Blog

Basketball season is around the corner. In light of that, let’s take a look back on
last years Defiance women’s basketball season and what they plan to accomplish this
year! Last year, the women worked hard and made it to the conference tournament.
They did not have the season they had hoped for, and they faced a lot of diversity, but
through it all still accomplished a goal they set out for. I sat down with a couple of the
players and their coach, Jessica (Cox) Morris, to find out what changes they plan to
make to bring this team to a winning season.

Q: Do you feel prepared for this season?

-Brittany Osborne: Yes, I feel like once practice starts here in 2 weeks,
everything will fall together

-Sam Ervin: Yes

-Erica Smay: Yes, I am excited and looking forward to my final season and
holding nothing back.

Q: How do you feel about last season?

-BO: We completed one of our goals we’ve had for a couple years, which was
conference. So I feel good about that, but we still need to keep working.

-SE: It wasn’t ideal but we made conference.

Coach Cox: Happy that we made the conference tournament, it was an
experience we needed to have. I am not thrilled with the overall performance.

Q: What are some skills you worked on in the offseason?

-BO: I worked on driving and shooting 3’s. I want to be more aggressive when it
comes to finishing at the basket and also expand my shooting range.

-SE: I worked on handling the ball more, and outside shooting.

-ES: Mainly more pull-up moves and driving compared to staying on the
perimeter. Also defensive quickness.

Q: What are some of goals you plan to focus on for this upcoming season?

-BO: As a team, we are focusing on our offense and executing our plays.

-SE: A team goal, win conference. My personal goals are to average double
digits and to have better post moves.

-ES: Our team goal is to win conference and I feel like it is a very achievable goal
we lacked experience for in the past. My personal goal is to hold whoever I am
defending to less than their average score, and to use my knowledge and experience to
reach my potential.

-CC: Our goal is to win conference and play the way we are capable of playing,
consistently.

Q: Do you feel that the girls are well prepared for this season, given the
experience of this year’s team?

-ES: From open gyms, we have worked well together. We have leaders among
the group and underclassmen who are very quick to adapt. We are focused on our
abilities as a team.

-CC: For the first time, it is nice to say that we have experience. I have high
expectations for what this team can accomplish this year.

With a conference appearance last year, it is clear this team has one common
mindset when it comes to this season: they are hungry for a conference championship.
With the experience the team this year has, they believe they can show the school and
the conference what they are capable of. This seems to be building up to be a season
of grit and grind, leave it all on the court basketball. With high expectations for this
season, they are going to need more than just the will to win alone. The home opener is
set for Saturday, December 3rd in a conference matchup with Franklin college, with
another two home games to follow on the 7th and 10th, conference matchups as well. It
is setting up to be a solid season for Defiance College Women’s Basketball!

Most Freshman come to college with the pressures of their parents, and sometimes even
themselves, to choose a major that will help them decide what they want to do for the rest of
their lives. Figuring out what the rest of your life may look like for an 18 or 19 year old can be pretty daunting. Let me tell you something:

It is okay if you do not know what you want to do for the rest of your life!

Most people come to college feeling like they know what major they want to study and what job they would like to do once they graduate, and that’s absolutely great. Although, some people have no clue what they want to do, and that’s okay too. For those of you who are somewhat shaky on the major they’ve chosen or the people who are still undecided, listen up!

For those of you who are currently confused on the path they may be taking in the not-so-
far future, here are a few tips to figure out the major that will make you happy:

1. Take a few classes that are not in the same field. By doing this, you could decide what
areas of study you enjoy learning about and what you are good at. The results may
surprise you. Maybe you’re a science whiz and you find out you’re becoming quite the
history buff. You could be the curator at the Smithsonian!

2. Ask friends and upper classmen about their majors. Asking them about what they like
and dislike could help you decide if the major is right for you. Also, try talking to
professors. They can give you the ins and outs of the major and give you a list of jobs of
where the major could take you.

3. Think about your dream job and research it. Some people believe a certain major will get
them to the job they want, but they should have actually gone another direction. Make
sure you know your stuff.

4. Some students choose a major where money will be abundant. Money is important, but
sometimes passion is key. If you do not enjoy what you do every day, you will never
want to go to work. Pick a major that you enjoy so you can have a job one day that you
enjoy.

5. For students who wish to continue their education well past undergrad, remember that the
decision to apply for medical school should be an early one. If this is something you are
considering, it should explore this option first.

These are only a few tips for deciding the best major for you. If you change your mind a couple
of times, who really cares? The point of college is to study a field that you are happy with and to
set you up for a job you enjoy. Stop freaking out, you will find your life path.

Coach Kirk Mee and team on the sidelines of the Taylor game in knee-deep snow in 1966. The team went on to become No. 1 in the nation in rushing and total defense, and 10th overall out of 325 NAIA colleges. Members of the championship 1966 team are holding a reunion on campus during Homecoming later this month.

From Barb Sedlock, Library Archivist

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How wide was home plate when you played teeball as a little kid? How wide was it in middle
school? High school? College? What about the major leagues?

17 inches.

To the rest of the baseball/softball world, 17 inches is home plate or the difference between a ball
and a strike, a walk or a strikeout. But to the Defiance College Softball team, 17 inches means
doing what it takes to win ball games, on and off the field, within the 17 inches of the plate. In a
game, you only get 17 inches and that 17 inches stays the same every game, every practice.
To the Defiance College Softball team, 17 inches means more than just the width of the plate. 17
inches means running through the line. 17 inches means laying your glove down the right way.
17 inches means waking up at 3:45 in the morning to practice at 4:30 A.M. 17 inches is running
for forty minutes before touching a bat or a ball. 17 inches is a dry season. 17 inches is hours
spent in the library. 17 inches means curfew at 11 P.M. on game nights. 17 inches means
replacing “have to” with “get to”.

To outsiders looking in, DCSB and the members of it could look crazy. Outsiders don’t seem to
understand or appreciate the time and commitment that the girls of DCSB give to the sport of
softball. To some, it’s crazy to be a part of the softball team at Defiance College.
But to us, 17 inches is a promise. A promise to do things the right way. A promise to support our
teammates. A promise to be a part of the family. A promise to go the extra mile in the off season.
To DCSB, 17 inches is a promise to do whatever it takes to be one of the top four teams in the
HCAC this year. 17 inches means that We Will Go.

Written by Jordan Osborne

Written by Alisa Pescosolido

 

Starring: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart       

Directed By: Clint Eastwood

This drama/documentary starring Tom Hanks (IMDB, 2016) as the titular character covers the real-life story of commercial airplane pilot Chesley Sullenberger. Based on the widely reported incident in 2009 where the pilot saved an entire plane full of passengers by choosing to land in the Hudson Bay, the film covers both the incident itself as well as the aftermath, showing how the media frenzy causes the pilot extreme emotional turmoil, and his struggles to prove that he made the right decision. While naturally slow-paced and perhaps not for everyone, this thoughtful biopic does well what it sets out to do and is immensely bolstered by the combined acting talent of Hanks & Eckhart.

While not visually groundbreaking, the movie does manage to incorporate a few brief but breathtaking CGI sequences which recreate the crash as well as a few alternate scenarios imagined by Hanks’ character. Great care was taken in establishing the realism of certain sets and locations around New York city, with some scenes of the plane crash being lifted directly from footage of the event itself. Due to the slower pacing, viewers may find themselves looking around the sets and picking out the carefully constructed details in the backgrounds.

The story of this movie is by far its strongest element. The film opts to only delve into the recreation of the event after first setting up Sully’s emotions during the aftermath. Graceful, reverent and down to earth with the topic its discussing, the movie’s story centers on a message about how human beings struggle and survive under pressure, but also how we can use our flexibility and ingenuity in order to overcome immense difficulties. Chesley Sullenburger struggles to deal with the media circus that erupts after he saves all of his passengers by landing a plane in the Hudson Bay after a bird strike. On top of this he suddenly finds himself risk of losing his license for possible misconduct with the way he handled the emergency. Ultimately, he must prove that it was his human element that allowed him to make the right decision in order to save his family, reputation and career.

Sully is certainly a very niche movie, even with two stellar actors as the main characters. While a dignified tribute to the source story that delivers on what it promises, the pacing can be tiringly slow with a few humorous or dramatic moments to break up what can feel like a movie much longer than it actually is. At the same time, I was impressed with the depths that the movie went to in order to ground itself firmly in the real of the events that it discussed, and how well a single message about human ability was carried throughout the entire movie. Instead of opting to pad out what could have been a full-length action movie focused completely on landing the plane safely, the filmmakers chose a more human perspective that dealt well with the consequences of suddenly being thrust from a regular life into fame and controversy. If anything, this is the factor that sets this movie apart from others like it, making it an honest look into a side of a story we’ve never heard.

Visuals: 3/5

Story: 4/5

Acting: 4/5

Final Rating: 4/5

Written by Madysyn Creighton

 

Around campus and throughout the community rumor has it that a girl has joined the college football team; and it’s true! Jordan Osborne, a sophomore double sport athlete standing four feet and eleven inches tall, is the newest kicker for our Yellow Jackets. Jordan grew up in Delaware, Ohio and attended Hayes High School. At Hayes she was also a dual sport athlete that lettered her senior year for her varsity football team.

As a freshman, Jordan started every game for the softball team. She earned her spot as an everyday player holding the lead-off position and playing left field. She ended the season with a .336 batting average and a .946 fielding percentage.  For those of you who do not follow softball these statistics are great numbers to end your first year in collegiate sports with. These stats lead Jordan to receive Honorable Mention All HCAC. When asking Jordan how her teammates feel about her joining another team she stated, “They love it. Both my teammates and my coaches are very supportive with the whole thing.”

On her first day of football practice Jordan described her feelings as both anxious and nervous. She stated that “Nothing went right. I missed kick after kick and only made one extra point.” However, now that she has a few weeks of practice under her belt she is comfortable and able to do exactly what she did in high school. Following her first practice Jordan remarked that “The football team was so supportive with me joining. They welcomed me in on the first day as part of the team.”

With Jordan’s busy schedule there is hardly anytime to relax. In addition to the stress of performing, there is the added stress of managing time and everything else within her daily life.  Her day typically consists of class throughout the day, thirty to forty minutes of football practice, two and a half hours of softball practice, meetings, and then to the library for work and homework. On Tuesdays she’s able to attend a full football practice. In addition, on two days of the week she and her softball teammates are up early before class starts to do conditioning. When asking some of her teammates and friends around campus how she manages it all, responses typically were “I don’t know how she does it. I would be stressed if I were in her shoes” and “She’s one of the most dedicated people I know.”

As Jordan patiently waits for her time to shine she is now cleared to play after attending the required number of practices. Come out and support her along with the rest of our Yellow Jackets football team this Saturday September 24th at 1:30 p.m. as they take on Rose-Hulman.

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Written by Spencer Gray

Today marks more than just another day with The Defender. This day marks the beginning of a lot of changes, which I hope to lay out for you all a little today.

To start things off, there are some new people running The Defender– I myself will be taking on the role of Editor, while Dr. Todd Comer will be taking over as the faculty advisor.

We have quite a few higher-level goals in mind for The Defender this year: Namely a new design for the site, greater student and faculty involvement, an expansion of the types of content you see from The Defender, and some other things that have not quite been ironed out yet. You can expect most of these things to be talked about again at a later date.

Starting today, The Defender will also start accepting and publishing Letters to the Editor. These letters may come from anyone in the Defiance College community and may cover topics of public concern or collegiate concerns. It will be required that the writer’s full name and city be attached to the letter for publication. Letters to the Editor must also be under 500 words. Please note that these letters are still subject to editing. Letters to the Editor may be sent to defender@defiance.edu

As we chart this new era for The Defender, we hope that you, the Defiance College community, will continue to read and support this paper, so that The Defender may continue to serve the college as it always has.

Written by Sydney Unger

 

It’s the beginning of a new semester and maybe you are wanting to get more involved on campus. Sport Business Association (SBA) is always a great way to get more involved. For those of you that do not know about SBA it is an organization on campus that meets every month, has guest speakers, and we take lots of exciting trips. Most people think SBA is only for Sport Management Majors, but it isn’t. Anyone that loves sports and wants to network is more than welcome to join us.

The first event we will have this year is on Thursday, September 29th at 8pm. There, we will have our first guest speakers of the year: Coach Jodie Holava, the softball and assistant athletic director, and Coach Kaycee Butt, the women’s golf coach and assistant softball coach here at Defiance College. They will be here to speak with us about what they do and how they got to where they are today. This will be a great networking opportunity for anyone that is wanting to get in any kind of sport related field! We would love to hear who you would like to have come in and speak, and we will try our best to get them here!

In my first two years here at DC we have gone on quite a few trips with Sport Business Association. We have been to the Cleveland, where we received a tour of the Browns practice facility and after that we went to a hockey rink to take a tour and see everything that happens behind the scenes. In 2014 we went to Detroit for a networking event, where we were able to meet professionals and network with anyone and everyone that was there. In 2015 we went to Toledo and received a tour of the Huntington Center, where the Toledo Walleye play. After the tour, we sat through the game, and some of us even participated in half time events! It was a great experience and an amazing opportunity. Our big trip last year was to Indianapolis, Indiana where we toured Lucas Oil Stadium home of the Indianapolis Colts. We were on the field, in the locker rooms, and inside the press boxes: You name it, we saw it. That day, we also went to the Farmer’s Coliseum, where the hockey team Indy Fuel plays. We had our tour and then we went on our way home.

As you can see, we do a lot with our club.  Not only does it look great on an application, but it is also a great group of people to be involved with. Below I have listed the board of SBA. If you have any questions about SBA, feel free to ask any of them questions!  I hope to see you at our next meeting!

 

President: Sydney Unger

Vice President: Ashley Williams

Secretary: Jackie Hartman

Treasurer: Paul Collins

Marketing: Katie Tillman