clubs, such as the martial arts groups and more traditional sports clubs such as soccer and rugby, run throughout the school year. A main benefit of club sports that Hodges is quick to point out to students willing to step up to lead one is the responsibility of managing a club. The job requires fundraising, travel logistics and event planning, which are business and interpersonal skills that will come in handy in the job market. Hooks and his fellow bass fishermen traveled to boat shows across the state where they sold T-shirts to help defray the cost of travel. As the club president, Hooks says he encounters challenges that stretch his problem-solving skills. “Just this year we’ve gotten a lot of new members and kind of ramped up our fundraising. I’ve been learning to manage people and delegate duties, and learning how the business runs and how licensing fees and things like that work. I’ve also learned about financial management and how club sports and the business itself is run.” Men’s LaCrosse club
Not every proposal for a club sport makes the cut, Hodges says.
Offroad trucking, for example, simply couldn’t be justified as a sport. The university had similar questions about a discipline called Parkour, in which participants try to jump or climb over natural obstacles. Skydiving, which does exist as a student organization, was vetoed from club sport consideration because of liability concerns. But for every “no,” Hodges has been able to give a handful of encouraging yeses to sports like inline hockey and scuba. With 42 options, most students will find a sport they like. Or maybe one they had never heard of before, such as Bryan Henney when he discovered a specialized style of Okinawan karate called Isshinryu. The ECU Isshinryu Club, which has been around for nearly 20 years, now is an important part of Henney’s Pirate experience. Like many club athletes, he has been stretched as much by the rigors of the sport he loves as by his academic studies. “It has helped open my eyes to the different things ECU has to offer,” Henney says. “It’s something I wish I had found earlier. It’s also helped build my character.” East
club sports Men’s Teams Women’s Teams Baseball Basketball Dance Basketball Frisbee Lacrosse Rugby Inline hockey Ice hockey Soccer Lacrosse Softball Volleyball Rugby Soccer Volleyball Wrestling
Co-ed Teams Badminton Racquetball Bass fishing Running Scuba diving Bowling Boxing Skiing/snowboarding Equestrian Style of motion Fencing Swimming Field hockey Tennis Figure skating Water skiing/ Golf wakeboarding Mixed martial arts Water polo Paintball
Martial Arts Isshinryu Judo Tai chi Tae kwon do Jui-jitsu
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