Playing a sport comes naturally on the Carleton campus, where a majority of students participate in varsity, intramural, or club sports. Sure, a big reason for participating in any sport is that it’s fun, but the motivation to play often extends beyond that. We asked students from a variety of lesser-known club sports—fencing, sailing, archery, table tennis, and gymnastics—to tell us why they joined or started their club.
We also turned to two regular Voice contributors—Sara Rubinstein ’98, who photographed the student-athletes, and Michael Bazzett ’88, who captured the beauty of sport in his poetry—to help make this piece a fan favorite.
Archery
Stephan Snyder ’19
Studio art and German major
Hometown: Davidson, North Carolina
Aliza Yazdani ’19
Chemistry major
Hometown: Princeton, New Jersey
Before Carleton, my only experience with archery was with a toy bow I bought at a fair that couldn’t shoot straight. I found the club at the Activities Fair my freshman year. It sounded like fun, so I signed up. After the first practice, I was hooked and didn’t miss a single practice all year. Archery is a lot of fun and a stress reliever. When you’re fitting an arrow to the bow and taking aim, you’re not thinking about exams and papers. It’s just you, the bow, and the target. That respite from my busy college life is essential.
Fencing
Read Wilder ’20
Major undeclared, but I plan on history and classics
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
I’ve participated in fencing for seven years. When I came to Carleton as a freshman, the previous club no longer existed, so I started a new club with some other fencers and interested beginners. I’m president of the club, and most of my duties consist of teaching others to fence. I enjoy helping the fencing community grow and improve.
Table Tennis
Minda Liu ’18
Biology major
Hometown: Eagan, Minnesota
I’ve played table tennis for as long as I can remember. I grew up playing it as a family sport, and I continue to play at Carleton because I can improve my skills with the support of a group of fun-loving and equally enthusiastic friends. The club is an eclectic group of people who might never have met otherwise, but we are all connected through a love of the sport.
Avi Moorthy ’18
Economics major
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
I always enjoyed playing Ping-Pong with my dad and sister on the table in our basement. When I joined the club, it was a small group, but it quickly grew.
Gymnastics
Camille Jonlin ’19
Sociology/anthropology major
Hometown: Seattle
I’ve been a gymnast since age seven and have been coaching for three years. I am the founder and president of the Gymnastics Club at Carleton. I created the club because gymnastics is purely fun: what’s better than bouncing on trampolines, swinging on bars, and flipping upside down five feet in the air? Through Gymnastics Club, I get to partake in these activities myself while spreading the joy to other Carleton students.
Sailing
Emily Schwartz ’19
Physics major
Hometown: Andover, Massachusetts
I learned to sail when I was nine and picked it up again when I came to Carleton. I love getting out on the water and enjoying the sun and wind. There isn’t any feeling that compares to hitting the wind just right and leaning out to feel the spray as I glide along the surface of the water. Each season I look forward to sharing my love of sailing and passing on what I know to other Carleton sailors.
Kaitlyn Hamers ’19
Linguistics major
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
I’ve been sailing for 10 years. I joined the club at Carleton mostly because I just really like sailing. It’s a great way to extend the summer a little bit and take a break from work. It’s always good to get off campus and do something I love with some really cool people. We’re a small club, but we have a lot of fun!
Body
How wonderful not
to think,
how delicious
to listen
to flexing
meat and bone,
to become
a hinge,
to glisten
as sweat
blossoms
from your brow
and falls,
to float
outside the body
as thought
hovers near
the poem,
to pulse
with the surge
of your own
red river
as your body
whispers:
Sometimes joy brings me
nothing
but joy.
—Michael Bazzett ’88
Michael Bazzett’s latest collection of poems, The Interrogation, was published in the fall by Milkweed Editions. He has received the Bechtel Prize from Teachers & Writers Collaborative, the Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry, and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, none of which compare to playing football and rugby for the Knights from 1984 to 1988. He teaches at the Blake School and lives in Minneapolis.