There are two types of travelling sports teams at Cal Poly. One type gets its photos up on Mott Gym and the use of the school’s best facilities.
The other is almost unpublicized, receives last pick of the track, Recreation Center and pool facilities and gets some funding from Associated Students Inc. (ASI).
These are the club sports teams.
While “official” Cal Poly Athletics encompass 20 sports teams, there are 24 club sports teams, ranging from rugby to sailing to lacrosse.
Club teams are made up and run entirely by Cal Poly students, but unlike intramural sports, sports club teams compete against other schools across the country. Though club sports players do not receive many of the same perks as Cal Poly varsity athletes (like priority registration and athletic advising), they are no less dedicated to winning championships, said Sport Club Administrator Everette Brooks.
“They have a focus of a high level of play, and they’re also really good students,” Brooks said. “So they understand what it takes to be successful.”
When it comes to being successful, Cal Poly club teams have something to boast about. Men’s soccer, women’s field hockey, women’s water polo, women’s volleyball and women’s lacrosse all won national championships in the 2009-2010 season.
The sports club program is lacking general publicity, however, said Brooks, who would like the teams to “be publicized a little more on the university level.”
Amber Zimmermann, microbiology senior and co-president of the field hockey team, agrees with Brooks. More attention could be paid to the high-achieving teams. The field hockey team in particular has won five national championships, yet “a lot of people at our school don’t even know or recognize that,” Zimmermann said.
Zimmermann volunteers her time as chair of the Sports Club Council (SCC), the governing body of Cal Poly’s sports club, to try and advance the cause of sports clubs.
The SCC is made up of representatives from each club and is responsible for sport club issues, such as practice time schedules, which are a huge concern for sport clubs, Zimmermann said.
Sports club athletes don’t get any sort of priority registration, said Zimmermann, who was unable to make the field hockey team’s practices during fall quarter due to scheduling conflicts.
Sports clubs are assigned a block of time every day when they are permitted to use sport facilities, and the SCC divides the available hours among the teams. Planning around school schedules is nearly impossible, said Matt Rudow, president of the men’s lacrosse team, vice chair of SCC and materials engineering senior.
“We don’t have any priority when it comes to field times,” Rudow said.
This quarter, Rudow said the team’s coach can’t make half of the practices because of scheduling conflicts.
Aside from setting practice schedules, the SCC also determines the distribution of ASI funding, based on size and needs of each club.
The amount of money the team receives is based upon the number of members and needs of each individual team, and is comprised of a three-tier system. The first tier receives the most funding, approximately $3,000, Rudow said, while the third tier receives the least, generally less than $1,000.
Sports clubs receive some support from ASI, but with 24 sports clubs, Brooks says money is tight, and all clubs are required to fundraise on their own.
“We’re at our limit,” Brooks said. “More resources are definitely needed. The bigger the program gets, the more difficult it is to manage all the aspects.”
The money from ASI helps to cover some team expenses, but is hardly enough, Rudow said.
“It’s a nice gesture, and it definitely pays for some things,” Rudow said. “But we have 50 guys, and we have a six-figure budget.”
Although the lacrosse team does some fundraising, Rudow said the situation now is essentially pay-to-play, and most of the team’s budget comes from member dues.
The rugby club, with over 50 members, is in the highest tier, and received $3,500 from ASI this year, which club president and agricultural business senior Stuart Sharpe said is less than in previous years. Most of the money goes into field maintenance and other fees, leaving very little to cover travel expense.
“If you think about how many games we’re playing a year, it goes fairly quickly,” Sharpe said.
Individual teams have found different ways of raising extra funds. The rugby team, for example. appeals to team alumni for donations, as well as sells pint glasses as part of a fundraiser with The Kilt, a local pub and grill.
The sailing team collects the money it needs by selling t-shirts and sweatshirts, and also offers a yearly sailing clinic to anyone interested in the sport. The clinic, offered shortly after Week of Welcome, costs $20 and covers the basics of sailings. Students can decide whether they would like to join the team after the clinic — the yearly fee is $100.
Between sale revenues and member dues, the sailing team covers all of its expenses, including trips to competitions, journalism freshman and sailing club member Margaret Kaiserman said.
This year, the sailing team was able to raise enough funds to send a team to Oahu, Hawaii to compete in a regatta. The experience was a delight for Kaiserman, who said she is used to sailing in the cold waters off the Washington coast.
“It was great to just be able to focus on sailing rather than staying warm,” Kaiserman said.
Which, in the end, is why athletes in sports clubs do what they do. Despite the lack of publicity, practice facilities or funds, these student-athletes love the game, whether it’s rugby, field hockey or sailing in Hawaii.