When most people think of UConn sports, they envision NCAA basketball tournaments, All-Americans, bowl games and Big East championships in a variety of sports represented by more than 650 student-athletes on 24 teams. But a group of 1,100 students in Storrs also represent UConn on the field of play, in 40 club sport teams ranging from women’s ice hockey and skydiving to paintball and table tennis.

Students who participate in club sports may not be as well-known as All-American basketball star Maya Moore ’11 (CLAS) or Papajohns.com Bowl MVP Andre Dixon ’10 (CLAS), but they are just as competitive, and also win national championships wearing Blue and White while competing against teams from other universities.

“The majority of clubs compete nationally, and the ones that don’t are definitely striving to get there,” says Kate Durant, the University’s club sports coordinator, who notes that last year 100 students tried out for two spots on the men’s soccer club team and 60 competed for seven spots on the women’s field hockey club.

For some, the term “club sports” may bring to mind nothing more than an entertaining pastime – a chance to release stress and enjoy some friendly rivalry without worries about winning or losing. At UConn, however, club sports offer students not only fierce competition but also many opportunities to develop life skills outside the classroom that will serve them well long after graduation.

Labor of Love

The popularity of UConn’s club sports teams – from softball, swimming, and tennis to archery, ballroom dancing, and Timber Team – is remarkably strong, given the time and effort most students commit to their chosen sport. Many compete throughout the academic year, traveling to games and regional and national tournaments held across New England and beyond, often every weekend.

Men’s crew, for instance, rises at 5 a.m. four times a week for a rigorous practice on nearby Coventry Lake. “You’re not really in it for the glory,” says Joshua Lee ’10 (CLAS), a psychology major and co-captain of the men’s crew club. “But you get a feeling of satisfaction that you’ve done something before most people have woken up.”

Members of most other clubs likewise attend lengthy organized practices up to three or four times a week and are often expected to visit the gym outside the scheduled practice times for weight training and additional conditioning.

Women’s ice hockey holds two-hour practices several times a week on the ice, and also convenes for off-ice drills and team runs. “It’s a big commitment, and the majority of the girls on the team are really involved on campus,” says co-captain and president Jennifer Danowitz ’10 (CLAS). “There are honors students, double majors, and people doing other club sports.”

But, she says, all the hard work is worth it for the camaraderie. “You’re going out there as a team, and you are all there for one another,” Danowitz says. “It’s great to have that support system and a network of really close friends.”

UConn ballroom dancing competitors, meanwhile, hold weekly practices plus lessons with a coach, and are encouraged to seek out private lessons as well. “If you want to be competitive, you have to put that much into it,” says club president Kailee Donovan ’10 (CLAS). “And there are a lot of people on the team who do.”

Life Lessons

Competing eats up more than time – it can be pricey, too. In need of money for equipment, uniforms, and travel expenses, each team is required to raise some of its own funds to supplement allocations from the Undergraduate Student Government or the Club Sports Council, the governing body for the club sports program. Teams charge member dues, organize fund-raisers, and rely on alumni donors. Meanwhile, club officers also are responsible for securing vendor contracts, hiring coaches, and interacting with the national governing bodies that, similar to the NCAA, oversee the rules and regulations for each club sport’s intercollegiate competitions.

Club sports lead students to acquire a range of life skills – from sportsmanship to time management – that translate to the real world.

“I learned how to be able to talk professionally with corporate sponsors and deal with finances, travel, and organizing trips to tournaments – all really great skills to have,” says Ken Rusterholz ’07 (CANR), ’08 M.S., former president of the paintball club, which has won national championships.

Others, such as Matt Augeri ’09 (CLAS), former captain and president of men’s crew, compare leading a club sports team with running a company. “Because it’s a club sport, it’s whatever you want to make it,” he says. “If you want the team to be better, you have to make that happen. If you want a coach, you have to hire the coach. With budgeting and travel, it really is like running a small business.”

Michael Mizrahi ’12 (CLAS), president of the men’s polo team, which has earned four national championship titles and groomed players for professional careers in the sport, agrees. “We do everything on our own,” he says. “We manage our own funds. We fund-raise. We budget ourselves. We plan ahead. It’s a huge world of responsibility.”

Team Players

For many, club sports satisfy an innate thirst for competition. Others find an opportunity to develop lasting friendships, revel in school pride, or enjoy team camaraderie.

Alumni say their UConn club experience often proves to be an enduring passion long after graduation. Libby Lombard ’00 (NUR) ballroom danced at UConn and later served as a mentor to club members, as she continued to participate with them in competitions across the Northeast. Ray Peterson ’73 (CLAS), a founding member of UConn’s first men’s rugby team, competed in the sport until the age of 47, serves as a high school rugby coach, and also is managing director of USA Sevens LLC, which operates the largest international rugby tournament in North America.

Like Peterson, rugby club alum Rob Chudzik ’91 (CLAS) never left the sport behind: he serves as an assistant coach for today’s club. “You make lifelong connections,” says Chudzik, UConn’s manager of Internet Services. “Twenty-plus years later, I’m still in close contact with lots of my teammates. Rugby created a bond that’s lasted.”