Club athletics get underway at USU
Aside from the 12 varsity sports Utah State currently boasts, the university also offers more than 16 club sport opportunities – everything from ice hockey to longboarding – for both fans and athletes alike.
Last spring alone, USU club athletics saw the men’s volleyball team qualify for the national tournament, the hockey team place No. 12 overall in the nation, rodeo rider Rawlee Yamauchi place No. 12 in the nation and Darcie Murphy finish No. 9 in the nation for the cycling club.
While a number of these clubs won’t begin their official seasons until the spring semester, almost all of them will be holding tryouts and informational meetings during the first month of classes.
Club sports are a good way for students to become involved in competitive collegiate atheltics, according to Albert Garner, the president of the USU men’s lacrosse club.
“Most of the university clubs are associated with their respective national leagues,” Garner said. “They’re competitive, as much as any [Division I] football team is competitive in its league.”
The men’s lacrosse team will be playing its home games at Romney Stadium this spring, for the first time in its exisistence, but Garner said the club will not charge admission in an effort to draw fans to games.
“We’ve always cooked free hot dogs for fans,” Garner said. “Romney [Stadium] is a real venue and that should draw more people. But we’re not going to charge admission this year. We just want people to watch us play.”
Assistant baseball coach Ernie Rivers, who’s club has adopted the unofficial slogan of “No salaries, no union, no owners, no scholarships – we’re guaranteed not to go on strike,” echoed Garner’s sentiments, calling club athletes “the true student athlete.”
“These athletes have to pay their own way,” Rivers said. “They’re playing for the right reasons.”
Ballroom Dancing – The ballroom dancing club meets three times a week 2:30-5:30 p.m. Tryouts for the fall will be held on Sept. 3 and 4.
For more information call Chris Boggs at (435) 770-2194.
Baseball – Following a 12-11 season in 2004, the baseball team will be under the reigns of new head coach Bret Al-Imari this season. Al-Imari returns to Logan, where he played high school ball at Logan High, after finishing his collegiate career at Bellevue University in Nebraska.
Tryouts will be held Aug. 30-Sept. 10 at Zollinger Park (100 N., 200 West) in Providence starting at 5 p.m. Players should arrive with their own equipment and in appropriate attire.
Contact Ernie Rivers at baseball@cc.usu.edu or at (435) 770-6395 for more information.
Hockey – Coached by Jerry Crossley, the hockey team finished No. 12 in the nation last spring. The team will hold a meeting in the Nelson Fieldhouse on Aug. 30, followed by tryouts Aug. 31 – Sept. 2. Players are required to bring full gear to the tryout as well as pay a $30 fee at the first team meeting.
Contact usuhockey@hotmail.com for more information.
Men’s lacrosse – After playing only three games in Logan during the 2004 season, the Ags are looking forward to a home schedule next spring which will include in-state rivals Utah and Brigham Young, as well as Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference opponents Boise State, Colorado State and Colorado.
The team’s exhibition season begins in the fall and includes tournaments in Logan, Boise and Las Vegas. Regular season matchups get underway in late February and last until the end of April. The team will hold a meeting on the HPER field Friday, Sept. 3 at 4 p.m.
Contact Albert Garner at agarner@cc.usu.edu for more information.
Women’s lacrosse – Returning 10 players this season, the women’s lacrosse team has the potential to be the best of the five collegiate teams in Utah, midfielder Kelsy Schneiter said. While the team’s regular season doesn’t begin until the spring, practices and some tournaments will get underway in September.
Contact Kelsy Schneiter at kschneiter@cc.usu.edu for more information.
Longboarding – The longboarding club will meet at the Taggart Student Center this semester as a competitive way to enjoy the sport. Members will be required to pay a $10 fee to cover costs of events and races.
Contact Mike Toll at miketollusu@yahoo.com for meeting and race times.
Rodeo – Under the coaching of Jeff Hall, the rodeo club has consistently sent riders to the national championships for the past eight years. This fall the rodeo team will compete in events in Salt Lake, Cedar City, Logan and Pocatello, Idaho.
Students interested in rodeo should contact Hall before Friday at (435) 797-0238.
Men’s soccer – Tryouts for the men’s soccer team will be held on the Tower field Monday and Tuesday evening at 5 p.m. There will be a $25 dollar tryout fee.
-acf@cc.usu.edu