A look at Rough Riders’ club athletics
Unsure of the role Roosevelt’s club sports have in the community? Join the club. Roosevelt has various student organizations, from aquarium to crossword clubs and of course, club sports. But there are some key differences between club and regular sports.
Both club and regular sports are competitive athletic teams, but club sports are seen as more community based. Although club sports are affiliated with their specific school, they do not receive any school funding. This can be seen when comparing cross country (a regular sport) and ultimate frisbee (a club sport).
Cross country gets a head coach and stipend from the district, while ultimate receives no money from the district and must raise money to fund coaches, uniforms, and other team resources. Also, cross country gets priority over ultimate for field space. Ultimate frisbee might be able to use the RHS field after it’s opened to the public (at 6:45 pm).
Club sports must provide their own funding as they are not recognized by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) as sanctioned sports. Members of club teams pay out of pocket for the initial fee, but the clubs often take matters into their own hands when it comes to raising funds.
The men’s club lacross team
The girls’ Water Polo team raised money through a ‘swim-a-thon,’ where donors make a pledge and raise money per lap, and the boys’ lacrosse team has bought Brown Bear Car Wash tickets and gone door-to-door selling them. All to raise enough money for uniforms, field or pool space, and coaches.
These differences haven’t stopped club athletics from rising in popularity, and not just at Roosevelt. Ultimate and Lacrosse have gained more attention recently, especially in the Northwest.
Club sports offer students with more opportunities to play and a welcoming environment. Lacrosse captain Logan Wright talks about the team experience and how “people just come out and have fun and play,” but this is balanced with “everyone wanting to be really good.”
Roosevelt has four club sports: dance team, ultimate frisbee, lacrosse, and water polo. Ultimate, lacrosse, and water polo have both girls’ and boys’ teams. All clubs have notable accomplishments. Roosevelt’s dance team just won districts in early March for the tenth time, and recently placed 4th in state. The boys’ lacrosse team won the Metro championship last year, and many ultimate frisbee players have qualified for Worlds, a program where only 100 frisbee players are selected to try out for the USA ultimate team. 24 players are then selected to compete against other countries.
RHS Athletic Director Ryan Sherlock makes it clear that his position as the Athletic Director at Roosevelt is separate from club sports, but he tries to help them out as much as he can, “whether that’s ways to celebrate them, whether it’s trying to help them get on to the RHS field, whether it’s making sure that the trainer sees them from time to time.”
An appeal of club sports is the stronger sense of community and less pressure to “be the best.” Sofia McDougall, a member of Roosevelt girl’s water polo team, compares her experience in the club to a regular Roosevelt sport (swim team): “It’s not just me pinning everything against myself when I don’t do well. And we’re all just working together to make each other do well. And if one person messes up, that’s not a problem. We can all support them.” Myles Mawa had similar feelings about being on the dance team, “I like that it’s really a community and a family.”
Since the return to in-person school, club teams have already grown considerably at Roosevelt. With the lacrosse, ultimate, and girls’ water polo seasons happening, there are opportunities for the community to support them, whether it’s buying a car wash ticket or cheering in the stands.
