It’s official: EMU Club Sports doesn’t mess around.
The program is committed to its sports, its players and to putting together competitive teams.
With that in mind, tryouts have begun for some of the clubs. For others, tryouts are right around the corner.
“We have a few sports that have a limit on how many people can be on the roster,” Club Sports coordinator Sandy Vaughn said. “For the majority of our sports, showing up and participating means you made the team.”
Men’s soccer and ice hockey are two sports that have limited spots on their roster. Both clubs have been holding tryouts this week and will begin training soon after the final cuts are made.
Baseball will be holding tryouts beginning Oct. 11 and expects anywhere from 60 to 80 competitors to attend. The team, which will consist of 30 players, plays 24 games during the spring season and competes in the Northwest Collegiate Baseball League.
Practice begins the third week of October and continues throughout the fall, winter and spring terms. They play a number of varsity programs around the state and will host a weekend of games at Civic Stadium, home of the Class A Eugene Emeralds. The squad also travels to Canada, Washington and various sites around Oregon to play in tournaments. Last year, the team placed second in their division, just behind Western Washington.
“I started playing just because I was purely interested in playing the game again,” second-year catcher Jon Loomis said. “But I stuck with it because I enjoyed the guys and the team atmosphere.”
While some clubs are just beginning to hold tryouts, others have already started competing and practicing. Men’s water polo has its first match this weekend at the Osborne Aquatic Facility in Corvallis. The team practices Monday through Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Even though water polo has begun its fall season, the team looks for new members on a continual basis.
Crew is another sport that has begun its fall training but is still looking for new members. The team is a member of the Pacific-10 Conference and the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association and participates in regattas during the fall and spring. This is where the word “commitment” comes into play. The crew team trains at Dexter Reservoir five days a week and meets at 5 a.m. No experience is necessary but the ability to commit to early mornings is a must.
“I have played a lot of sports, and crew is probably the most fun and most intense by far,” returning rower Aaron Brent-Fulps said.
If being outdoors and on the water is appealing but 5 a.m. practices are not, then sailing is another club currently recruiting new members. The co-ed team sails at Fern Ridge Lake three times a week in the afternoon. The team competes against other colleges in the Pacific Northwest. It owns six Flying Juniors, a Santana 20, a Lido 14 and a Boston Whaler. Again, the club welcomes students of all skill levels.
“I starting sailing because I wanted to do something new,” sailing member Sarah Higginbotham said I knew that crew was a huge time commitment and I still wanted to be on the water, just not a 5 a.m.”
Tonight, Club Sports will be hosting an open house in the Fir Room of the EMU from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Students can visit with the coordinators from each sport and find out when each has scheduled tryouts or informational meetings.
“We really have every sport imaginable,” Vaughn said. “We have a lot of non-traditional sports available and that is why finding a sport you are interested in is so easy.”
Those unable to attend the open house can contact Vaughnin the Club Sports office, located on the ground floor of the EMU.