The Virginia men's rowing team competes against established collegiate crews - Princeton, Harvard, Brown. Nevertheless, for four of the past five years, Virginia's Varsity Eight boat has won the prestigious Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships.
It is not quality that is the difference between Virginia's team and its competitors. It is the team's status - Virginia men's rowing still operates under club rather than varsity status.
As a result, the men's crew team - and the women's ice hockey team and men's water polo team, which both operate as club sports - must cope with a number of issues that their counterparts at other schools do not face. For example, club sports are funded by Student Council appropriations, while varsity sports receive money from the University and the athletic department.
The men's rowing team compensates for this discrepancy by doing its own fundraising, captain Mark Bezold said, adding that the team raises $40,000 annually.
The women's club ice hockey team, which has won the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference the past two years, also encounters similar issues, said Nancy Norman, co-captain and co-president. Ice hockey is a rather expensive sport, and in addition to buying pricey equipment, Norman said the team pays $5 per minute for practice time at the Main Street Arena ice rink.
Funding is not the only problem club teams endure. Joey Connor, a member of the men's club water polo team, said his team competes with the varsity swim and dive team for pool time. If the water polo team had varsity status, it likely would have "increased preference in picking practice times," Connor said. For a team that currently practices from 10 p.m. to midnight, such preference would be much appreciated.
Unfortunately for these teams, it is extremely difficult to attain varsity status, particularly for men's teams. "Very few new [athletics] programs are lifted to varsity status for men in general because of funding," Bezold said.
This is partially related to Title IX, which essentially requires high schools and universities to accommodate both men's and women's teams. Because so much funding is given to the University's revenue-earning sports - and because these teams, football and basketball, are both men's teams - it is less likely that the University will lift another men's team to varsity status.
Despite these obstacles, many athletes expressed their satisfaction with the club sport level.
Junior varsity soccer player Ari Dimas, who played on the club soccer team during his first year at the University, admitted that there certainly are perks to playing on a varsity team, such as the amenities of John Paul Jones Arena and free gear.
But even though varsity sports are more structured than some club sports, Dimas said this is not necessarily good or bad. It merely fosters a different atmosphere.\nFor instance, Bezold noted, the different practice regulations between the two levels mean that the club squad can practice full-time year round and does not have to follow strict national guidelines.
On the other hand, the differences could mean that the club team has a lower commitment. The water polo team only practices eight to nine hours per week, still leaving the players' schedules open enough to participate in other activities.
"A lot of guys like the lower commitment level," Connor said. "Life isn't ruled by water polo."
Norman noted that this occasionally results in difficulty with enforcing commitment, but that in general, she also enjoys the "perfect time commitment balance between school and sports" the club ice hockey team provides.
A lower commitment level, though, does not mean that the club players are any less competitive, Dimas said.
"Club athletes are every bit as determined and focused as varsity athletes," he said. Bezold agreed that although commitment varies by sport, players for club teams "are out with the intention to compete and win."
At the same time, Dimas said club sports scene is conducive to a lively social network and the opportunity to meet other club sports athletes. The teams form a community of sorts, and the athletes have a sense of camaraderie with one another. Teams even work to contribute to each others respective fundraising efforts.\nAfter all, Bezold said, "we're all in the same boat"
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