It was one of the happiest experiences to witness how proud and supportive my teammates are of me
Meet the Bishops: Get to know a little about Erin Ross of the Ohio Wesleyan women's track and field team
Class Year: 2020
Major: Communication with a concentration in Media Production Studies
Minor(s): Journalism and English
How/Why did you choose Ohio Wesleyan?
I chose Ohio Wesleyan because it felt like home. Immediately after touring the campus I felt a sense of comfort and belonging. The people were all incredibly nice, and the University offered the small class sizes and study abroad opportunities that I was looking for in a school. Ohio Wesleyan also presented me with the opportunity to compete in athletics without hindering my academic experience. I knew that I would be able to continue to participate in a sport I loved while allowing my academics to come first.
How/Why did you choose your major?
Choosing my major was a back and forth process. I changed my major twice before deciding on communication, but couldn’t be happier with my decision. I love the diversity of the communication major, and know that it will allow me to choose from a variety of occupations. Pairing my communication major with my journalism and English minors sets me up to obtain my dream job working as either a UX designer, event planner, public relations specialist, or social media manager for a larger company or nonprofit organization.
What events do you compete in and what do you like about them?
I am a hurdler for the Ohio Wesleyan Track and Field team, and I compete in both the 100 meter and 400 meter hurdles, as well as the 60 meter hurdles indoors. I am also a long sprinter and sometimes run the open 400 or the 1600-meter relay. I love hurdling because there is so much technique and elements of form to focus on. I love being able to see visible improvement in my form from race to race. I also like having something else to focus on in a race besides just running. Thinking and preparing for the next hurdle helps me forget how tired I am while running.
What is your favorite memory on the Ohio Wesleyan Track team?
My favorite memory on the Ohio Wesleyan track team was the indoor conference championship meet my freshman year. At this meet I ran a huge personal record in my 60 meter hurdles. After I finished my race, a bunch of my friends and teammates ran over to me and hugged me, cheered and congratulated me, and even picked me up and spun me around. It was one of the happiest experiences to witness how proud and supportive my teammates are of me. Another great memory was placing third in the 100 meter hurdles at the 2018 outdoor conference meet and getting to stand on the podium. I didn’t expect, coming into my freshman year, to achieve such a goal.
Do you have any pre-event rituals or superstitions?
I like to do the same warm up before every race, and I also do the same routine and hurdle stretch before getting into the blocks. Also, I always say a prayer before every race to calm my nerves and ask God for safety in the completion of my race.
What event/sport other than your own would you like to try?
If I could participate in another sport at Ohio Wesleyan it would definitely be soccer. I played soccer from the time I was 3 years old until college. I have a lot of love and passion for the sport and I definitely miss it. It would be fun to be a part of a soccer team again.
What Movie or TV show would you like to star on and why?
I would like to star on That 70’s Show, Friends or New Girl because they are all of my favorite shows and they all consist of carefree and fun adventures. I also love all of the actors and actresses in each of the shows and think it would be fun to get to know them and act with them.
What is your ideal travel destination?
My ideal travel destination is either Italy or the Netherlands. I would like to go to Italy because it is beautiful and reminds me of love. Italy has always enticed me. However, I would also love to go to the Netherlands because my dad said it was one of his favorite places that he traveled to while in the Navy, and I would love to experience it and go sightseeing.
