Clubbin’

Many students who come to Chico State University and are looking to meet new people either want to join a sorority or fraternity or play a sport, notes student Melody Yeager. For her, joining the women’s water polo team offered an opportunity to meet some of her best friends.

President of the team for the past three years, Yeager said many who join have swimming backgrounds, but since there is no swim team at Chico State, water polo is the next best thing. But not everyone has had experience. “Some girls join who have no experience and just want to try something new,” she said.

President of the team for the past three years, Yeager said many who join have swimming backgrounds, but since there is no swim team at Chico State, water polo is the next best thing. But not everyone has had experience. “Some girls join who have no experience and just want to try something new,” she said.

The women’s water polo team has been around for six years, playing such teams as Pepperdine, Cal Poly and Fresno State. It’s traveled as far as Arizona, as it did three years ago when it made it to nationals.

“Sports definitely bring discipline into your life,” Yeager said. “There are so many distractions when you first come to Chico.”

Getting into club sports is a unique way to compete against other schools and teams in the same league, said Mary Wallmark, director of Sport Club for Chico State. She said it’s important for a campus to provide opportunities to athletes who don’t have the same options as those available at larger schools.

“A lot of students join because they are really looking for some sort of camaraderie and competitive opportunity,” she said. But a lot of people who join club sports have never even played sports in high school, she said. Even so, Wallmark said, of the 14 Chico State club teams, 11 made it to post-season play last season. Four made it to nationals, including the water ski team, which placed fifth, men’s volleyball (second), women’s rugby (tied for eighth) and women’s volleyball (17th).

Some club sports, however, call for a more serious approach. Not only does the men’s lacrosse team travel more than any other club sport at Chico State, its members pay the highest dues—a steep $1,500, said Coach Rob Warner. The dues go toward equipment and traveling costs, but Warner said that still doesn’t cover everything.

“We have a lacrosse camp where high-school kids come, and we teach them how to play,” he said. With more than 40 players, the team plays about 20 games per season and competes against big-name schools such as Cal Berkeley, Sonoma State and Cal Poly. The team has traveled as far as Michigan, Colorado and Washington to compete.

Warner said he welcomes good athletes and added he also does a lot of recruiting.

“We recruit at the high-school level,” he said, “mainly from the Bay Area because it’s closest.”

The games produce a good audience turnout, Warner said.

“Lacrosse is a high-scoring sport,” he explained. “People like to see that.”

A club sport that doesn’t necessarily involve one-on-one direct competition is cycling. The team practices both road and mountain bike disciplines, and beginners are welcome. Recently, the team sent 15 of its riders to the National Mountain Bike Championships in New Mexico, where they placed eighth in Division I.

Former team president Cheyne Cowne said the team provides a great way to get outdoors and compete. “It gives you a chance to meet other riders and have fun,” he said.

Throwing a plastic flying disc back and forth sounds repetitive to some, but for the Ultimate Frisbee team it is pure bliss. David Janinis, co-captain of the men’s team, described the Frisbee as a “floating carrot.”

“You get to dive for a disc in the middle of a sprint, and you have to get there before the other person does,” he said.

The team practices January through May. Players can have up to five years of experience and must be Chico State students. Every season the team attends about 10 tournaments and plays teams from schools such as Stanford, Davis, San Diego and Oregon, Janinis said. The Chico team has won two Stanford tournaments and lost to the University of Oregon in the semi-finals of regionals. As fairly new teams—the men’s team was launched in 1996 and the women’s in 2000—they host tournaments not just for the competition but for fun with the other teams as well.

Ultimate Frisbee is expanding into the community, Janinis said. They now have a club series team, which is a bit more competitive than the college level but welcomes anyone in the community to play.

Another club sport Chico State offers that may surprise some is water skiing. Many of those who join the team say they did so because of the increased opportunity to ski.

“I get to ski at least four days a week,” said team Captain Denae Rowe, who has been on the team for two years. Members also get to travel all around California for tournaments and enjoy their road trips, Rowe said. In last year’s national competition, Chico State’s water ski team took sixth place. Rowe said they are the only team ranked nationally that doesn’t have a coach.

One bonus is the good tan members have by the end of the season. Tan or no tan, it is very important, Rowe said, for students to be involved in extra curricular activities.

“It makes a person very well rounded," she said. "It is very tough trying to manage college classes and be committed to a college club sport. By getting involved in sports you learn many skills that are important and that you can take with you into the real world."