Sports Don't Have to End After High School

Photo courtesy of Marques

Student athletes graduate high school with a fierce love of the game. They also gain experience practicing teamwork, leadership and time management, which are certainly favorable advantages for teenagers entering the uncharted territory of college and adulthood.

More often than not, high school athletes do not continue playing sports at the varsity level in college. But, when you fall in love with a sport, how are you supposed to graduate high school and never pick up another stick or throw another ball again? That’s the beauty of club and intramural sports. It’s a sure-fire way for non-student athletes to continue playing at a competitive level that’s manageable for them.

Club sports are perfect for students who want to be semi-committed to their signature sport. Some club programs host try-outs, have a strict practice schedule, and teams even travel across state lines to play games and tournaments. Club sports are real-deal competition and surely mimic the dynamics of high school athletics.

Take it from sophomore communications major, Maddie Willis, who joined women’s club lacrosse last year. The Baltimore native played lacrosse competitively throughout high school, and at some point even considered continuing her career at an NCAA Division III university. However, Willis’ dreams of attending a Big Ten school led her to decide on the University of Maryland, where she admitted the women’s lacrosse program was too competitive to play for.

“Club lax has been a really great experience so far because the time commitment is less than it was in high school, which is honestly better because my course load is a lot heavier now. But I’m still playing my favorite sport almost everyday,” Willis said.

Willis attends practices three days per week, as well as games and tournaments on weekends. While home games only take up an afternoon, the team often spends their entire weekend traveling to other universities for away games.

But if you aren’t willing to sacrifice all free time during the weekends, intramural sports are an essentially commitment-free way to stay in the game.

The Intramural Sports program at our university caters to athletes of every skill level and gives participants a choice to play on a more competitive “A” team or a recreational “B” team.

For some students, including senior bioengineering major, Amanda Marques, intramural sports are an outlet to relieve school stress.

Marques, a New Jersey native, played competitive soccer for the majority of her life, and even spent her freshman year of college playing for Lehigh University’s Division I women’s team.

After transferring as a sophomore, she hoped to continue playing soccer at a less competitive level, so she joined this university’s club soccer team.

“I ended up quitting club soccer because the time commitment was still way too much for me,” Marques said. “Playing intramurals is a good way for me to practice my passion without feeling completely overwhelmed like I did my freshman and sophomore years.”

Yet, Marques admitted that she missed high school soccer. Considering Marques’ co-ed intramural team doesn’t host practices and only plays in weekly games, she wishes she had the opportunity to kick around a soccer ball with a bit more regularity.

“I do wish there was some happy medium between club and intramurals, but I’ll take what I can get,” Marques said.

Similarly, senior information science major David Gerzog plays intramural softball with his fraternity brothers every Friday afternoon. While he didn’t play softball in high school, his 17 years of experience playing baseball undoubtedly makes him stand out among his friends on the team.

“I definitely miss playing competitively, but I’m happier with the laid-back and non-stress environment of intramurals,” Gerzog said.