Walking into East Race Muscle in South Bend, is unlike entering any commercial gym in the area. Once a car factory, the gym itself has massive concrete columns supporting its ceiling, and large windows along one wall allow for plenty of natural light during the daytime.  The facility was established in 2015, and its ethos is reflected in its mantra: “Be a Lion.” Lions are emblematic of strength and loyalty—apropos to such a place—but also, they are pack animals. The same can be said of the powerlifters and other patrons at East Race Muscle.  Powerlifting is a thoroughly Midwestern sport,...

By Liam Morris • April 11, 2024 • Features

It’s hard to nail down how disc golf got its start. Was it the patent for the frisbee in 1966, or the patent for the modern disc golf basket in 1975? Regardless, disc golf has exploded in popularity over the last 25 years. In 1999, the Professional Disc Golf Association had 5,653 members, and last year the association celebrated the 250,000th member. Goshen was an early adopter in the disc golf world, adding an 18-hole course to Ox Bow County Park back in 1989. The course hosted the Disc Golf World Championship in 1996 and the “Michiana Open,” which was...

By Seth Smith Kauffman • April 11, 2024 • Features

A leisure activity is on the rise in Elkhart County, a new sport rather. It requires a wooden racket, sending and returning a ball over a net, some lateral quickness and, most importantly, an open mind.  And although this may sound like tennis, it’s not. It’s pickleball.   Pickleball’s popularity is growing exponentially throughout the United States with an estimated 223.5% growth since 2020, making it the fastest-growing sport in America, according to USA Pickleball. This growing popularity has made its way from the West Coast in Washington, where it originated, to Goshen, with the creation of various pickleball courts and...

By Charlie Aldrich • April 11, 2024 • Features

I’m not good at dancing. The only time I’ve danced in an organized way in front of others was during my good friend’s quinceañera when I was 14. I had to take dance lessons twice a week for about two months to feel somewhat comfortable to perform a 45-second routine. When the opportunity presented itself to better my dance skills, I was excited at the chance. I’ve always been envious of those who can naturally find the beat and move with such intention that it looks unintentional. But as I drove to GoDance Studio in downtown Goshen, the nerves really...

By Alyssa McDonald • April 11, 2024 • Features

On April 18, 1868, Goshen was incorporated as a city. On that same day, construction was completed on the Millrace. According to the Goshen Historical Society, it took a 40-person crew, horses and plows to dig the canal over the course of a year. The original intent was for the canal to generate electricity, and the addition of the canal helped boost industry in Goshen. But as time went on, that need decreased, and in 1968, ownership transferred from NIPSCO to the city of Goshen, who turned it into a park. Today, 2.75 miles of trail run alongside the canal;...

By Tyson Miller • April 11, 2024 • Features

Men’s and women’s bowling will be added to the Maple Leaf sports lineup starting this fall, Goshen College announced last year. Head coach for both bowling teams, Scott Curtis, continues scouting for his teams. With 13 recruits for the men’s team and nine for the women’s, he is on his way to a full roster. The college does not have its own bowling facilities, but Maple City Bowl in Goshen is the closest bowling alley to the college. The bowling teams will use Maple City Bowl for practice, so college students and community members will naturally get to know one...

By Liliana Herrera • April 11, 2024 • Features

Duane Stoltzfus, professor of communication, will be stepping down from his position as faculty adviser for The Record at the end of this school year. This is his last issue in that position, as Anna Groff, assistant professor of communication, will be stepping in for the fall semester and beyond. To honor him, Daniel James reached out to previous editors of The Record who served during Stoltzfus’s tenure as adviser over the past 24 years and asked for them to share their experiences and reflections. Comments have been edited for space and clarity. When Duane arrived at Goshen College, he...

By Record • April 11, 2024 • Features

Last week, students gathered to experience a variety of diverse music and dance at the Intercultural Student Dance, one of the many on-campus collaborations with other affinity groups that the Black Student Union has actively brought to campus. “It’s been rewarding to see these events connect people from different backgrounds,” said Jakyra Green, a senior English and secondary education major, and the current BSU president. “What’s even more rewarding is to see the number of Black students and faculty participating. When Black people come together, we do so with love and togetherness.” In addition to their continued involvement with other...

By Carmen Merino • April 11, 2024 • Features

Dear editor: I write this letter with a discouraged sense of trust in both the editorial staff and The Record as a whole. Last week, I wrote an article covering the African American Spring Open House that was held here at GC by Lawrence Giden and his interdisciplinary team.  I was hesitant to write the article, as I have experienced frustration in the past about the censorship done by editorial staff at the Record, in addition to the misleading representation of particular sentiments as a result of inaccurate editorial suggestions (and, inevitably, published changes.)  I experienced pushback from Record staff...

By Carmen Merino • April 11, 2024 • Features

What a ride it’s been. There’s so much I have yet to say, and so much I want to say. So much gratitude: to the friends that have kept me going through endless late-night study sessions and Taco Bell runs; to my professors, the advisers and mentors that they are; and especially to the student-athletes that have given me a space to act like a child again, and jump, dance and sing my way through four years in the student section. I don’t have space for everything I want to say, though, and you all don’t need to read my...

By Daniel James • April 11, 2024 • Features

The Campus Post Office is known primarily as the holding place for student mail, where packages and letters are picked up and confirmation photos are taken and sent. However, the department is responsible for much more than what meets the eye. “Campus Post has many big and small tasks that simply cannot all be named in a concise answer,” said Melissa Viruez, the ITS Media office manager. Viruez has been working at GC for 9 months, and has been “truly enjoying” being a part of the ITS Media team.  “We serve as the sole campus delivery and pickup location for...

By Ben Koop • April 4, 2024 • Features

I met Doug Crum at the campus safety desk at 11:56 p.m. on Saturday night. He was clocking in for an eight-hour shift, and was taking me along for the ride.  Zeke Kingsbury was the safety office on duty that evening, so he gave Crum the rundown from his shift earlier that evening: “Not much to report,” he said. “Goshen Health called, they had reports of someone acting strange in their parking lot, black hoodie, red hat. They said he was headed our way but I never saw him.” As Crum settled into his shift, he turned to me. Crum...

By Tyson Miller • April 4, 2024 • Features

We are encouraged! Last Wednesday, these two octogenarians from Greencroft joined nearly 100 students and friends of Goshen College to lift our voices in song, listen to moving speeches, hold protest signs and generally try to have our voices heard. It was so heartening to see students trying to make a difference, speaking to the GC administration, asking them to speak up against the violence and killing in Gaza. They spoke of their own sorrow, anger and disappointment at our culpability in supporting the carnage. Yet, there was a glimmer of hope as GC students and leaders from Michiana Voices...

By Jep and Joyce Hostetler • April 4, 2024 • Features

Robina Sommers transitioned into higher education after teaching at public elementary and high schools for 30 years. She joined Goshen College faculty this fall as an assistant professor of education.  In 2017, Sommers received an ADHD diagnosis that brought on a new set of challenges to her job as an educator. I sat with Mrs. Sommers to get her personal and occupational journey with ADHD.  Sommers’ diagnosis came rather late in her life. She believes the delay was rooted in cultural discrepancies and educational expectations in her upbringing.  “Growing up in India, everything was so structured that there was no...

By Eliza Alemán • April 4, 2024 • Features

From age 6 to age 11, before trends had entered my mind, before I was aware of what was cool or uncool, in style or out of style, I wore outrageous things: psychedelic print shorts with a neon tank top, long striped rainbow socks and a white faux fur vest, to share a glimpse. One day on a hike in the woods with my family, I even wore a strapless tank top, bell-bottom jeans and a skinny but long shimmery scarf… On a hike… Now, far from the days of clueless bliss, we are constantly bombarded with opinions on what...

By Sadie Brenneman • March 21, 2024 • Features