Here at UCSD, we have a few different levels of competition. First, there is the intercollegiate athletics (which sometimes looks like it’s at the high school level), and then on the other side of the spectrum, we have intramural sports (which sometimes looks like it’s slightly more competitive than the high school level). And somewhere in the middle lies club sports.
It’s too bad that some of UCSD’s club sports teams get no more attention than a CalPIRG officer on Library Walk. The ultimate teams are just two examples of the few club sports squads that deserve more recognition than some of the Triton intercollegiate teams (err … men’s basketball).
The women’s ultimate disc team is the defending national champion and is currently ranked No. 4 in the nation, while the men’s team is ranked No. 7.
And the UCSD surfing team cannot go without being mentioned. Representing a university that Sports Illustrated declared the top surf school in the nation, the surfing team has won four national titles in the last 15 years, and UCSD currently sits in second place in the Southwest Conference this year. If the fact that club sports teams actually sit in the middle to the top of the standings in their respective divisions (which is more than could be said for many intercollegiate teams) is not deserving of respect, then maybe their independence is.
The legal guardians (Associated Students) provide Club Sports an allowance that is smaller than the amount of change underneath your sofa, and the teams rely on fundraisers and their own wallets to cover the costs of transportation to events, equipment, coaches, and referees for games.
My only gripe about club sports, however, is that half of the teams don’t call themselves Tritons. Instead of taking the name of the UCSD mascot, teams like men’s ultimate calls its self the Air Squids and women’s ultimate goes by the name Psycaughtit. If you are going to represent UCSD, then do it with pride and with the proper name. If more of the club sports teams called themselves the Tritons, they could help build up the school’s reputation with some winning.
With or without the right title, though, I don’t think club sports teams will ever get the recognition that most of them have earned.