Last December, then-freshmen Ryan Coughlin, Mike Giuggio and Nathan Ladd sent a letter to Athletic Director Bill Gehling that sparked a year-long lobbying effort to expand the list of club sports available to the Tufts student body.
"In general, sports provide athletes with an opportunity to practice and develop their own leadership skills," the letter read. "Having experienced this opportunity, we feel as if it has been an enormous benefit for us, and our glorious memories will remain in our hearts forever."
For over a year now, Coughlin has been lobbying to add lacrosse to the list of club sports offered by the University. Meanwhile, fellow sophomore Gabe Dunn, a member of Coughlin's lacrosse club, has also been trying to found a boxing club.
But both dreams have run into obstacles on the way to administrative approval, and it remains to be seen whether either team will get off the ground.
Although lacrosse is already played as a varsity spring sport by both men and women, Coughlin sees a niche on campus for a club team to offer an alternative for those who can't commit the time to a varsity sport.
"I'm pre-med," Coughlin said. "Last year, I was at the point in my college career where I didn't think I could handle being on the varsity team. And I figured there's got to be other guys out there like me."
Coughlin was right - by the beginning of 2006, he had 48 names on his unofficial club lacrosse roster. But turning a collection of names into an official Tufts club has been difficult. After spending countless hours talking to various deans and athletic department officials, Coughlin still hasn't gained much ground.
"I'd get a lot of 'you can talk to this person,' and 'you can talk to that person,'" Coughlin said. "I'd just get passed around. No one seemed to know who to talk to."
After finally sending an official request to the athletic department this fall, Coughlin and his group were disappointed to find a rejection letter waiting for them on Dec. 6. Gehling cited the redundancy of varsity and club teams in the same sport in the letter.
"The Committee discussed at length what the philosophical parameters should be in deciding whether to approve new clubs," Gehling wrote. "It was unanimously agreed that we would not approve a sport that has a varsity option on campus."
For Dunn, the problem is different. Boxing simply isn't an option for Tufts athletes - there is no varsity team, no intramural league, and despite Dunn's efforts to date, there remains no official boxing club.
"Interest really hasn't been a problem," Dunn said. "The problem's been getting it recognized by Tufts. The TCUJ [Tufts Community Union Judiciary] shot it down."
The issue is not resources, as the school's athletic facilities have the equipment needed for a boxing club. As Dunn points out, there are two punching bags, a heavy bag and a speed bag, near the cage in Cousens Gym, where Dunn has been holding unofficial meetings.
What stands in Dunn's way is the administration's reluctance to approve a sport like boxing, perceived by many as violent and dangerous. However, Dunn argues that this is a misconception.
"Boxing is a sport that's overlooked and misunderstood," Dunn said. "People seem to think it's just me wanting to start a fight club. But with a punch count, it's different. There's a lot more stress on form."
And it's a sport that Dunn takes very seriously, as he adheres to a strict training regimen.
"I've been competitively boxing for most of this school year," Dunn said. "I'm going to Watertown [Mass.] four or five times a week to train. Plus I'm doing yoga and playing squash for conditioning."
Coughlin has received support for his lacrosse club from varsity coach Mike Daly.
"Coach Daly's been very nice," Coughlin said. "He's one of the only guys who's been really helpful to me."
"I definitely think Ryan's done an unbelievable job," Daly said. "On our varsity team, we love to support lacrosse junkies, and Ryan is definitely one of those. We've done everything in our power to help him."
While both Coughlin and Dunn have encountered trouble getting their clubs officially recognized by the school, they both continue to fight for their members, and they remain passionate about club sports.
"It's a less serious thing, and it's more fun," Coughlin said. "We love our sport, but we're here for school."
