Club Sports Vie for Limited Field Space

By Hailey Anderson
Sports Editor

According to the Claremont University Consortium’s Club Sports website, “Club Sports provide an opportunity for competition in sports that are not currently intercollegiate varsity athletics” (http://www.cuc.claremont.edu/clubsports/).

This statement seems like a reasonable goal for the Club Sports Program until one sees the practice schedule for the men’s and women’s rugby, men’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s Ultimate Frisbee - the club teams that have started to practice this fall. There is already a shortage of practice space, and not all teams have begun to practice.

The lack of space makes it almost impossible for each team to have sufficient practice time. Each team practices twice a week. Linde field at Harvey Mudd and Parent’s field are the only practice spaces allotted to Club Sports. This means that every team, with the exception of men’s Ultimate Frisbee is forced to share Linde field when they practice.

Practice space in the 5-C is tough to come by. As the Colleges have grown, space that had been previously used for club and intramural sports has slowly been transformed into parking lots or new dorms. Title IX, more money in the athletic department, and other factors, have increased the number of varsity teams. At the same time, students have become more active, and involvement in both programs has risen. Everyone wants and needs their own space in which to practice and play. There is however, a sort of playing space hierarchy at the 5-C.

Varsity athletics have priority when it comes to field space. They are followed by physical education classes and then by Intramural sports. Club Sports get what space is left over.

Although they hold the bottom rung of the resource ladder, the Club Sports Program is healthy and popular at the Claremont Colleges, says Carla Jackson, Club Sports Program Administrator. “We had 210 participants last year, and this year we expect to have as many or more."

“Club Sports play an important role in college life. They allow students to participate in sports that aren't offered at the varsity level. They allow for students to learn a new sport. They give students the opportunity to develop leadership and organizational skills and they allow for a fun, organized means of getting exercise,” Jackson noted. “The greatest thing about them is that they are completely student-run.”

Specific Club Sports are often the brainchildren of students who want to play a sport that is not offered. Students work with Jackson to create a program. There is an extensive procedure that must be followed to create a team and to join a team. This, says Jackson, turns some people off, but leaves only those who are truly committed to building a successful program. Students must fundraise to support their teams, and teams are often student coached. Students must organize times to practice and transportation to games. Students must also take care of details like insurance and uniforms.

Contrary to what many students believe, Club Sports are competitive and require a significant time commitment. The teams travel and play against different schools. There is a commitment to practice and games. While it isn’t as time-consuming as varsity athletics, it is a level above intramural sports, which basically entail showing up and playing. For this reason, it is surprising and confusing to learn that Club Sports are lower on the practice space ladder than intramural sports.

Despite the lack of practice space and general support from all 5-C athletic departments, the teams are quite successful. “Last year, almost all teams went to their regional tournaments, and some even competed on the national level,” said Jackson.

The lack of space does not seem to be hampering this year’s program either, as participation seems to be very high, and requests for new teams come in often. A crew team is in the process of becoming a recognized club, and will probably get off the ground before the year is through.

All sports at the Claremont Colleges have to fight for limited field space, but it seems that Club Sports have an especially large disadvantage. Their commitment and success should merit more recognition and respect in the athletic departments' hierarchies.

When asked if a solution to the problem of field space was being formulated, Jackson noted the current lack of funds, “It is financially not possible, but the teams have been very cooperative about sharing field space, and have made use of new spaces that had not been used as practice space before.”

Jackson does feel, however, that more practice space is coming. Until then, Club Sports will have to continue building successful teams without sufficient field space.

If you are interested in playing Club Sports or in starting a new club, contact Carla Jackson, Club Sports Program Administrator, at extension 73602 or carla_jackson@cuc.claremont.edu.