A guide to club sports try-outs, competition and everything in between

This article appears in the 2022 Freshman special issue.

Many Dartmouth students played a high school sport competitively, although only about 0.08 percent of high school athletes play their sport at the collegiate level, and less than two percent of those students play collegiately of Division I like Dartmouth. That 99.92%, however, are not without opportunities to play in college: club sports have bridged the gap between college athletes and the large number of incoming students who hope to find the camaraderie that athletics provides.

Dartmouth is home to 33 club sports teams, ranging from nationally competitive teams such as rugby, soccer, tennis, figure skating, squash and men’s hockey, to locally competitive teams and teams based primarily on fitness. Locally competitive teams include lacrosse, basketball, fencing, baseball, taekwondo and table tennis, and fitness teams include badminton, golf, boxing and running, to name just a few. Students can learn more about club sports at the annual club fair on the Green during the fall term and at Dartmouth Engage web sitewhich lists all the club’s sports and their contact information.

After the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted tryouts, practices and games for several seasons, the 2021-22 academic year was a major rebuilding period for these student-led groups. Still, several club sports teams had success last year and will hold tryouts in September in hopes of adding new members, especially from the class of 2026, to their teams.

The tennis club is a co-ed, student-led team that holds tryouts to field two teams of approximately 12 players. Team A trains a minimum of three times per week and competes in both regional and national tournaments, while Team B trains two to three times per week and competes in local tournaments and more individual matches, according to the captain of the ‘team B, Sophia Swanson ’23. .

Swanson said she has been playing tennis since she was in first grade and believes her spot on the B team makes the commitment manageable while keeping the level of competition high. Swanson said he felt the most rewarding parts of being on the team weren’t the games, but the moments in between.

“This spring we traveled down [University of Massachusetts, Amherst]and it was early in the morning, so we stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts,” Swanson said. “Just sitting there chatting was really fun and I really enjoyed seeing the team come together.”

The men’s rugby team, which won the Ivy League for thirteen consecutive years from 2008-2020 and had its sets template ranked fifth in the nation last spring, leads the way in terms of players and resources. Each year there are three to four full teams of 15, and the program is led by a head, assistant and full-time strength and conditioning coach. In addition, the team has access to all of the university’s athletic facilities for its competitiveness and travels across the country, largely thanks to funding from alumni donors.

While that level of competition might make the program feel out of reach for some, Jaime Chuidian ’23 said anyone can try rugby and see if it’s the right fit.

“There’s a good variety of people on the team in terms of whether they’ve played growing up or whether they’re new to the sport,” Chuidian said. “A lot of those kids who have never played before come out their senior year like they’ve been playing their whole lives.”

Chuidian said that while the A team is a big extracurricular commitment, he has found a way to balance school with rugby, adding that for him, school comes first.

In addition to rugby, there are other club sports with non-student coaching staff, women’s soccer, figure skating and men’s hockey. These three teams are coming off strong seasons. Last year, women’s soccer took home the Ivy League championship, while figure skating and men’s hockey were among the top sixteen teams in the country, sending them across the country to nationals.

While both figure skating and men’s hockey coaches receive some compensation from the Department of Physical Education and Recreation from club sports funds, player fees, donations and other fundraisers, women’s soccer coach Stephen Severson ’74 works as a volunteer, Capt. Aislinn. Mitcham ’23 said.

“Steve [Severson] he’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met,” Mitcham said. “He runs practices, but he’s great at listening to the players’ input. If someone has a drill they really want to do that day, or we prefer to run it in front of [Baker-Berry Library] instead of going out to Sachem [Fields]it will.”

Women’s club soccer has fall trials, but only fields a squad of about 25, which, depending on their participation in the trials, can lead to significant cuts.

“I was pretty nervous going in, but the first day the girls on the team made it very clear that even if you didn’t make the team, you were making friends,” Mitcham said. “It was a very supportive environment and I knew it was going to be fun.”

Mitcham said the team brings a similar attitude toward attendance at practice and games.

“We’re all competitive, but it feels like a very welcoming place,” Mitcham said. “When you can make the time to show up, everyone is really excited to see you, but when you can’t, everyone understands that we are Dartmouth students first.”

Figure skating is unique among many of the club sports in that they do not hold trials and have no limit on how many skaters they can take.

“Everyone on the team has some skating experience, but we try to take people of all skill levels,” said captain David Kaufmann ’23. “Not everyone ends up competing, but freshmen are more than welcome to practice with us. We want to create an environment where everyone feels supported no matter how long they want to spend.”

Figure skating club members who attend one of three qualifying events in the fall and winter before nationals must pay travel and hotel fees, but like all other club sports financial aid is available, according to Kaufmann.

For Kaufmann, the decision to join the team has been worth the cost.

“It’s made me find a love for the sport that I missed for part of high school, and that’s in large part because of the people involved, who are so amazing,” Kaufmann said. “It’s definitely been the most important experience I’ve had at Dartmouth.”

Last year, the men’s soccer and women’s club lacrosse teams were able to put together successful seasons as they finished as Ivy League runners-up and champions, respectively.

For the men’s soccer team, tryouts are held in the fall for both fall and spring, and feature two teams, according to team member Jack Reilly ’24. Practices are student-led and most players do two per week, he said.

Reilly explained that last spring, the team came up short at the Ivy League championship in Rhode Island, losing to Brown University in penalty kicks, but the loss did little to dampen their experience.

“We played really well despite a ridiculous amount of injuries, and it’s the most fun I’ve had in football since high school,” he said.

According to Annie Burton ’24, the women’s club lacrosse championship win was especially sweet, considering it was over Harvard University and was decided by a last-minute goal.

“We played against a lot of teams that have very intense practice schedules and paid coaches,” Burton said of the Ivy League tournament for girls’ club lacrosse. “Being student-led, we can sometimes feel like the underdogs, but we have a lot of skilled players in our team and we showed that.”

According to Burton, the team is still in the process of deciding whether to make cuts or test this year, but exclusivity is not one of its values. Burton explained that this year, the team is bringing back the pre-COVID practice of a “buddy system,” where a freshman will be paired with an upperclassman mentor as a resource to navigate Dartmouth. The team will also host cardio and strength training in the winter for anyone who wants to stay in shape regardless of lacrosse skills, he said.

Women’s club lacrosse emphasizes that club sports are a social outlet not only among teammates, but also with other teams, Burton said.

“We’ve had social events with water polo clubs, field hockey clubs, soccer and baseball clubs,” he added. “At Dartmouth, Greek life is a great social scene, and when you’re not affiliated as a freshman, it’s great to have other outlets like club sports.”

To the members of the class of 2026 who feared your athletic days were over or never had the chance to begin, worry no more. From fencing to field hockey, badminton to boxing or table tennis to taekwondo, club sports create the opportunity to practice, compete or simply make new friends.