NDSU is home to many extra-curricular organizations; often overlooked are club sports. Participating in sports is a common experience in middle and high school. However, aside from the top and dedicated athletes, for many, involvement in sports does not carry over into the college lifestyle.
There are 34 club sports at NDSU, and each of them extends this opportunity for involvement for students of various skill levels, backgrounds and interests. “Club sports are a way to continue the same competitive level as what most people are used to,” said Jade Berg, graduate assistant for club sports.
With 34 clubs, they are all unique. What follows are generalizations. For readers curious about a specific club, they are more than willing to answer any questions. Contact the email listen on the specific myNDSU page or ndsu.sao.clubsports@ndsu.edu.
Each club differs from varsity sports as they don’t bring as high of an intensity. There are fewer matches, and the stakes aren’t as high. They have fewer practices each week. There is no strict workout regiment required. Although each of the clubs are different, there are generally two practices per week, according to Berg.
Yet, they offer more from intermural sports, both in competitiveness and dedication. For many of the clubs, competition doesn’t take place only in Fargo. There is travel throughout the upper mid-west playing against other college club sports. Others travel nationally to places like Arizona and Kansas.
Similarly to Division I sports, they participate in tournaments and playoffs. For example, the rugby and lacrosse teams have eight weeks of regular season games before entering into a national playoff bracket.
What makes these clubs unique is their sheer amount of them. Some of the least well-known sports are present, like the aforementioned rugby and lacrosse. Others include curling, cricket, fishing, disc gold and more.
“Anyone can participate because club sports are open to anyone,” Berg said. “So, like the women’s rugby is the Fighting Snappers. A lot of their team base is made up of people who have never played rugby before. And they’re pretty successful.”
Many of the clubs, like men’s soccer, have already had tryouts, but their practices are always open. Others are open year-round.
Joining a club sport brings with it benefits. It’s “a nice way to like stay active. Some people hate going to the gym and doing a regular workout, but they love doing team sports.” Berg also said that it is a good way to make connections and friends. Also, joining a club’s leadership team does “teach you how to organize a group.”
There is a difference among the clubs in how competitive they are. “Ultimately, it comes down to the team. They’re all very different in their own ways. Some of them are very competitive, and they want to do really well in their season. Some of them are competitive, but ultimately just want to make connections and have fun.”
To pay for the travel and gear associated with clubs, there are various levels of fees attached to joining clubs. However, clubs altogether and individual members are significantly aided by funding from student government, fundraising and sponsorships.
Recently, NDSU has ventured into new esports clubs. Currently, there is a League of Legends, Overwatch, Smash Bros., Valorant and Rocket League. The Rocket League club, in particular, has been very successful.
The esports clubs will have a brand new state-of-the-art facility later this fall. It will have 36 gaming PCs, console gaming stations, and a broadcasting room.
For those considering club sports but are unsure, Berg gives the advice that “for most things on campus, you can try it once, and if you’re like, this isn’t for me, there’s no harm, no foul. College is a time where you can kind of try things and be like Ohh, actually, I don’t like that. I’m not going to go to that anymore, and it’s completely OK.”