{"id":168115,"date":"2025-03-28T15:49:42","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T19:49:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=168115"},"modified":"2025-05-15T15:05:34","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T19:05:34","slug":"chef-george-washington-and-the-dab-top-bobcat-sportraits-from-winter-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2025\/03\/28\/chef-george-washington-and-the-dab-top-bobcat-sportraits-from-winter-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef, the Dab, and George Washington: Top Bobcat sportraits from winter 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The late, beloved Bates poet Robert Farnsworth said that our ability to create and comprehend metaphor \u2014 “to think in one thing in terms of another” \u2014 was the “central passion of the human creature.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before each season, Bobcat student-athletes express passion for their sports through “sportraits,” playful and creative photographs taken during media day that often reveal not just what sport they play, but who they are and what they care about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This winter, some chose props \u2014 a chef\u2019s hat, a plant, even a makeshift rowboat \u2014 to build metaphors and tell stories about teamwork, resilience, or pure joy, with irony and humor as delightful side dishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are our top seven sportraits from winter 2025 \u2014 each one its own kind of poetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking up a successful season<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Noah Katz \u201927 \u201csaut\u00e9s\u201d his swim cap in a pan brought to Bates from his home in Hallowell, Maine, about 40 minutes north of campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"student
Noah Katz \u201927 of Hallowell, Maine, gives a flip to his swim cap. (Brewster Burns for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The concept reflects Katz\u2019s love of cooking. As he likes to say, quoting chef Auguste Gusteau from Ratatouille<\/em>, “Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPastas are my specialty,\u201d says Katz. \u201cI love to cook, and I wanted to get a chef’s hat and pan for media day, since sportraits are always more fun with props.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have some of the best media day photos in the country, and I’m honored to represent Bates every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
A little dab’ll do ya<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

When emailed about their choice of doing the dab for this sportrait, none of these Nordic skiers responded. Well, who can blame them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"
Maybe someday, said photographer Brewster Burns, these Nordic skiers will appreciate doing the dab for their sportrait. (Brewster Burns for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The move was briefly popular a decade or so ago, when these Bobcats were in middle school, when maybe some of them dabbed. The craze jumped the shark \u2014 with great elevation \u2014 around January 2016, when then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton did the move on The<\/em> Ellen DeGeneres Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So their pose is ironic and humorous (note the laughter), offered at photographer Brewster Burns\u2019 suggestion, who promised that \u201c30 years from now, you\u2019ll think it\u2019s hilarious.\u201d Time will tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
Snap a selfie<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"student
Brady Coyne \u201926 of Falmouth, Maine, Peter Psyhogeos \u201926 of Cumberland, Maine, David Omasombo ’26 of Lewiston, Chiwer Mayen \u201926 of Lewiston, and Elliott Cravitz \u201926 of Denver snap a selfie. (Brewster Burns for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
\n
\"a
The view from Cravitz’s phone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Fads come and go, and while the era of the selfie seems to be declining (and their sidekick, the selfie-stick), the juniors on the men\u2019s basketball team used the motif to strong effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe wanted to capture the closeness and camaraderie of this group and thought the selfie captured this best,\u201d explains Elliott Cravitz \u201926 of Denver (right), holding the phone with, from left, Brady Coyne \u201926 of Falmouth, Maine, Peter Psyhogeos \u201926 of Cumb Foreside, Maine, David Omasombo ’26 of Lewiston, and Chiwer Mayen \u201926 of Lewiston. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u201cLifting\u201d each other up<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elevating his interest in powerlifting, Bates thrower Solomon Sakakeeny-Smith \u201925 of Boston, Mass., deadlifts two teammates, sprinters Mario Ferro \u201926 (left) of Manchester, N.H., and Truman Williams \u201925 (right) of Montclair, N.J.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sakakeeny-Smith got into lifting during the winter of his first year. He had rowed during the fall and wanted a new athletic outlet. \u201cSince then, weightlifting has been a key part of my athletic training, especially since I joined the track team as a thrower.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"big
Bates thrower Solomon Sakakeeny-Smith \u201925 of Boston, Mass., deadlifts two teammates. (Brewster Burns for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Growing together<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a Bates student, you probably know the power of metaphors to create meaning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last fall, the squash team met with Athletics leadership to discuss goals and intentions for the year, which planted the seed of an idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the administrators said that building a strong team culture is like taking care of a plant: You have to water it every day or it will die. \u201cIt might look great one day, but if you forget about it, it’s going to deteriorate,\u201d says Max Good \u201925 (left) of Shaker Heights, Ohio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"four
Team culture is like a plant: You must water it to sustain it. (Brewster Burns for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The team bought into it, literally, bringing and watering this plant at the sportrait session. From left are Good, Dennis Welte ’28 of Stuttgart, Germany, Labeeb Ali ’25 of Plano, Texas, and Harris Ramlee ’25 of Orland Park, Ill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something of a mascot, the plant lives in some corner of the Bates Squash Center, \u201cour \u2018squash shack,\u2019\u201d says Good. (For now, the plant is artificial, but give the guys some time.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
Adam to Washington<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important for a team to all be on the same page. Or rowing in the same direction, like the first-year swimmers and divers in their re-creation of Emanuel Leutze’s painting Washington Crossing the Delaware<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"
First-year swimmers and divers are all rowing in the same direction. (Brewster Burns for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Team captain Jack Mocarski \u201925 of Fairfield, Conn., credits the concept to Isabelle Chou \u201928 of East Greenwich, R.I.  For props, the Bobcats scrounged the entire pool: they used the large tub for the divers as the boat, noodles as the oars, and a Bates flag to represent the American flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The swim team leads the way in creating outlandish team sportraits, including ones that spoof famous works of art. Two years ago, Kailer Tom \u201926 of Daly City, Calif., and Jack Mocarski \u201925 of Fairfield, Conn., spoofed Michelangelo\u2019s The Creation of Adam.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"students
The swim team spoofing famous artworks kicked off two years ago when Kailer Tom \u201926 of Daly City, Calif., and Jack Mocarski \u201925 of Fairfield, Conn., spoofed Michelangelo\u2019s The Creation of Adam<\/em>. (Brewster Burns for Bates College)
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Shine on<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

There are ups and downs \u2014 sunshine and rain \u2014 to any athletic season, but Bates athletes push through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"You
You need an umbrella to protect yourself from excuses, says Jaylen Tang ’28 of Tenafly, N.J. (Brewster Burns for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These first-year runners have a saying, says Jaylen Tang \u201928 (left) of Tenafly, N.J.: \u201cGetting rained on\u201d means allowing \u201cexcuses and injuries plague us into having a bad season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRain is all the other factors and excuses that affect us during the season that could negatively influence us. The umbrella represents the hard work and dedication we put into the season \u2014 the shield needed to have a positive season with no excuses holding us back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\u201cBack\u201dcountry skiing<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Skis belong underfoot \u2014 unless they\u2019re needed to send a message that you need to be strong to ski fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the fall, before snow or snowmaking opens the Maine slopes, Bates skiers train hard. Weightlifting plays a big role in their preparation for the winter season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"You
Be strong, ski fast, and stay together, say these Alpine skiers. (Brewster Burns for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a day where we \u2018max out\u2019 in the gym,\u201d explains Kenzie Arnott \u201925 of Stowe, Vt. \u201cWe all lift as heavy as we can in order to compare how strong we are at the beginning vs. the end of the strength block,\u201d the weeks-long stretch of strength training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that training in mind, the Alpine skiers went to work recreating one of those moments in a sportrait. That\u2019s Lindsey Aten \u201926 of Park City, Utah, using her Rossignol skis as a barbell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs you can see in the photo, these days involve a lot of cheering and support for one another, which we wanted to bring to life in the photo,\u201d says Arnott.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some chose props \u2014 a chef\u2019s hat, a plant, even a makeshift rowboat \u2014 to build metaphors and tell stories about teamwork, resilience, or pure joy, with irony and humor as delightful side dishes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1713,"featured_media":168127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[24,133],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-168115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","category-creativity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1713"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168115"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169115,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168115\/revisions\/169115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}