of such behavior, and the consequences it has
for schools across the country.
"People on teams are together all the time
and they want to hang out with each other,"
said junior lacrosse player Kyle Smith. "And
it's hard for athletes — given all the time they
spend practicing and being together — to
make other friends and hang out with other
people."
This excessive time commitment is a vital
aspect of a team's ability to play cohesively
and win conference games.
"If there's a grudge between two members
on the team, the team is naturally going
to pick a side and that could create a
separation," said senior football player Thor
Pate. "If it's a small team, like the volleyball
team, the separation could be a very negative
thing."
"(Team bonding) is expressed on the court
and shown in how well the team plays
together," said sophomore volleyball player
Morgan McKinnon.
"If the team doesn't get along, it's going to
be tough to play well together because you
need team chemistry to be able to play well,"
said Smith.
These opinions solidify the idea that the
time teams spend together off the field is an
important underlying factor for their overall
success.
Bonding varies for each team based on
general dynamics and size. Football bonding
is "not a forced team bonding," explains
Pate, but a result of seeing the same people
from "eight in the morning until ten at night"
during football camp.
However, he expressed that, due to the size
of the program, it is difficult to thoroughly
connect with everyone on the team.
"Some sports that have smaller units will
probably bond more tightly than teams with
large numbers," said Pate. "I don't think
we have any forms of hazing, but there are
certain teams where they are always together
and don't branch out enough."
Team bonding is necessary to ensure
success during a sports season, but it need
not reach an inappropriate level. Guilford
College athletes seem to uphold the opinion
that each team is different in their approach
to team bonding, but hazing has not made its
way onto campus.
To ensure that this line is never crossed, it
may be crucial to consistently reassess which
out-of-practice interactions are healthy for a
cohesive team, and which steer too close to
the borderline.