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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | MONDAY, FEB.15, 2016
Softball faces pitching issues
BRIAN MINI
@daftpunkpop
Entering this year, pitching seemed to be the biggest question mark for the Kansas softball team. After the five-game Jacksonville
Lawrence psychology experts share secrets to successful college relationships
OMAR SANCHEZ
@OhMySanchez
Valentine's Day is the holiday that may get the most flak for being a consistent letdown. It's said to be as fabricated of a holiday as a designer dress; it adds pressure to people in relationships to get it together, while subjecting single men and women everywhere to the ultimate form of shaming.
But one shouldn't forget
what the overall message of the day really is: to appreciate those we love while looking toward future improvement in our intimacy.
College students specifically should take this as a critical day to have. Some might forget just how difficult it is to maintain academics and "love" at the same time. There are several steps to building a successful college relationship, and it starts with
understanding the difficulty it is to have one in the first place.
we have one in the first place.
"A long站 through difficult terrain," is how Wes Crenshaw, a Lawrence-based psychologist with certification in Sex Education and Sex Therapy, describes love.
"The whole point of dating is to figure out who you don't belong with, but that's not what we teach our kids. We give them a very romantic story about 'falling into' a "true
The era we live in is supposed to have it easier — Tinder, online dating, instant messaging, the works. Yet nothing about those makes it feel better, or more genuine.
love' instead of searching high- and low for a great match and learning how to make that work."
There is a method to the madness, and that is a fivepoint model, he likes to refer it as, in order to understand what it takes for an intimate college relationship to thrive. It's something Crenshaw has attempted to hone ever since starting his practice with teenagers and young adults 23 years ago.
"Your heart inspires you to be near someone," said Crenshaw, a 1984 University graduate. "Likely based on how they fit an attraction profile you've acquired and refined during adolescence and young adulthood."
However, as associate University psychology professor and intimate relationship researcher Omri Gillath will adamantly point out, young adults must first understand what they aren't doing before jumping into any serious endeavor.
"People [now] are reluctant to put the work into the relationship and its maintenance and tend to develop more superficial relationships." Gillath said.
It's a concept Gillath coins in his research as "Relational Disposability." In a nutshell, the theory behind it is that people in this era are always on the move from one place to another. Because of this, they progressively lose the ability to discern their valuable possessions. High mobility isn't restricted to travel, however; as Gillath elaborates, the constant stream of media has a part in it as well.
"In this era of online or virtual relationships, people just assume that something as good or better will just show up online, like the next screen on Tinder," Gillath said. "Unfortunately, this is not how real life works. If you
don't learn to appreciate and respect what you have, you'll wake up one day without it.
There is amiscommunication somewhere between what our technology intends us to do and what we are manipulating it as. This confusion unfortunately at times materializes as a selfish act, since users are attempting to reap the benefits of affection, sexual conquest and reciprocal desire with only the touch of a button.
There has also been a
if you don't learn to appreciate and respect what you have, you'll wake up one day without it."
Omri Gillath, University Professor
miscommunication between ourselves and the person we are intending to court. As Crenshaw puts it, it's a lack of clarity that starts out any kind of relationship on the bad foot.
"A relationship is the involvement of one or more people in each others lives, and it is based on some agreed-upon rule structure," Crenshaw said. "Poor relationship definition does more damage to young adults than any other dating issue, particularly when it leads to an asynchronous attachment, meaning one person has more feelings than the other."
Consent, in this context, does not strictly mean a yes or a no. Instead, it involves a thorough understanding between the two parties about the state of their relationship, without the need of a crutch or intermediary.
"Young adults talk about 'not wanting to be in a relationship' or 'not putting a label on it,' as if a relationship were solely an exclusive commitment you sign a contract on," Crenshaw said.
Often, people make excuses as to why they can't fully exert the effort that "love" comes along with. However, in extreme situations, like long-distance relationships in college, these sorts of issues are faced head-on. Because that's true, it is a great place to start examining the ways to correctly build a relationship from the bottom up.
"There's no such thing as a casual long-distance relationship," Crenshaw said. "This generation has FaceTime, texting and social media and it has tricked itself into believing that these are a decent substitute for being in someone's life every day."
Crenshaw believes that, in order to build sturdy relationships, college students must learn to interact on a more personal level.
"Young people, even into their 20s, are still learning how to love and be loved, and you just can't phone that in."
Edited by Samantha
Harms
And Patterson Chavez both finished with three RBIs each and Andie Formby threw five shutout innings and gave up one hit.
On Saturday, the Jayhawks split the two games again. The first against Coastal Carolina was a 5-1 win, highlighted by home runs by Chavez and junior outfielder Lily Behrmann.
Against UNC Greensboro, the Jayhawks fell behind 6-1 after a four-run fifth inning. The Jayhawks started to rally but ultimately fell short by a score of 6-2.
Left handed pitcher Ben Krauth throws against Utah. Krauth was named as one of the team's captains.
Edited by Deanna Ambrose
On Sunday, the Jayhawks looked to bounce back against UNC Greensboro. The Jayhawks held a 6-3 lead over the Spartans but the Jayhawks surrendered nine runs in the sixth inning. The Jayhawks lost 12-8.
KU baseball names 2016 captains: Krauth, Moroney and Wright
▶ MATT HOFFMANN
@MattHaffmannUDK
The Golden State is sending its West Coast flair to Kansas in the form of baseball captaincy this season.
Kansas baseball announced today seniors Ben Krauth, Joe Moroney and Colby Wright will be captains for the team's 2016 campaign. This is the first
time each player will represent Kansas as a captain. All three hail from California.
"I am excited about this year's group," manager Ritch Price said in a KU Athletics release. "They are not only outstanding baseball players but even better people."
Krauth is a left-handed pitcher from Concord, Calif., who last season was tabbed as Big 12 Newcomer of the Year with a 7-5 record on the hill. Krauth was also named All-Big 12 Second Team and finished last season with a 3.65 ERA.
Moroney is an outfielder from Pleasanton, Calif., who is a three-time recipient of the "KU Hustle Award" and holds a perfect
1. 000 career fielding percentage. Last season, Moroney started in 21 of his 39 appearances.
Wright is an infielder from Castro Valley, Calif. who was sidelined with an oblique injury for 16 games last season. Of the 40 games he did appear in, 38 were starts. Wright went 4-4 on stolen base attempts last season and was
expected to sign an MLB contract but has returned to the Jayhawks following his injury.
Kansas baseball opens its season Feb. 20 at Arkansas-Little Rock before returning for a two-game homestand on Feb. 22 and 23 against Northern Colorado.
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