“Most people have no idea that we have a skating team,” said Hoffmann, as I let out a collective sigh of relief knowing that I wasn’t alone on the subject. “You and probably everyone else in this room.”

The thing is, even though I had no idea about anything related to skating or the Ice Effects team, I walked away from this interview thoroughly impressed with everything that I had heard. Read on to learn more about Brittany, the Ice Effects team and the Disney Program here at SUNY Oswego…

Everyone has, or will eventually have, a passion. I love sitting down and talking to someone about their passion, simply because I just like to learn new things about people. I have my own passions and I know how much they mean to me, so once and a while it’s nice to learn something that means a lot to someone else.

Brittany Hoffmann is a Junior at SUNY Oswego, and one of her passions (as you should already know by now) is being on the ice. She first got into skating when she went to a show in her hometown around age eight.

“They did an annual ice show and it was kind of a big deal … I was hooked.”

She started competing the very next year, and began skating synchro when she was 11. “Usually within the first year you will really see them (new skaters) improve, or you’ll just see them lose it,” said Hoffmann. “I started skating synchro when I was 11, and it did not take me long to get hooked at all.”

Brittany was 11 years old, skating with girls that were 18. I don’t care what it is that you’re doing, but keeping up with people that are 7 years older than you, especially at age 11, is remarkable. Hoffmann skated with the CNY Synchronats, Blue Order Blades and CNY Blizzard before she came to college.

So why Oswego?

“For the team, to be honest with you … I didn’t want to go to school far away … I wanted to skate, that was a must … and I wanted to go into Broadcast Journalism,” she said. “That left me with Syracuse, Oswego and LeMoyne.”

Syracuse is Hoffmann’s dream school, however she has family that attended Oswego and friends that skated on the team here as well, which made the decision a bit easier.

In her Freshman year, Hoffman and the Ice Effect’s team went to Nationals, but the next year, they weren’t even allowed to go; they didn’t have enough skaters.

Sometimes it just isn’t possible to do everything that you want to do—in this case, Brittany had a great opportunity to join the Disney Program (more on this later), and another teammate got the opportunity to study abroad. With two additional girls leaving the team for personal reasons, the Ice Effects team in 2012 had to drop down to the Open Collegiate division (as opposed to the Collegiate division.)

This wasn’t all bad though, as Oswego won the Open Collegiate Eastern Sectional Division Championship that year. “That was pretty cool,” Hoffmann said.

However according to Hoffmann, the hardest part was yet to materialize.

“When the Freshman come, they want to be on a team that’s competitive … they don’t want to be in the Open Collegiate division, so the fact that we could bounce back from that was a really big deal.”

This brought up another related question, how did she feel about the Ice Effects team being a club sport, rather than a varsity sport? Does this turn potential skaters away?

“No … we kinda love it”

…Definitely not the answer I was expecting, but as it turns out, there are some good reasons for this.

“Adrian College in Michigan is a varsity team and they’re underdogs just like us. Several years in a row, they had qualified for Nationals and the school didn’t send them because they didn’t think it was worth it,” Hoffmann said. ”For all we know, if we were varsity, our school might do the same.”

Student Association actually does their best to help fund the Ice Effects team, along with the team itself doing a good amount of fundraising.

An interesting note here is that according to Brittany, Oswego is really the only SUNY school, besides Cornell, that has a functioning skating team. Potential recruits, look no further, Oswego is the place to be.

Another benefit for the Ice Effects team is that their coaches actually work on campus—one works for Res Life and Housing, and the other for Alumni and Development. This is good for a variety of reasons, the prominent one being they are there for the majority of the day if you need to talk.

When asked about how this upcoming year is going to be, Hoffmann was up-beat. She said they were going to have around 16 girls on their team, and possibly only skate the best 12. She says it is difficult to skate with more girls, however, because every skater needs to be in sync. Whenever you throw more girls in the mix, there is always more of a chance for mistakes; that’s just the way it goes. Brittany looks at this as a challenge, and is excited to see how it pans out.

The ultimate goal this year is to make it back to Nationals, which is in Colorado. “We are going to Colorado this year,” said Hoffmann. “Senior year, Nationals in Colorado, we’re doing it … if we don’t, I think I’ll just lose my mind.”

The Ice Effects team is an extremely close-knit group—after all, they kind of have to be  to experience any type of success in their sport. “I have competed either with, or against, every single person on my team,” said Hoffmann. “When you come to college, you forget about all the other stuff … we’re here and we have one common goal.”

Brittany learned that coming to a smaller school (in the skating world) has taught her way more than she ever expected.

“It’s almost like it means more to us, you know, just to even step foot in Nationals is like winning to us,” said Hoffmann. “We’ve really gained some credibility these past couple years in the skating world.”

Brittany recruits a ton for the Ice Effects team, and hopes to stick around and help the new skaters as long as she can; if anyone is looking to learn more about skating on the Ice Effects team, either add Brittany Hoffmann on Facebook, or add The Oswego State Ice Effects Synchronized Skating Team.

The Disney Program

I wanted to talk a bit more about the Disney program while we had the time. I have a friend who’s in this program and he’s having the time of his life and learning a ton—he’s having so much fun in fact, that he dropped out of our basketball league this summer to stay longer, and for that we all despise him (I hope you read this somehow, Jeremiah.)

The fact of the matter is that this program is a fantastic program to get into, and if one has the opportunity, they should, at the very least, look into what it has to offer.

Brittany is a recruiter for the Disney Program as well (she wears a lot of hats here at Oswego) and says it isn’t too tough to get accepted. “They really look for your extra-curricular activities … not so much your GPA or what you’ve done in college, rather your motives and what you can bring to Disney, said Hoffmann. It also depends on their availability for the role you are applying.

If anyone has questions about this, do not hesitate to contact Brittany.

Name: Alex Jurczynski

Position: Catcher

Class: Senior

Major: Marketing

Hometown/High School: Schenectady, NY/Schenectady High School

What made you choose SUNY Oswego?

After I decided to transfer out of my previous school, my two best friends persuaded me to go to Oswego and play baseball.

What does playing baseball at SUNY Oswego mean to you?

It means a lot, it’s an honor to play for my teammates and coaching staff along with learning different things about the game.

What do you like to do when your not playing baseball?

Baseball pretty much takes up the majority of my time but I enjoy working out and spending time with my family and friends.

What songs get you ready to go before a game?

Anything that’s not depressing.

Best baseball memory (on-field)?

Hitting a homerun on my birthday in Florida last year, and having my parents be there to see it.

Best baseball memory (off-field)?

Traveling to every Major League Stadium with my dad over the past 8 years.

All-Time Favorite:

Food- Steak and Rice

Movie- For the Love of the Game

TV Show- Modern Family

MLB Team- Yankees

MLB Player- Miguel Cabrera

Name: Scott Buniak

Position: Centerfield

Class: Junior

Major: Health/Promotion and Wellness

Hometown/High School: Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa High School

What made you choose SUNY Oswego?

I chose SUNY Oswego mainly because I knew that I would be a part of a terrific baseball program that I could help to succeed. I also knew that I would be surrounded by a great group of guys that wants to win games each and every day.

What does playing baseball at SUNY Oswego mean to you?

Playing baseball at SUNY Oswego means winning games while enjoying the process. It’s a long haul to prepare for the season, but it is always enjoyable and worth the effort.

What do you like to do when your not playing baseball?

When I am not playing baseball I enjoy being a fan and supporting other fellow Lakers in their respective sports. I understand how much effort everyone puts into preparing for their seasons and I respect that by supporting them and what it means to be a Laker.

What songs get you ready to go before a game?

I typically enjoy listening to a mix of songs, from Rap to Hip/Hop to County and Classic Rock.

Best baseball memory (on-field)?

The most memorable moment I had on the field was when we beat SUNY Cortland my freshman season 3 to 1 at Laker Baseball Field. It was a great feeling to know we shut down one of the strongest teams in baseball for 9 straight innings.

Best baseball memory (off-field)?

My favorite memory off the field came when I was 13 and I was able to stand on the field at Shea Stadium where the Mets used to play. I remember meeting and being surrounded by players like Heath Bell and Jose Reyes and how important it was in influencing me to strive to play at that level someday. It’s a goal that I chased as a young athlete and still do today.

All-Time Favorite:

Food- Seafood Risotto

Movie- Saving Private Ryan

TV Show- Family Guy

MLB Team- New York Mets

MLB Player- Mike Piazza

Name: Jordan Giller 

Position: 1B/RHP

Class: Freshman

Major: Finance

Hometown/High School: Toronto/William Lyon Mackenzie C.I.

What made you choose SUNY Oswego?

I was looking for a place to play baseball and liked the program here. The facilities are really good and the coach and the players on the team seemed like a good group of guys.

What does playing baseball at SUNY Oswego mean to you?

Playing baseball at SUNY Oswego is important to me because it gives me an opportunity to improve my game as well as meet new players and learn new things from them.

What do you like to do when your not playing baseball?

When I am not playing baseball I like to hang out with my friends or play video games.

What songs get you ready to go before a game?

The two songs that get me ready before a game are “Can’t Stop” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and “BMF Freestyle” by Tyga.

Best baseball memory (on-field)?

My best baseball memory is winning the NABF World Series with the Toronto Mets baseball club in the summer of 2012.

Best baseball memory (off-field)?

My best memory off field is my first day of college.

All-Time Favorite:

Food- My mom’s banana bread

Movie- The Mighty Ducks

TV Show- King of Queens

MLB Team- Toronto Blue Jays

MLB Player- Roy Halladay

Name: John Rauseo

Position: OF

Class: Sophomore

Major: Accounting

Hometown/High School: Mattituck, NY/

What made you choose SUNY Oswego?

It had to be a SUNY school; the business program and it gave me the best chance to play as a freshman.

What does playing baseball at SUNY Oswego mean to you?

It means that I need to work hard and be dedicated to achieve my goals.

What do you like to do when your not playing baseball?

Working out and hanging out with friends

What songs get you ready to go before a game?

House music

Best baseball memory (on-field)?

2011 Long island championship

Best baseball memory (off-field)?

Traveling to different states

All-Time Favorite:

Food- Pizza

Movie- The Shawshank Redemption

TV Show- Breaking Bad

MLB Team- Mets

MLB Player- Matt Kemp

Name: Eddie Charles

Position: Left Field

Class: Senior

Major: Business Administration

Hometown/High School: Auburn, NY/Auburn

What made you choose SUNY Oswego?

I transferred to Oswego after my freshman year from Siena College and loved the campus. Both of my parents went to school at Oswego so it felt right for me to come here.

What does playing baseball at SUNY Oswego mean to you?

It is an honor to be a member of the SUNY Oswego baseball program. We have a great group of guys and play in a tough competitive conference and I consider myself lucky to be a part of it.

What do you like to do when your not playing baseball?

I like to play video games, fish, and spend time with my friends and family.

What songs get you ready to go before a game?

Who Gon’ Stop me-Kanye West & Jay-Z

Donald Trump-Mac MIller

See My Tears-MGK

Best baseball memory (on-field)?

Beating No. 3 in the country Keystone College in our final game last season.

Best baseball memory (off-field)?

Going to game 2 of the 2003 World Series at Yankee Stadium with my dad

All-Time Favorite:

Food- Steak

Movie- Goodfellas

TV Show- Entourage

MLB Team- Yankees

MLB Player-Ken Griffey Jr.

*All bio pages and pictures courtesy the official Oswego Athletics webpage*

A questionnaire for 30+ players is a bit much, so I was forced to narrow it down a bit. Without further adieu, meet Adam Bishop, Dan Karleski, Mike McMullen and Dan Erne…

Name: Adam Bishop

Position: Pitcher

Class: Senior

Major: Health and Wellness (minor in coaching)

Hometown/High School: Camillus, NY/West Genesee

What made you choose SUNY Oswego?

The teaching program. Also it is very close to home.

What does playing baseball at SUNY Oswego mean to you?

Everything. The friends i have made on this team will never be forgotten

What do you like to do when your not playing baseball?

Snowboarding and working on cars

What songs get you ready to go before a game?

Anything by Fort Minor or a good ol country song

Best baseball memory (on-field)?

Throwing a no-hitter agaist Baldwinville

Best baseball memory (off-field)?

The friends made over the years

All-Time Favorite:

Food- Chicken

Movie- Fast and Furious

TV Show- Family Guy

MLB Team- Yankees

MLB Player- Andy Pettitte

Name: Dan Karleski

Position: OF

Class: Junior

Major: Psychology

Hometown/High School: Syracuse/ Westhill

What made you choose SUNY Oswego?

The campus, baseball facility and the ability to go home whenever I want.

What does playing baseball at SUNY Oswego mean to you?

The ability to represent for Oswego, my teammates and family.

What do you like to do when your not playing baseball?

I enjoy playing basketball, xbox and long walks on the beach.

What songs get you ready to go before a game?

Any good country song helps me relax and get in the right mentality for the game.

Best baseball memory (on-field)?

Winning back to back state championships in highschool my junior and senior year.

Best baseball memory (off-field)?

The bus rides are always a great time to joke around and help with team bonding.

All-Time Favorite:

Food-  Tully’s Tenders

Movie- Pitch Perfect

TV Show-  Glee

MLB Team-  Yankees

MLB Player- Derek Jeter

Name:  Michael McMullen

Position:  Shortstop

Class:  Junior

Major:   Business Administration

Hometown/High School:  Syracuse, NY / Westhill HS

What made you choose SUNY Oswego?

They have a good Business Program and I came for the baseball program.

What does playing baseball at SUNY Oswego mean to you?

It means a lot, I am honored to play college baseball.  We are looking to make a run for the championship.

What do you like to do when your not playing baseball?

I enjoy playing basketball. I played basketball in high school.

What songs get you ready to go before a game?

Any type of pump up song gets me ready, but I like to listen to country music while we take batting practice.

Best baseball memory (on-field)?

I don’t have any here at Oswego, since this is my first season.  Other memories are winning two state championships in high school.

Best baseball memory (off-field)?

Bus rides and trips are always fun to bond with the team.

All-Time Favorite:

Food- Tully’s Tenders

Movie- Step Brothers

TV Show- Friday Night Lights

MLB Team- Yankees

MLB Player- Ken Griffey Jr.

Name: Dan Erne

Position: Pitcher

Class: 2013

Major: Business Administration

Hometown/High School: Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili

What made you choose SUNY Oswego?

I was impressed with the campus, the baseball program and it was far enough away from home to get away.

What does playing baseball at SUNY Oswego mean to you?

Every time I step onto the field I represent myself, my school, my teammates.  I have a lot of pride being a Laker. We are a family, a close knit group of guys who are trying to bring home a championship for the school and the team.

What do you like to do when your not playing baseball?

I enjoy playing drums, driving and lifting.

What songs get you ready to go before a game?

I tend to listen to hardcore rock – August Burns Red is one of my favorite bands, but I also like certain rap songs to get me ready for a game. It really depends on what mood I’m in.

Best baseball memory (on-field)?

Hitting my first college home run, and getting my first college win on the mound

Best baseball memory (off-field)?

Getting taken out by the huge field tarp during a wind storm

All-Time Favorite:

Food- Pizza

Movie- Good Fellas

TV Show- Sons of Anarchy

MLB Team- Yankees

MLB Player- Mike Mussina

*All bio pages and pictures courtesy the official Oswego Athletics webpage*

Intramurals

Click Here to go to the link on the SUNY Oswego website detailing intramurals. On this page, you will see a variety of information – but the most important is the sign up information, and the “master schedule.”

The service Oswego uses for intramurals is called IMLeagues (Click Here for the IMLeague website.) If a student wants to participate in an intramural sport, they must first register on the IMLeague website. There is a lot to do on the IMLeague website once you sign up – you can:

-sign up for a specific team

-browse different teams

-message the captain on a team you wish to join

-look at others’ “player cards”

-look at schedules

-look at videos/pictures

-see top performers

There are also other announcements. For example, right now there is an announcement letting everyone know they can join an NCAA Bracket Challenge.

The events that are available to join on the IMLeague website for SUNY Oswego are not necessarily all sports. The events can range from basketball, dodgeball and broomball (broomball is very popular at SUNY Oswego) – to sewing, texas hold-em, and an event called “Color Oswego,” which is a fun run and walk. As you can see, there are tons of events for anybody that wants to get involved on campus, and yes, the events change depending on the semester.

Club Sports

Click Here to go to the page on the Oswego website which details club sports. There is a description and instructions all on that page, so I will not get into much here except by saying again, there is something to join for basically anyone’s taste.

Open Recreation

Click Here to go to the page detailing Oswego’s open recreation policies. There is also a “master schedule” on here for all recreation hours.

Here is where you can see all the indoor and outdoor events that SUNY Oswego has to offer. Some avenues for recreation are Lee Hall, Swetman Gym, the Lee fields and Karate studio. Also, don’t forget that campus recreation is always hiring, so if a student is looking for a job, campus recreation is certainly a good start for what promises to be a fun and enjoyable job while one is at school.

SUNYIT just got a men’s lacrosse program last year (Title IX Restriction) in which they only managed to come away with one win. They’ve started this season 0-2 and have been outscored  41 – 4 in those two games. This should be a soft ball for the Lakers. As a lacrosse fan and former player, I can’t help but feel sorry for those guys; it isn’t easy getting a program started from scratch. Best of luck to them.

Oswego is looking to find the same spark that they had at the start of last season which saw them win 9 in a row, a feat never before accomplished in program history. Chris Porten, Casey Balzer, and Josh Roetzer are hoping to lead this years squad to the same booming start as they did last year. Although, losing 6 of the last 7 games was a hard pill to swallow. Fortunately for the Lakers, their top 4 scorers are all back and will be back for a few more years. Coach Ryan Martin has recruited a solid sqaud of young players who should mature in the next few years of his young coaching campaign.

This author was a benchwarmer on the Lakers’ squad once upon a time, and I wish them all the best. Only two of the names on the roster are familiar to me– I’m starting to feel pretty old. Also, their schedule is changing somewhat drastically with unconventional out-of-conference opponents, such as Adrian, Elmira, Misericordia, SUNY Canton, and SUNYIT. SUNYIT and SUNY Canton just began formal lacrosse programs in the past 2 years while Adrian is in its 6th year as a D III contributor.

Weather permitting, the Lakers will have their home opener on Saturday March 9th at 11:00 AM against Adrian in front of Laker hall. Go State!

Men’s Basketball

The Men’s team beat Brockport in their SUNYAC play-in game, 78-66 (Recap via Tom Loughrey). They will be traveling to play host Cortland on Friday Night at 8:00 pm. Fans will be able to listen live, or follow live stats throughout the game.

Women’s Basketball

The Women’s team won their game Tuesday night as well, by the score of 38-35 (Recap by Adele Burk). The Women’s team moves on to face Geneseo on Friday night at 6:00 pm in their SUNYAC semifinal game in New Paltz. This game features live video, as well as live stats.

The Men’s and Women’s basketball teams will be playing Oneonta on Feb. 12 at Laker Hall. The Women’s game starts at 6pm, and the Men’s game starts at 8pm. Continue reading to see the names and profiles of all 9 seniors.

Women’s

-Evelyn Josbena

-Kari Kipper

-Kassie Kleine

-Taryn Smith

-Meagan Stover

Men’s

-Chris Gilkes

-Alex Mirabito

-Brenden Nollet

-Hayden Ward

If you can’t make the game, you can still watch on a Live Feed from the SUNY Oswego Athletics page. Hopefully we can pack in Laker Hall and watch our seniors go out with a win!

Just a little video of me saying hi!

I’m Jon Zella, I’m a Graduate student studying History: Museum Preservation here at SUNY Oswego. I recently graduated from SUNY Oswego with my Bachelor’s Degree in History and a minor in Italian, Buon Giorno. I am also the graduate assistant for Civic Engagement, I work as an interpreter at Fort Ontario State Historic Site, I’m the Head Coach for the Women’s Club Hockey team, Director of Athletic Affairs in Student Association, I write for a hockey blog called the Checking Line mostly about the Buffalo Sabres,  I play the drums in the Avondales and Burning Bridge Street, and now I write for this blog.

Though the above paragraph makes me seem like someone who might be high-strung, I’m generally a pretty calm person. Keeping busy allows me to stay focused and everything gets done, even if it’s at 2am. I enjoy being social, speaking to others; the exchange of ideas and culture is something I’ve always enjoyed.

I also run the Civic Engagement Word Press which will cover a lot of what I’ll be up to this academic year. I will do my best to blog on this as well and keep those interested in the loop with what I’m doing and how my year is going.

After years of wanting to do yoga I finally took a friend up on an invitation to join her at a Sunday afternoon session. The experience was a memorable one; me struggling to balance my self on one leg or hold positions with every muscle trembling while the rest of the class seemed to flawlessly glide from position to position. I lost track of how many times I said to myself ” I thought yoga was supposed to be relaxing and calm”. But as the session was concluding , I found myself down on my yoga mat calmly breathing , mind effortlessly drifting off unaware of the macho body building men who had earlier watched me head over to the yoga mats.

When the lights finally turned on and the instructor told us she looked forward to seeing us next week, I was floating over to my friend with the surrealist feeling of serenity I had have ever experienced. I felt somewhere in between sleep and euphoria. The rest of the day and subsequently the next one as well was filled with great clarity. In the time after, I spent nights  practicing breathing exercises to help settle my thoughts enough for me to fall asleep.

Since then I have developed a weekly routine of attending a Sunday evening yoga class courtesy of Oswego’s fitness centers. What has made my yoga classes even better was learning that other SUNY schools don’t all offer classes without paying a separate fee. How lucky are we to get a yoga class that not only winds down as the sun sets over the lake but not  have to pay an additional fee?

The health benefits of yoga are substantial I am sure but I’ll leave that up to a professional or someone with more knowledge on yoga practices to tell you. I’m just here to say yoga has definitely been a great stabilizer in my life.