Club sports play a role in college experience
Let’s face it – athletics are a strong part of the Clemson culture. Tigers love sports. Either as a participant or a spectator, it would be hard for any student to not get swept up in the excitements of athletics.
Senior A.J. Hickcox first got swept up his freshman year, when he joined the club volleyball team. For him, club sports gave him the chance to continue with the sport he played at his Pittsburg high school as well as a fun way to get involved on campus.
“We try to have as much fun as we can, while still being competitive,” he said about the team. “We are more intense than intramurals but much more relaxed than a varsity sport.”
The team holds three two-hour practices a week. As a team they share a goal to travel to at least 4 tournaments a year.
“Tournaments are fun because there are normally about 10 different schools all at the same gym and you play all day,” Hickcox said. “Over the past few years, we've been to schools like Virginia Tech, USC, UGA, Vanderbilt and Central Florida.”
Beyond camaraderie and a way to keep active, club sports have presented Hickcox with leadership experience, through his term as the team’s vice president. His responsibilities include assisting with budgets, travel plans and lodging accommodations.
“I also serve as the head practice coach; we are a student-run club so we do not have a hired coach,” Hickcox said. “So I organize the daily practice schedules to make our practices as productive as possible.”
Participation in club sports also opened the door for Hickcox to work as a student assistant for the women's varsity volleyball team, which involves being a line-judge or keeping the official scorebook. “There is a small group of us guys from the club team that were asked to do this since we have a pre-existing knowledge of the game and the rules,” he explained. “It’s kind of nice that I get paid to go to a match that I would have probably been going to anyway.”
As a senior with a full course load and this part-time job, fitting sports into his schedule has been a learning experience for Hickcox.
“Balancing club sports with academics can be tough,” he said, “but it just takes some good time management skills to get things figured out.”
Hickcox recommends that students who are interested in club sports “just try it. Whether you played that sport in high school or you want to try it out for the first time, there is no sense in not giving it a shot.”
The bottom line, he said, is “to be active on campus because college is more than just school work. While academics may come first, everyone should get involved with some kind of club or organization to meet new people and get the most our of their time here at Clemson.”
Hickcox plans to graduate in December 2008 with a degree in graphic communications. To learn more about club sports, go Campus Recreation online or attend Campus Recreation’s “Rec Fest” held each fall.
Published January 2008