Club sports: an alternative to the varsity grind

Participating in a Division I athletic program involves a much greater time investment than playing a sport in high school. Yale's varsity athletes spend up to four hours a day at the field, on the erg machine, or in the weight room; few have time for activities beyond Payne Whitney Gymnasium or the playing fields. For those students interested in joining other extracurricular organizations—say, community service groups or the Herald—club sports offer an alternative source of competition without the large time restrictions imposed by varsity athletics.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH The men's rugby team is one of the few club sports at Yale with a full-time, paid coach and on-site trainers.

Yale's club sports program was developed over 40 years ago by Ed Migdalski, who wanted to make "minor" sports, such as skeet and trap, available to the student body. Today, Migdalski's son Tom oversees Yale's thriving club program as the director of club sports, outdoor education, and recreation. The program encompasses more than 30 different sports.

Near Migdalski's office on the fifth floor of Payne Whitney Gymnasium stands a display case teeming with plaques and trophies that attest to the success of the University's club programs. Wrestling, rugby, cycling, water polo, and ultimate frisbee are consistently among the top club teams in the country. Men's and women's rugby and ultimate all earned berths in their national tournaments in the past few years. Two years ago, wrestling won the non-varsity National Collegiate Wrestling Association title. Yale's more exotic sports are also impressively competitive; four years ago, Max Lamont, CC '00, collected two gold medals at the Skeet and Trap Shooting Nationals.

The club sports program is constantly evolving in an effort to attract more students. According to Midgalski, club sports economic and regulatory policies are currently under review by the Department of Athletics. The University Athletic Department Code states there cannot be three team levels for one sport at Yale—varsity, intramural and club teams cannot all coexist. Usually, when varsity and intramural teams are being supported by the athletic department, the club team is the one to get cut. Migdalski is trying to change the policy so that all three types of teams may be organized at the same time. Midalski hopes this change will be inplemented in the upcoming year.

Playing Hard, Partying Hard

While club sports can certainly hold their own in national competition, their training is not as vigorous as that of varsity programs. Practice regimens differ from club to club, but most teams hold three to four practices per week. Several clubs are less demanding—the ski team, for instance, practices as a team for only one week each semester. Depending on the club, attendance at practices is not always strictly enforced, as it is with varsity programs. While more intense clubs such as ultimate and men's volleyball have mandatory practices, newer squads such as men's and women's lacrosse hold four sessions a week but require attendance at only two. Club sports practices are generally more relaxed than varsity training, involving a combination of socializing and intense play. "Rugby is all about playing hard and then partying hard," Linda Rosenbury, DC '02, said. While varsity athletes would never tap a keg with their coach, the women's rugby captains call "beer practices" a few times a semester. After games, the women rugby players—who can handle their alcohol as well as they can handle a rugby ball—share a keg with members of the opposing team.

Because few high schools offer sports such as cycling, water polo, and ultimate, almost all club teams welcome students who are newcomers to their sport. "We get a lot of people who played other sports in high school and don't want to do varsity anymore," Jonathan Shaw, BR '99, said of ultimate. "It's not hard to teach them frisbee." Both men's and women's rugby have an A and a B side to accommodate students with no rugby experience. The B side, which is equivalent to a JV squad, plays a short match after the A squad has finished to ensure that all players gain game experience.

Funding the Fun

Although more than 300 students participate in club sports, club programs receive minimal funding from the University. Because of Title IX, Yale can rarely afford to give more than $500 to each club team. With such paltry funds, few club teams can afford to hire coaches, so captains generally run practices. Most club athletes, however, believe that their teams function well without the guidance of a coach. "Without a coach, we develop a very special sense of team unity," former women's ultimate captain Sarah Lieberman, JE '99, explained. "Ramona [the women's ultimate team] is a very self-motivated team. We teach each other and learn from each other. In the end, success and failure totally depend on the team."

Limited funding from the University also forces club athletes to dip into their own pockets to pay for equipment and to finance tournament registration fees and travel expenses. Most club teams charge $50 in dues each semester, and nearly all club athletes have had to organize fundraisers to help cover costs. The men's ultimate team makes money by selling T-shirts and by hosting the Yale Cup tournament, for which visiting teams are charged a $300 registration fee.

Former water polo captain Trevor Hawkins, DC '99, said his team funded equipment and travel expenses by canvassing alumni for donations. A few teams even receive money from national organizations. David Hecht, TC '00, the founder and captain of the team handball club, said that his sport has "been in contact with USA Team Handball and [expects] to receive up to $2,000 to pay for balls and goals."

Even though Yale does not provide club teams with coaches or ample funds, it does supply them with excellent training facilities. For years, the University did not furnish separate practice facilities for the different club teams, forcing them to juggle practice schedules and training space. Reserving practice rooms was most difficult in the winter, when all the club teams would compete for space inside Payne Whitney. Because of this space crunch, the men's ultimate and women's rugby teams used to hold practices from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. This situation is improving with the recent addition of the Lanman Center, a large appendage to Payne Whitney that expands club teams' practice space.

Club sports provide students with a terrific opportunity to try something new and different—or to continue participating in sports they enjoyed pursuing in high school. They supply a chance to compete against teams from around the nation in a relaxed atmosphere. With a wide selection of teams, Yale's club programs offer something for everyone.

Sarah Holley, Sharon Lin, Matt Spanjers, and Lindsey Stimpson contributed to this article.

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