By: Kristin Baitinger

When you think of baseball you think of a hot summer game, with a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other. When I think of baseball, I think of the scorching hot seats, a boring, dragged out 9 inning game of two teams playing with a ball and bat. What’s the real excitement in here anyways?  

For that matter, what’s the big deal about all sports? 

With 28 NCAA Division III Athletic sports and 19 Intramural and club teams, you could say Stevenson has many options for students to hit, whack, or spike something. Most of us only came to Stevenson to do that anyways.  

But what happens if you don’t fit in with any of those? You become a non-athlete, like me. My name is Kristin Baitinger, and I am a Junior Business Communication Major, as well as a non-athletic student here at Stevenson. Let me take you on a journey to what it’s like to be that person in a school full of jocks.  

First of all, this isn’t high school, yet the athletes here seem to think it is. The only difference is, instead of cool kids and nerds like in high school, Stevenson cliques are all about the teams. Hockey hangs with hockey. The basketball players are all above the rim together. Volleyballers stay on their side of the net. 

When you’re on a team typically you spend most of your time with teammates, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the only people on Mustang planet. Being the small D3 school we are, being on a sports team is almost like being in a “clique.” Teams are also social circles and teammates are also friends. As positive as those things can be, they can also be a little confining or cliquish.  

The only way some athletes would know someone outside of their little tribe is to show up for class and meet someone there, or to go to a non-team related house party. 

Being the non-athlete that I am, sports talk is definitely not one of the presets on my car sound system. Don’t get me wrong, as a kid I played all types of sports like basketball, soccer, softball, and dance, but none stuck with me. There’s nothing wrong with being a student-athlete and there’s nothing wrong with being in the stands.  

Quite frankly, I think it’s better and a lot less sweaty not being one.  

Being a non-athlete there might not be a specific group I can go to, but I am free and able to go to any group and find friends. By this I mean, I have buddies on the football team, amigos on the hockey team, and a lot of girl-power with the ladies’ soccer team.  

There are no restrictions. 

So, what’s it like to be a non-athlete at Stevenson?  Well, there are a lot less whistles, cleats, and stinky clothes in my life. But that’s just the way I like it.