Ferris State has around 20 athletic clubs that students across campus participate in.
Club sports provide students with the opportunity to participate in a range of competitive and social activities. Each club at Ferris is student-led, and depending on the club, allows students to travel to compete in various tournaments or leagues.
In addition to being socially and competitively beneficial, clubs offer students skill development and are flexible despite needing commitment.
Engineering sophomore Jarel Juarez-Elizalde is in the tennis club and has been playing tennis long before he played in college.
“Anybody who thinks that they want to compete, there is a day where they can go, we all play against each other and the e-board will pick the best members, and then those are the people that will travel around and play in tournaments,” Juarez-Elizalde said.
Juarez-Elizalde explained that the club sport has a competitive aspect that students can try out at the beginning of the year. Those in the competitive team are the ones who will play against other schools and attend tennis tournaments, while those not a part of the club only compete against one another.
Students may try out for the competitive aspect or the more easygoing club version.
“I really enjoy it. I get to show up there, I get to do a ton of cardio and make a ton of new friends,” Juarez-Elizalde said. “The socialization aspect is really big for me. The competitive aspect, you know, is fun when you practice and you play against people that are much better than yourself.”
The tennis club not only gives Juarez-Elizalde a chance to socialize with other college students but also time to get better at the sport without giving up most of his free time. While there are no coaches on the team, the physical trainer and other members help one another get better and learn new skills.
While those on the competitive team get the chance to get better and learn new skills, not only from the club but also by competing in tournaments. Clubs, like esports, are similar to tennis in how the club is set up and why people attend it.
Architecture freshman Eli Mayo, who is in the esports club, recognizes that the club is generally more friendly and less competitive.
“There’s a club, and there is esports. So esports is like the varsity lineup,” May said. “They compete with other schools, go to physical events, get scholarships, and all that sort of stuff, whereas the club is somewhat intertwined, like the people from the sports team go to the club meetings.”
Esports has a competitive or varsity aspect to it too, Mayo explained. There is a competitive team that travels to other schools and participates in tournaments, and then there is the club that competes against one another.
“I had been playing casually for quite some time with my high school team. Once I got here, I heard there were tournaments here, and I was really interested in that. The place that I lived back home didn’t have any tournaments.” Mayo said. “Coming here, it was cool to have some place that you can go every week and talk with people.”
Mayo explained that the high school he previously attended, while it had an esports team, the team did not have any tournaments.
Upon attending Ferris, Mayo learned about the esports team and there would be tournaments to participate in. This gave him a chance to socialize and meet new people at the school as well, which he enjoyed.
“I enjoy the variety of people that we get there, there are a lot of people there, who I don’t think I would know if not for the club aspect,” Mayo said.
Being a member of the esports club has given Mayo the chance to meet and become friends with people that he otherwise probably would not have known without the club.
Being in a club can benefit students not only by building their skills but also by being highly rewarding socially, as many club members seemingly hang out with one another outside of the club and even host functions together.
Sports club students agree that, for the most part, while sports clubs are competitive they are also very laid back and a good opportunity to socialize.
Riley Habrtmehl, a junior graphic media management major who is a part of the softball club described how there is no prize in the end and everyone is playing for the love of the game.
“It’s a lot more laid back, a lot more chill. A lot of people are there just to have fun,” Habrtmehl said. “Obviously, there are referees and all that, and you’re keeping score, but not really worrying about it. If you’re looking for something active to do, almost like a hobby or looking to kind of get out and meet new people, it’s really fun.”
Those who partake in club sports at Ferris get to experience a close-knit community that shares the same enjoyment in the sport they are a part of.
Clubs offer them not only a place to compete but also an area to make friends and socialize with people who care about the same things as they do and challenge one another to improve.