Oberlin Athletics Celebrates

Beijing Olympics: Double Standards Between White and Black Athletes

Zoe Kuzbari Sports Editor

Over the years, the Olympics Games have seen numerous controversies regarding participating athletes. The latest scandal at the Beijing Olympics occurred this past month and surrounds 15 year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva and her failed drug test. Last summer, Sha’Carri Richardson was banned from competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for marijuana. Richardson, the favorite for a gold medal in the women’s 100-meter dash, received a one-month suspension, meaning she could no longer compete in the games. Simone Biles, who was the favorite to win gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics in 2020, took time off while at the Games for her mental health after getting the “twisties” mid-competition. All athletes received an extreme amount of media attention criticizing their actions, but they shouldn’t be to blame.

It was revealed that Valieva failed a drug test administered in December and had one banned drug — trimetazidine — in her system as well as two that are not banned but increase heart performance, L-carnitine and Hypoxen. Despite these test results, which were divulged after the Olympics started in February, Valieva was allowed to continue competing. The young athlete was considered a “breakout star” and is credited with helping the Russian Olympic Committee take home a gold medal in the figure skating team event.

Many individual Russian figure skaters are only able to compete in one year of Olympic Games due to the high-pressure nature of the sport. After they compete, they are effectively discarded and never qualify for the team again. All the criticism and judgment that comes from being an athlete in the public eye brings to light an important question: how can individual competitors be held accountable for their actions, while also placing the appropriate blame on systems responsible?

Public scrutiny needs to fixate on the Olympics, not a child. To place all of the blame on a 15-year-old would let the institution off the hook and allow similar controversies to continue happening. The way Richardson and Biles were attacked and punished by the public over the summer is appalling. Now, Valieva is being condemned by the entire world when she is still a minor. Who do we hold responsible for her mistakes? Can we even call them her mistakes if she’s only 15 and most likely doesn’t have full autonomy when it comes to her medical decisions?

President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach released a statement soon after Valieva’s final individual skating event, during which she completely broke down and stumbled throughout the entire routine.

According to a Washington Post article, Bach was troubled with the way things played out for the athlete and was “unsettled” to see the way that her entourage of coaches, sports officials, trainers, and doctors treated her post-competition.

“When I afterwards saw how she was received by her closest entourage, with … what appeared to be a tremendous coldness, it was chilling to see this,” he said to the Washington Post. “Rather than giving her comfort, rather than try to help her, you could feel this chilling atmosphere, this distance, and if you were interpreting the body language, it was worse because it was some kind of dismissive gesture I saw there on TV.”

Seeing this treatment of a child did not give Bach confidence in Valieva’s support system.

“How to deal, how to address, how to treat a minor athlete at the age of 15, I can only wish for her that she has the support of her family, the support of her friends and the support of her people who help her over this extremely difficult situation,” he said.

Despite the harsh treatment Valieva faced from her entourage, Richardson clearly felt that the 15-year-old was receiving better treatment from the IOC than she had. Through a series of Twitter posts, she implied that this double standard was due to race.

“Can we get a solid answer on the difference of her situation and mines? My mother died and I can’t run and was also favored to place top 3. The only difference I see is I’m a black young lady,” she posted on Feb. 14 on Twitter. Later that day she tweeted, “It’s all in the skin.”

The IOC’s decision to allow Valieva to compete when they didn’t offer the same opportunity to Richardson wasn’t a surprise to many. This past summer, Olympic and WNBA athlete Sue Bird announced her partnership with a CBD brand in an Instagram post which has since been deleted. The same day, Richardson was suspended for having THC in her system while Bird faced no consequences. Back in July 2021, I asked a question in an article I wrote about Richardson’s ban, which has still gone unanswered: how is it fair that a Black athlete gets banned from the Olympics for using THC, a cannabinoid, while a white athlete gets paid to use and post about CBD, which is also a cannabinoid?

It also comes as no surprise that the statement the IOC would later release during a press conference would be extremely hypocritical. Director General for the Court of Arbitration for Sport for the Olympics, Matthieu Reeb, said suspension from Olympic competition would cause the 15-year-old “irreparable harm,” but this was not considered when the Committee suspended Richardson for smoking marijuana to cope with the loss of her mother.

Olympic athletes inspire younger generations all around the world. Richardson and Valieva both have unmatched talent, but it’s clear that they lack support. When considering Valieva’s and Richardson’s cases, it’s important to remember that athletes in the public eye should not be reprimanded the way that they have been. In order to better support Olympians, the Olympics needs to refine their policies to protect young athletes and reform the institutional biases harming Black athletes.

Oberlin Athletics Celebrates Black History Month

Zoë Martin del Campo Contributing Sports Editor

The Oberlin College Athletics Department has hosted a variety of events in coordination with the StudentAthlete Advisory Committee and Black Student-Athlete Group to celebrate the diversity and experience of Black student-athletes. This has included social media campaigns such as interviewing Black student-athlete alumni on what Black History Month means to them and featuring current Black student-athletes on the Oberlin College Athletics Instagram page. Last Tuesday, the groups organized a pledge drive to raise funds for the Black Women in Sport Foundation during the North Coast Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals game against Kenyon College. BWSF is a nonprofit organization that works to increase the involvement of Black women and girls in athletics, coaching, and sports administration. They do this through the development and management of grassroots-level outreach sports programs.

Before the tournament, the Athletics Department read a diversity, equality, and inclusion statement written by SAAC members. Second-year volleyball player and SAAC Secretary Taylor Gwynne outlined the process of writing the statement and emphasized the importance of recognizing athletics events as safe spaces.

“[Third-year volleyball player] Zoe Kuzbari wrote the DEI Statement for the conference and got feedback from the other Oberlin SAAC officers, reps, and the other North Coast Athletic Conference SAAC reps,” Gwynne wrote in an email to the Review. “Each school was given the freedom to use the statement as they see fit. At Oberlin, the SAAC reps for each team voted for the statement to be read before every game. We hope the inclusion of this statement before competition will help foster a more inclusive and respectful environment for all the players, coaches, students, and spectators that are attending the games.”

Assistant Director of Athletics Communications Amanda Phillips added that she and Senior Associate Director of Athletics Creg Jantz wanted to make this Black History Month action-oriented, celebrating the

A packed crowd in Philips gym holds up their hands in support of women’s basketball. Courtesy of V Dagnino

accomplishments of Black student-athletes while also raising money for organizations that support Black communities.

“We were thinking of different ways that we could celebrate Black History Month in the Athletics [department] while also taking action,” Phillips said. “We didn’t want to focus on just posting on social media or just sharing history. These things are also very important but we wanted to have some action behind our words. So we decided to have events where we could actually raise some money that could go to supporting communities.”

The Athletics Communications department coordinated with BSAG to choose organizations to donate to, selecting groups that focused on community-level work such as BWSF.

“Being able to support a local organization is very exciting,” Phillips said. “We involved SAAC in the organizing process and we planned the event on BSAG’s behalf — they knew everything that was happening and helped make suggestions and recommendations, but did not have to worry about setup. It’s always great to be able to work with student groups, and it’s what makes Oberlin so special. Oberlin involves the students almost as much as they involve anybody in administration. While this event was an idea that came from the Communications department, it was flourished and nurtured by the student-athletes.”

In addition to the pledge drive, SAAC and BSAG are planning another Black History Month event.

“The Black History Month Basketball Tournament run by SAAC and BSAG is coming up soon as well,” Gwynne wrote. “The tournament will take place on Sunday, March 6 starting at 11 a.m. Teams are encouraged to sign up at the link in SAAC’s instagram bio.”

Proceeds from this event will be donated to Black Girls Smile, a nonprofit organization that aims to empower the mental well-being of Black women.

IN THE LOCKER ROOM Annie Payne and Bette Imhoff: Women’s Lacrosse Captains, Inseparable Friends

This week, the Review sat down with College fourth-years Annie Payne and Bette Imhoff to reflect on their past four years playing lacrosse at Oberlin. Both Payne and Imhoff have had successful collegiate athletic careers despite only having played two full seasons. The duo is hopeful for this upcoming one, which is also Payne’s first season with a fully-healed ACL. Payne, who plays attack, is a Politics and Psychology major; Imhoff, who plays midfield, is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Africana Studies.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Andrea Nguyen

When did you start playing Lacrosse? What made you decide to play at the collegiate level?

AP: I started playing lacrosse when I was in second grade and there weren’t many girls playing at all in my area. I was the only girl who played at my school, but my brother played, and I wanted to do everything that he was doing. I kept going after he quit. I played club and varsity all through high school, and then I just couldn’t really imagine stopping. I started looking at schools where I could play that were also really academically-oriented. Oberlin fit the bill.

BI: I didn’t start playing lacrosse until I was a freshman in high school. The summer going into my senior year of high school, I realized I didn’t want to end my athletic career. My dad was the one that pushed me to pursue lacrosse at the collegiate level. He played lacrosse in college, and whenever he got the chance he would tell me that it was an incredible experience that he wouldn’t change for the world.

This is the last season for both of you and Annie’s first season since getting injured. What are you looking forward to for your first game next week and this season in general?

AP: We’re playing Baldwin Wallace University for our very first game, and that was our very first game my freshman year. That was the day after I tore my ACL — my second ACL tear — so I’m looking forward to redoing that. It feels like a fresh start. Our team’s looking really good, so I’m just looking

Annie Payne (left) and Bette Imhoff (right). Courtesy of Amanda Phillips

forward to having a good season.

BI: I’m excited to finally compete with our entire team and show the North Coast Athletic Conference how much we’ve improved since we last played. I might be overly confident, but I believe we could win the NCAC tournament and maybe even go far in the NCAA tournament. The first-year class brings many strengths, and our returning players have only gotten better. It’s going to be the best season in Oberlin’s history.

What’s the team culture like this year? What’s your approach to being a captain for this year’s group?

AP: I think most of the team is already pretty disciplined. We have a higher level of play this year than we’ve had in years past. I think keeping that discipline and that consistency and also keeping the positivity at the same time — those are our primary goals with this team.

BI: From the first day of practice, I’ve been happily surprised by our skill level and how well we work as a team. The team culture is supportive and competitive, and we make each other better players, students, and people. I have so much confidence that our team will do well this season. So as a captain, I will be disciplined and driven because I want us to succeed. However, I want to keep morale high, uplift my teammates, and make sure that we have fun.

Do you have a favorite memory from the past four years as a collegiate athlete?

AP: The only games that I played were in my sophomore year — before COVID hit — and our very last game before we got sent home was against John Carroll University. We weren’t supposed to win, but we ended up beating them. It was a really close game, and we didn’t know it was our last game, but finding that out right after made it even more special. It was a great game.

BI: When we beat Hope College on a buzzer-beater goal. I believe we were down seven goals at the half, and we came back in the last five minutes of the game. I happened to have the buzzer-beater shot, and I still remember the crowd going crazy and being tackled by teammates. That’s definitely a memory I won’t forget.

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

AP: Oh, not have COVID hit! Skip a couple knee surgeries … I mean, besides those things, it’s been pretty great. Those are the most obvious.

BI: While I’ve been at Oberlin, I’ve been asked to play a few other sports, so I think I would be a dual-sport athlete if I had the chance. Not only would it be excellent training for the offseason, but the relationships you make on a team are irreplaceable and special.

What advice would you give to your underclassmen about navigating college?

AP: Don’t take it too seriously. Nothing is permanent. You don’t have to have everything figured out the moment you step on campus because nothing is gonna turn out how you think it’s going to anyway, and that’s okay. Get out of your comfort zone because this is the time to try new things and take risks.

BI: I would tell them to take advantage of Oberlin’s resources and make the most of their time here because time really flies by. Lacrosse is a significant aspect of our College experience, but don’t let that be the only thing. Try new things, and join different programs and groups.

Men’s Lacrosse Opens Season with Win

Continued from page 16 off with a huge goal less than 20 seconds into the game, and we were able to feed off of that giant energy boost,” he said. “Another long-pole goal by [fourth-year] Matthew Huang in the second quarter kept the energy level high and pumped up the crowd of Oberlin parents.”

The rest of the Oberlin goals were scored by fourth-year Michael Muldoon and first-years Sam Ryu and Niko Maheras, who each scored once.

Both Decker and Cha emphasized the role of defense in the victory.

“Our defense played with more grit and heart than the opposition,” Cha said. “I would say that their toughness has led to our success on the offensive side.”

Decker also noted third-year goalie Eugene Kang’s efforts in the win, racking up 22 saves.

Polak, who coached the Yeomen to a 2–1 record in a shortened season in 2021, is looking to continue finding success in a full slate of games this year.

“I came to Oberlin to compete at a high level, and I expect the program to do so,” Polak said. “We like to have fun and joke around at practice, but we know when it’s time to be serious and get to work. Our coaching staff has put a strong emphasis on player accountability, and we expect our players to be doing the right things on and off the field. We understand that we won’t win every game but feel that winning can only increase our players’ overall experience.”

Decker, who is motivated to get the most out of his final season of College lacrosse, believes that Polak and the rest of the coaching staff can help make that happen.

“Coach Polak, Coach O’Neill, and Coach Mumford all bring an experienced, intense, energetic coaching style to the team,” Decker said. “They know when to hype the team up and also when to give us a reality check and tell us what we are doing wrong. The offense that Coach Polak has implemented gives us a lot more freedom to dodge when we see a weakness in the defense while also providing the necessary structure to run successful plays to pick apart any opponent.”

The Yeomen, who play again Saturday at Albion College, are taking a number of measures to prepare for another victory.

“We are looking for our team to be able to watch the film from last week’s game and work on correcting our mistakes during this week of practice,” Polak said. “This will allow us to be as prepared as possible to compete at a high level against Albion this Saturday.”

Cha believes the offense can play more collectively and Decker is confident this can happen through improved stickwork and taking care of the ball more often during attacking opportunities.

Albion, which is 2–0 with decisive victories over Hanover College and Otterbein University, will also be ready to compete.

“This Albion team probably still has a sour taste in their mouth from our victory last time we played them in the 2019–20 season, so I’m sure they will come out fighting,” Decker said.