Mary Ann Kistler Miller, a 1988 grad of the Agricultural Communications program, shared her phys ed memory:
I took an indoor rifle class as an elective and loved it so much that I took the outdoor rifle course! The phys ed “electives” planted my passion for the shooting sports and prompted me to start the Sandusky County 4-H Shooting Sports Program. I became the 4-H volunteer coordinator and started the program 10 years ago. We now have 25 trained volunteer instructors and work with approximately 175 youth in the various 4-H shooting sports disciplines in Sandusky County each year. I had the opportunity to return to campus and attend a few matches in the ROTC building at OSU in the past two years to watch one of our 4-H members and one of our coaches compete. The 4-H member, Taylor Farmer, is now a member of Team USA’s Paralympic Team and resides at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Our 4-H rifle coach, Greg Drown, was part of OSU’s Rifle Team in the 80’s and had many accomplishments at Ohio State. Now he is also a volunteer for Sandusky County 4-H Shooting Sports. So thankful for the rifle courses at OSU!!
Mike Simpson, a 1968 graduate of the Animal Sciences program, told us about how he ended up playing lacrosse:
When I enrolled as a freshman in 1964, there was a requirement that you have to take PE during your freshman year. The process was that you were assigned a time to go to the gym/rec hall (the building across from the power plant and beside the Natatorium). There were tables with different sports activities to sign up and to pick times that they were offered that fit your schedule. My second quarter, I was assigned a late time in the week to do this and, when I showed up, there were very few choices of things left to interest me. So, I wandered around and came upon the lacrosse table. I had no idea what it was as back then it was a very unfamiliar game and no varsity team. I think they were just starting a club. I asked about it and it was explained to me as a ‘cross between ice hockey and soccer’. So, took it on as ‘what the heck.’
Remember –Winter quarter! It met underneath the stadium to begin with for the basics and then outdoors! No equipment furnished except for sticks and a ball. There had to have about 3+ inches of snow when we met inside. All I remember is that I wore lots of sweatshirts, farm gloves and a couple of pair of pants for both warmth and protection. When there was the snow, the ball was hard to find when it hit the ground. Turns out I did like the game and did well enough that they invited me to try out for the club! I declined as didn’t want to do all that running plus I needed to work for the money to go to school.