It is not difficult to become a runner or a swimmer. Neither sport requires meticulous ball handling skills or amazing hand-eye coordination—just the energy to propel yourself off of the couch. With such minimal prerequisites for participating in these activities, it is no wonder that they have such little value on our campus.
While we were away on break, four of our track runners became national champions. Matt Hillard '12, Colin Fong '12, Matt Gamache '13 and Coby Horowitz '14 competed in the men's distance medley relay at track nationals and not only won the event, but also set a national meet record.
There were also five All-Americans named over break: Elsa Millett '12, Emily Barr '12, Alee Wade '13 and Emily Clark '15, who came in eighth place in the 4x400 meter relay at the track national championships, and Nate Mecray, who placed 16th in the 100-yard backstroke at swimming nationals. Allen Garner '12 was the first Bowdoin female in six years to qualify for the national swimming competition, and she did so in several events.
Of course, sports like track and swimming do not merit the coverage that others do, so you may have missed these achievements because they were clumped in the middle of an article last week about our winter sports season of "mixed results."
I do not intend this piece to be an attack on the Orient, but rather to expose what I consider to be injustices levied on certain sports teams. When the field hockey team won its national championship, Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster sent school-wide emails congratulating the team. Last year, this email also gave a shout-out to men's soccer, which had advanced to the NCAA Final Four.
The national championship won by the men's distance medley relay received none of this type of campus-wide recognition, except a paltry three sentences in the middle of the "mixed results" article and a tweet from Bowdoin Athletics.
While field hockey receives front-page articles, swimming and track team members have expressed their frustration at being unable to find even a mention of their teammates anywhere in the paper.
I believe that field hockey, as well as other sports that have received similar coverage, deserve every accolade they have received; they do outstanding work and have undeniable accomplishments.
I also believe, however, that it is unfair to favor certain teams over others and to not give credit where credit is due. It may be idealistic to think that each achievement should be celebrated as it occurs, but the fact that the first-ever track national champions were shunted to the end of an article that was hardly congratulatory is glaringly and obviously unfair.
Rather than blame the Orient, I would instead argue that this incident is indicative of the attitude of our campus as a whole. Many students would maintain that athletics are too highly valued at Bowdoin, and that issue is certainly something that should be discussed. I would also venture to say—and would not be the first to do so—that certain athletics are clearly regarded as "better" or more "worthy" of praise.
Yes, anyone can run or swim, but not everyone commits to being a member of a team that performs at a national-caliber level. The culture of the track and swimming teams may be less attractive than the aura that surrounds other teams, but this does not mean that their accomplishments are less deserving of recognition.
So, to those who did not realize we crowned nine new All-Americans this season, reconsider what you value in Bowdoin culture and whether you too would feel slighted if a similar accomplishment of yours was clouded by headlines of "mixed results."
To Dean Foster and Jeff Ward, I applaud the efforts that you have made thus far, but I urge you to remain vigilant with regard to the type of attention you lavish on teams and to offer all teams, especially those composed of national champions. I welcome any discussion on the value of athletics at Bowdoin.
Lindsey Horowitz is a member of the Class of 2012.