The long, lazy summer is over. It is time to get back into shape.
But you do not play for the LSU football team. Nor were you recruited to play basketball under John Brady or Sue Gunter.
So you think your athletic career is finished? Think again.
Welcome to the world of club sports. There are 23 club sports programs available to choose from on campus, ranging from badminton to women’s ultimate frisbee.
The fall semester is prime recruiting time for club sports. Most seasons occur during the spring semester, so the fall provides clubs a chance to obtain members and form bonds.
The women’s ultimate frisbee club stepped onto the club sports scene last spring. President Amber Abel has been involved with club sports for two years now and looks forward to encouraging students to get involved in the club sports community.
“I was very active with sports in high school,” Abel said. “You get used to the team sports feeling. You get used to going to practices every day or every other day. It really gives you a sense of purpose and it gives you a place to belong. You become really close with the fellow people on your team.”
Abel is excited at the potential club sports have to grow on campus. She is actively involved in promoting her club as well as getting peers to give club sports a try.
“I would tell [students] to go out on their own time and look up different sports,” Abel said. “Maybe sports they have only ever heard about or seen on TV and movies, something they think they’d be interested in or something where they go and meet people and get involved.”
College is the transition between youth and adulthood. Graduation looms on the horizon. Branching out and preparing for the future is what club sports is all about, according to Abel.
“College is all about making contacts,” Abel said. “The people you meet in college are going to be some of the most influential people you are going to meet throughout your whole life.”
Students can access the entire list of available clubs on campus on the LSU homepage.