Oregon daily emerald., October 16, 1985, Supplement, Image 9

Wednesday, October 16, 1985
Emerald Sports Supplement
Club Sports:
An athletic alternative
The University's EMU Club
Sports Program is a co-ed, com
petitive, recreational program
for students, faculty and staff. It
is designed to meet the athletic
needs that are not met by ex
isting intra- and intercollegiate
programs.
The basic philosophy and key
to the success of the program is
the emphasis placed upon par
ticiation and competition rather
than upon winning. — Club
Sports Guidebook
Somewhere between the var
sity sporting events held in
McArthur Court and Autzen
Stadium, and the intramural
games in Ksslinger and on the
various athletic fields around
campus, there is a void.
It’s a void that may have some
students up in arms about where they
can turn to display their athletic abilities
and satisfy their competitive urges. The
answer for them and anyone else even
mildly curious about a variety of sports
is the Club Sports Program.
Last year, some 600 people par
ticipated in Club Sports, but coordinator
Sandy Vaughn says it is hard for her pro
gram to get an accurate figure because of
the fluctuation of the numbers during
various periods of time throughout the
year.
Currently, there are about 20 teams
gearing up to begin practicing and
organizing for their coming seasons, and
the variety is such that there is plenty of
room for everyone.
The teams range from the one-time
NCAA intercollegiate baseball team to
the equestrian team, and from badmin
ton and Ultimate Frisbee to crew.
The program is open to any
3tudent, faculty or staff member
who is interested, and general
ly, the teams have a no-cut
policy, but some have limited
competition rosters. Also, there
are no required fees because the
program is supported, in part,
by student incidental fees.
“Many clubs do a sufficient
amount of fund-raising to help
defray costs,” Vaughn said, but
students must still undertake
some traveling expenses such as
food. The program provides a
$5 travel stipend for lodging.
Other costs that team
members must pay include
money for uniforms and any
personal equipment. Club
Sports provides for team equip
ment, such as crew boats and
soccer balls, in their budget.
Although the policy
throughout the years has been
to not charge dues for those
wishing to take part in Club
Sports activities, two teams may
be the first ones to require a
charge for participation this
season.
The sailing and crew teams
may be forced to charge
members a participation fee,
because expenses for equipment
and traveling are so great.
“We don’t iike to call it dues
but a fee to help defray practice
costs and equipment.” Vaughn
says, adding that the two teams
have to pay for things such as
maintenance of their boats and
Continued on Page 2B
By Kirsten Bolin
Of Um Emerald
In rugby there are no winners, only
survivors.
"Short, snappy passes, you guys,"
coach Owen Engelmann barks. "Don’t
milk it."
The rugby players are facing one
another, practicing passing by tossing
pairs of bricks back and forth.
Bricks? Clearly this is no sport for
lightweights.
"Rugby was historically played using
the head of one of your opponents in
stead of the ball," Engelmann says.
While that grisly rite went out years
ago. the sport of rugby still maintains a
reputation for hard-hitting action and ex
tremely physical play.
"It takes a lot of athletic ability, a lot of
thinking and a love of full-contact
sports," says team member Doug Giles.
"But it’s not like football where you just
charge off the line and hit the guy in
front of you."
Despite the initial impression of rather
Neanderthal movement, closer inspec
tion does reveal impressive measures of
skill and guts.
"The best players aren’t the hardest
hitters,” Engelmann says. "It really is a
finesse sport.”
Continued on Page 4B
By Jeff Lutzky
Of tbe Kmerald
The University club baseball team
practices in the shadow of the Pioneer
Cemetery, not knowing if Opening Day
1986 will ever come.
"If we don’t get at least 10 to 20 more
players, we'll have to fold the team,”
said Tim Walker, team coordinator.
How did the baseball team get into
such a predicament? It started four years
ago when baseball was dropped from the
Athletic Department program in a cost
cutting move that resulted in the
elimination of gymnastics, women’s golf
and soccer as well. Since then, baseball
has faced a steady decline as a club
sport.
'Tve only been here the last two years,
so I’m not sure how they did before, but
we’re better organized this year than
last," Walker said.
The season runs from March through
May and is composed of approximately
35 games with most contests being
played against community college
teams. Walker indicated that the team
hopes to travel to San Francisco during
spring break, and make a trip to Seattle
as well.
“The trips are an opportunity to get
more games,” Walker said. “Spring
break is a good time for us.”
Continued on Page 3B
By Mike Ostrom
Of the Emerald
Two martial arts clubs are in full sw
ing and looking for new members at the
University. The Tae Kwon Do and Karate
clubs currently involve some 65 and 45
students, respectively, and hope to add
to their numbers.
Willy Pieter, 34, and Bob Ellis, 35, are
the instructors. Pieter has been involved
in Tae Kwon Do since 1966 and is a black
belt, as is Ellis who began in karate at the
age of 13.
Pieter explained the difference bet
ween the two martial arts forms. “The
biggest difference is that we kick more
(in Tae Kwon Do),” he said.
“What I try to do as a teacher is to give
people more self-confidence,” Pieter
said. “It’s like watching a flower-bloom.
1 see people who start off thinking that
they will never be able to do this, and
then after a few weeks, they are doing
things that they thought were impossi
ble. That’s satisfying to me as a coach.”
Ellis started coaching the karate Club
Sports team in 1972, but took a break
from it in 1983. At one point he had as
many as 150 people involved. That
number dwindled in subsequent years,
all the way down to 15 at the beginning
of 1984.
However, Ellis, undergoing what he
called a “rebuilding year” has tripled
Continued on Page 7B