Author: Branson Hardcastle

By Branson Hardcastle | ReporterHot dogs are a Fourth of July staple that have been in the U.S. since the 1860’s. We even have a contest to see who can eat the most hot dogs in a certain amount of time. There is one question that has been haunting some Americans for decades now. Is a hot dog a sandwich? This may seem like a stupid question to many people, but the debate is actually much livelier than one might think. Over the course of the last three months, my roommates and I have been discussing whether it is a…

By Branson Hardcastle | ReporterBaylor crew, a collegiate co-ed rowing team, is looking to stake its claim on Baylor’s campus. Baylor crew is a club team that competes against schools including the University of Texas, Texas Christian University and Rice University in rowing competitions in and around Texas. The team competes in three categories: novice, collegiate and open. Novice is a difficult reserved for rowers who have one or fewer years of collegiate rowing experience. Rowers on the collegiate level have had one or more years or experience rowing in college. The open category is open to everyone from all…

By Branson Hardcastle | ReporterBaylor’s men’s club soccer team played Texas A&M Friday in Waco in a game that ended in a 1-1 draw. The game was physical, but didn’t have many fouls called. Baylor’s defense played exceptionally as they held the high-powered Texas A&M offense to just one goal, compared to their average of four goals. The Aggies managed to get eight shots on goal, with Duluth, Ga. sophomore goalie Braden Howie managing to stop all but one. The lone goal the Aggies scored came on a free kick from mid-field in the 38th minute. During the play, Howie…

Club swimming begins their practices after finishing last season in fourth place overall.

Baylor men’s rugby club looks to build of strong tournament showing

By Branson Hardcastle | Sports Reporter The Baylor rock climbing team has begun practicing in the Student Life Center and is looking to start their season off strong. The rock climbing club is a competitive team that travels to Texas tournaments, regional tournaments and a national tournament to compete against other schools.The rock climbing club competes in the Collegiate Climbing Series, which is a branch of USA Climbing, a national body that governs rock climbing for sport. The club competes in two competitions: bouldering and sport climb. Bouldering is essentially a climb without a rope and the routes are usually…

By Branson Hardcastle | ReporterCollege is full of new experiences, new opportunities and new friendships. As exciting as these all are, they can also be very intimidating. One way to try to make college less frightening is to get involved in a club or organization, on or off-campus. If you’re like me, you knew absolutely no one your first day on campus. The only person I really talked to the first couple of days was my roommate. I didn’t talk with many people in my hall or do much outside of going to class. Needless to say, my first couple…

By Branson Hardcastle | ReporterNo. 16 Baylor Rugby defeated Texas State Saturday in Austin by a score of 72-19. Baylor dismantled the Bobcats on its way to the victory. They started off sluggishly, but after finding their groove, the club never looked back. Baylor drastically improved its margin of victory over the Bobcats, as they only won by 10 last season.Florugby’s website, used by many collegiate rugby teams to stay updated with scores and analysis of collegiate rugby games, predicted Baylor to win the game by 20. Houston junior inside center Stewart Morris said the team used the prediction as…

By Branson Hardcastle | ReporterBaylor men’s club volleyball kicked off their season with the conclusion of their tryouts on Sept. 11. This year the club created two teams instead of the typical one because of the number of players that tried out. The 20 players who made the team will be divided up into the two teams. The teams are members of the Southern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (SIVA) and they play against schools such as Texas A&M, University of Texas and University of Oklahoma. Toward the end of the season, the teams will play in the Southern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association…

Baylor club tennis swept through the Denton Regional Tournament over the weekend, taking first in all three divisions it participated in.

The one time Baylor tennis great, who defeated Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open and played 19 time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer four times, has returned to Baylor to finish his degree.

By Branson Hardcastle | ReporterThe Baylor men’s soccer club (0-1-2) took to the field Saturday in Waco against the University of North Texas and Sunday against Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Against UNT, Baylor controlled the game early by moving the ball well and controlling offensive possession. UNT made the game more physical by disrupting the tempo of the Bears by using well-timed slide tackles and interrupting the passing lanes. The game grew more intense and physical as time went on. Players from both teams were pushing each other, using slide tackles and trash talk to express their distaste. Multiple…

By Branson Hardcastle | Reporter The Baylor Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Club, also known as Stonewall, is looking to build off its success last season as it finished eighth out of 16 teams at regionals. During the club’s first year in 2008, one of the members yelled “Stonewall” every time he got a defensive block. The other players loved it so much that they decided to name the team Stonewall. Last season, Stonewall fell to Texas State 15-10 in the seventh place game at regionals in Austin at the University of Texas. Many on the team considered it a decent finish,…

By Branson Hardcastle | ReporterProfessional athletes are looked at as heroes in their cities. Kids are out playing basketball, football or baseball wearing athlete’s jerseys, trying to mimic their moves and acting like they’re the person whose name is on the back of the jersey. All is well between the athlete and the fans until the unthinkable happens: the athlete leaves the team for a better opportunity elsewhere. Immediately after the athlete announces their decision to leave, devastation sets in. Fans can’t comprehend why the athlete would leave their beloved team. The fans go from worshipping this athlete to despising…

By Branson Hardcastle | Reporter In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the Baylor Rugby Club is lending a helping hand by hosting a fundraiser to help those affected by the hurricane. The club is asking for any canned food or non-perishable items to be sent to those in need in the Houston area. They are asking for toiletries such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and deodorant. The donation bins are located in the Student Life Center and can be found in the entrance across from the front desk. Houston junior and team captain Stewart Morris said the idea for the fundraiser…

By Branson Hardcastle | ReporterOn Monday, I tried out a new sport: fencing. I did not know what to expect when I first walked into Russell Gymnasium, but my unease was put to rest by Shreveport, La. sophomore, Ayla DeFatta, vice president of the Baylor Fencing Club and Houston senior Alex Goetting, the club’s treasurer, as they welcomed my arrival. My training started with gearing up. First, I put on the plastron, a piece that covers my chest and my dominant arm. Second came the jacket, which is the first line of defense against the opposition. The third piece of…

By Branson Hardcastle | ReporterBaylor rugby is poised for a big season — It starts the 2017 season ranked No. 25, its highest preseason ranking ever, according to FloRugby.com, the primary source for all collegiate rugby news. Last year’s team was ranked No. 16 at the end the season when it fell to Arizona (9-4) with a score of 48-5 in the Division I-A National Quarterfinals. It is hoping to build off that strong season and go further in the playoffs this year. Junior inside center Stewart Morris, team captain, was very excited to see the difference in the club’s…