Club sports truly offer something for everyone

JULIA TIERNAN/YH

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 fields, on erg machines, or in the weight room; few have time for activities away from 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 outlet for competition without the large time demands imposed by varsity athletics.

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 shooting, 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 now encompasses more than 30 different teams.

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. Yale's wrestling, rugby, cycling, water polo, and ultimate frisbee squads 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; five 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 Mid-galski, club sports' economic and reg-ulatory 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 simultaneously 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 can exist at the same time.

While club sports can certainly hold their own in national competitions, their training is not as rigorous 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 mandatory, as it is with varsity programs. While more intense clubs such as ultimate and men's volleyball require attendance, 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 the 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. And because performance is not considered more important than the overall athletic experience, club teams are comfortable devoting significant time to teaching.

Many teams have large enough rosters that the less-experienced players can be grouped together. Both men's and women's rugby, for example, have an A and a B team. The B team, 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. Although more than 300 students participate in club sports at Yale, club programs receive only minimal funding from the University. Because of Title IX, which requires that men's and women's programs receive equal institutional financial support, Yale can rarely afford to give more than $500 to each club team.

With such paltry funds, teams, by rule, do not hire regular coaches, so club sports captains must generally run the practices on their own.

Most club athletes, however, believe that their teams function very well without the guidance of a coach. In such situations, the athletes must support, motivate, and learn from each other. As is the case for the men's and women's ultimate frisbee teams, this usually results in a strong club identity, a tight bond, and a sense of accountability and accomplishment in every individual player, rather than dependance on a single authority figure.

One drawback is that limited funding from the University forces club athletes to dip into their own pockets to pay for equipment and 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 hosting the Yale Cup tournament, for which visiting teams are charged a $300 registration fee.

The men's water polo team has funded equipment and travel expenses by soliciting donations from alumni. A few teams even receive money from national organizations. David Hecht, TC '00, the founder and former captain of the team handball club, said that his sport had successfully "been in contact with USA Team Handball to solicit money 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 negotiate practice schedules and training space among 30 different groups. Reserving practice rooms was most difficult in the winter, when all the club teams would compete for space inside Payne Whitney Gym. 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.

Especially in light of such recent improvements by the athletic department, 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, Lindsey Stimpson and Rachel Kamins contributed to this article.

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