Post Classifieds
Club sports keep it fresh
By Aaron Garland
On September 12, 2012
Playing a Division III sport can be a daunting task for any student-athlete trying to balance their
studies, personal lives and competitive nature. Playing a club sport can give one that same sense of
competitiveness while easing the pressures of academia.
"I definitely feel like it's not as demanding (as a Division III sport), but people definitely put everything
they have into it," junior Edem Wade said of playing on the Buffalo State club rugby team. "If you're on
the team, you're on the team. You fall in love with the sport, and it's like you're playing for the school,
you just don't have that official NCAA title.
"People are as dedicated as, you know, the football team is, as the track team is. People (on the team)
hit the gym, people go on runs."
Men's rugby, the Mad Dogs, is among one of the three club sports offered at Buffalo State. Women's
rugby, the Banshees, and men's lacrosse, simply named Buffalo State, are the other two club teams
offered to any student.
Getting involved in clubs and activities can assist freshmen in meeting new people and can relieve some
of the stresses schoolwork can bring.
"Even if you're not die-hard toward whatever the club is, I mean, it's still something social," said senior
Mike Marvin, vice president of the club lacrosse team. "It's still an activity and it really opens things up
- it sheds a little light on having to go to school."
All three teams play a fall and spring schedule and are funded by the school's United Students
Government. They hold practice anywhere from two to four times per week.
Banshees' captain, junior Ella Perry-Piniewski, describes playing club rugby as an addictive hobby.
"It's pretty much like a new hobby for everyone," she said. "It's not as demanding, but we take it pretty
seriously. It's like once you start playing, you kind of get addicted to it."
The lacrosse team plays exhibitions in the fall to prepare for the spring season of Division II club
lacrosse. League games are played on either Saturday or Sunday afternoons.
The team was competitive last season. Buffalo State finished 5-3 in league play and qualified for the
national playoffs.
The Mad Dogs and Banshees play their league games in the fall and travel to play in tournaments during
the spring season. Like lacrosse, all of the games are played on weekends. League games typically fall
on Saturdays. The Mad Dogs, like lacrosse, are considered a Division II club team. The Banshees are a
Division I club team.
Both rugby teams have a hefty schedule for tournaments in the spring. The Banshees traveled to
Savannah, Ga., Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Rochester and even hosted a tournament of their own last
season. The Mad Dogs also competed in Savannah, as well as Ohio and Morgantown, Va., where they
defeated Division I host West Virginia University. They also won a tournament at Oswego.
Traveling to places so far out of Buffalo is a unique experience that not many clubs or even NCAA
Division III teams have the opportunity to do. Perry-Piniewski sees the travel - especially to Savannah
during a Buffalo winter - incredibly rewarding and described it as one of the best parts about the club
teams.
Senior Jenna Hutzler, the Banshees' president, sees the team camaraderie and communal experience
gained as reasons she has had a great college experience.
"I'm with these girls all the time," Hutzler said. "So, even if it's not a practice or a game, we're out to
dinner and they become like your family. They're my best friends at school."
Wade echoed Hutzler's sentiments, especially in the family sense.
"We're so close, that we're kind of like a frat," Wade said. "We're a family, but we're not (a frat) - we
don't haze people, we accept anybody. If you want to come out for the team, you come play for the
team."
Club sports also present flexibility that Division III sports cannot. If a participant needs to take time off
for academic or personal reasons, they can.
"You can put as much into it as you want or you can put as little into it as you want," Hutzler
said. "That's another thing about club is that it's not a huge commitment."
Hutzler does not feel club sports are too demanding, though. She has kept up with her challenging
communication design major and maintained her added responsibilities as president of a club team.
Playing a club sport can go a long way in gaining that authentic college experience that so many covet. It
also presents the opportunity to stay active and keep off that dreaded "freshmen 15" and connect with
new people.
Even if rugby and lacrosse aren't sports that you want to play, Marvin believes that there is nothing to
lose by participating.
"Give it a shot," Marvin said about joining any one of the three clubs offered. "The worst that can
happen is you don't like it, and you don't have to do it anymore.
"It's not a die-hard commitment, but it's still a lot of fun and it's definitely worth a try."
Aaron Garland can be reached by email at garland.record@live.com.
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