Editor's Note: This is the first in a two-part series examining the potential development of club sports programs on campus. The second installment will appear one week from today.
Hidden behind the shadows of varsity sports teams, a number of new club teams have sprung up around campus, while other more developed programs have continued to succeed.
Tufts endorses over 10 club teams, including cycling, equestrian, rugby, water polo, fencing, skiing, table tennis, ultimate frisbee and men's volleyball. But several clubs, including men's lacrosse, coed tennis and coed soccer are currently fighting to be officially recognized by the school.
Tufts' policy states that there can only be a club team for a sport in which there is no varsity program. Unfortunately for the three up-and-coming club programs looking for official recognition, this has meant having applications rejected on multiple occasions.
"I've applied more than once to the athletics department to become an official club team," said senior Ryan Coughlin, founder and designated coach of the men's club lacrosse team. "But they insist on not having a club team for a sport that already has a varsity team. Because of this, we're recognized as 'men's recreational lacrosse.'"
Coughlin initially tried to put the club lacrosse team together when he was a freshman, and it witnessed some success last year when the team played other similar programs in the area.
"I came into my freshman year wanting to play varsity," Coughlin said. "But since I'm doing pre-med, my schedule is really tough, and I decided school was more important. But I still wanted to play lacrosse, just at a less intense and time-consuming level, so I decided to start this team."
The team already has games scheduled for the spring, including opponents such as Westfield State, UMass Amherst, Western New England and Vermont, with hopes of playing Holy Cross and Dartmouth. The team plans on practicing once a week outdoors starting after spring break.
The coed soccer team finds itself in a similar situation, having played numerous Div. I schools in New England in both varsity and club soccer, such as Yale and Boston College, a nationally-ranked club team. The team also has multiple games planned for the spring.
However, the team was not allowed to play under the Tufts name as they are still unrecognized by the school as an official club. Sophomore Dalton Swing, who started the team last year, has attacked the problem from numerous directions but has come up empty-handed each time.
"We've gone to both the athletic director and the Student's Association looking to become officially recognized," Swing said. "We'd be fine either as an athletic club or just a Student's Association club. With the TSA, we went through all the business and paperwork and had a meeting, but in the end, they decided that if they recognized us they would have to do that for all the teams, and funding would be a problem."
Despite the popularity of the club soccer team, which had over 50 players turn out to some of its fall practices, the school has not allowed it to use any of its soccer fields for practices or games, forcing the team to rent time on arguably lower-quality fields in Medford.
"It's unfortunate that the school has this policy," Swing said. "We can't even step on the fields to practice because we're not an official team. We're paying for our own refs and field time in Medford from our own pockets."
The tennis team, despite not yet having a schedule like lacrosse or soccer, also has plans well under way. Junior founder Chris Katz is working with higher powers outside of Tufts to develop the club tennis team.
"I've talked to two regional [United States Tennis Association] representatives about ideas for our team," Katz said. "They run a club league in New England that we want to be a part of. They gave us names and contact information for other schools with the same problem. We've got the players and the interest; we're just waiting on the administration's approval."
For others like Coughlin, Swing and Katz, these recreational teams provide a compromise for players anxious to secure playing time in organized sports without as much commitment as varsity athletes.
"We've got enough interest in the team that if someone has a test or too much work to do on a given night, he can stay home and do the work," Coughlin said. "Not everyone has to be there all the time."
"I've been doing intramurals for the past two years but haven't been satisfied by the players or commitment," Katz added. "So I started this team. Obviously, people come to Tufts for the academics, but some people who maybe played tennis in high school still want the opportunity to play some form of competitive tennis, and this gives them that."
The tennis team has been practicing weekly since coming together in early fall and is waiting for the chance to play opponents from outside Tufts rather than taking court against the same teammates every week.
"We're hoping the administration will come to its senses," Katz said. "The demand is reasonably high, we can function on a very low budget and we certainly wouldn't infringe on the varsity team."
While teams such as club lacrosse, tennis and soccer have considerable obstacles to overcome in getting official recognition, they have already been successful in creating a competitive environment without the commitment of a varsity sport.
"I figure we've got so much interest in multiple different sports that if we all come together with a group effort and petition as a solid student base, maybe we can make something happen," Swing said.
