By Caroline McCain
chh@heraldsun.com; 918-1035
CHAPEL HILL -- Two national titles in 2009. A handful of teams competing in their sport's national tournament. Several Top-25 rankings. More than 50 teams and 1,500 student-athletes.
This is not UNC varsity athletics. It's UNC Sport Clubs.
The university is well-known for varsity teams. It boasts recent national championships in men's basketball and women's soccer, consistently high rankings in several Olympic sports, and some of the best coaches and student athletes in the country.
But many other students have the chance to participate in organized, competitive sports through the UNC Sport Clubs program.
The sport clubs are open to any undergraduate or graduate student, faculty or staff member, and occasionally community members.
Clubs range from simple recreation or instruction to highly competitive teams that compete at the national level. Clubs allow students to learn a new sport or continue playing a sport they are passionate about.
Perhaps the most important role of the clubs is to provide students an outlet to a healthy lifestyle and an opportunity to develop leadership and social skills, said Jason Halsey, a UNC alumnus and now the director of Sport Clubs at UNC.
Sport Clubs also help in recruiting students to UNC. Many athletes could have played their sport on a varsity team at a smaller Division II or III school but not at the varsity level at UNC.
Halsey said he gets calls from high school students and their parents about the Sport Clubs program, wondering what competitive athletic opportunities are available at UNC.
"I think if we didn't have the sport clubs on campus some people might not come here," Halsey said.
But competition is not the only reason students play. The sport clubs provide a way to meet new people and become a part of a community.
"For many students, their involvement in sport clubs at UNC was their most memorable experience," Halsey said. "The relationships they formed and the people they met through playing club sports were the best part of college."
The clubs typically practice two to three times a week, and some go to other universities to compete.
Clubs such as Aikido, a self-defense-based martial art, are open to all skill levels and focus on instruction rather than competition.
The sailing club does compete against other schools but still welcomes any skill level, from beginner to advanced. Novices learn how to sail, and more advanced members compete against other schools in the Intercollegiate Sailing Association.
Men's and women's soccer have two different teams. They hold tryouts at the beginning of each year. This past year, about 100 women tried out for 12 spots on the two women's club soccer teams.
Both the men's and women's teams have full schedules, with games on most weekends. They also compete in regional and national tournaments.
Beyond the soccer teams, several other clubs compete in national tournaments each year. In 2009, the UNC golf club and the team-handball club won national championships.
Sport clubs also provide opportunities to athletes who want to compete in activities such as equestrian team, rugby or crew. Few universities in the country have varsity teams in these sports, so the club sports are the highest level of competition possible.
UNC Sport Clubs also gets involved in the community. It hosted the 5th annual Race for a Reason 5K in October. Each year, the race benefits a different charity or organization chosen by the UNC Sport Clubs council.
"It's something we do every year because we want to get more involved in the community and give back," said Rob Sayre-McCord, who graduated from UNC in May and is now the intern for UNC Sport Clubs and was the organizer of this year's race. "This is a really good opportunity for [club sport] members to get involved in the community."
This year's race benefited Girls on the Run, an organization that promotes active, healthy lifestyles and positive body image in elementary and middle-school girls.
Girls on the Run of the Triangle is a chapter of Girls on the Run International, an organization founded in 1996 by a marathon runner and ironman triathlete. There are more than 150 locations across the United States and Canada.
The Triangle chapter was started in 2000 by Mandy Beard, a Durham native. In 2001, the organization served 20 girls. Now it serves more than 500 each year through programs in Durham, Wake and Orange counties.
