Club vs. Varsity
as csu, sport clubs stay on top
By Mike Donovan
In 2005-2006 athletic season, Colorado State had five athletic teams participate in their respective final fours. While five final fours is a success for any school, there is one slight problem with CSU’s success. All five national semifinalists compete as club sports and do not compete in NCAA division 1 championships like 16 of their varsity athletic counterparts.
In fact some would say CSU has the best club sports out of any school in the country. CSU men’s lacrosse head coach Flip Naumberg believes CSU is the king of national club sports.
“Just look at the history, we have proven we are the best,” Naumberg said.
Out of the 16 NCAA teams that compete at CSU, there was a total of one conference champion- the women’s indoor track and field team- and just two teams won more matches than they lost- volleyball and men’s basketball. Out of the 28 club sport teams at CSU, 13 of them finished with more victories than losses. How can a school be so good at non-NCAA sports and not up-to-par in varsity athletics?
There are many possible theories and ideas as to why club sport teams perform at a higher level than their NCAA counterparts. One idea is that money plays a key factor in the separation of club and varsity sports.
This may originally sound far-fetched considering 16 varsity sports receive of $19 million from the university, while club sports receive no funding. However, the varsity sports receive significantly less money than their conference opponents, while the club sports are on an even economic playing field with their opponents.
To play for the CSU men’s lacrosse team, it costs players between $2000 and $2500, according to the team’s website. This is comparable to other club lacrosse teams around the country. The lacrosse team, which has won four national titles in the last eight years, has proven that with just an equal footing in money, CSU athletic teams can thrive against competition.
Naumberg believes that there are quite a few reasons for the club sports success.
“I think it is partly tradition, partly the fact that we are a large state university,” Naumberg said. “Athletes now that club sports are extremely here and students who want to play big time sports are drawn here.”
Tradition plays a key role in the club sports success and is lacking at the varsity level, according to Naumberg.
“The coaches in the club sports stay with their programs,” Naumberg said. “In the varsity sports, I think the coaches are looking to move on to better places. Every time we get a good coach or athletic director, they seem to move on.”
There is a healthy rivalry between some club and varsity sport athletes, according to Naumberg.
“I don’t know about all the sports, but our team takes pride in being better than the varsity athletes,” Naumberg said.
One possible reason as to why club sports consistently win more than their varsity opponents is that CSU’s best club sports are competed at the varsity level at comparable state universities. CSU is one of two Mountain West schools that does not offer varsity baseball and the only conference school not to offer women’s soccer.
A quick look at CSU’s baseball schedule shows that the majority of their games are played against junior colleges such as Northeastern and Trinidad State and not against large state schools. It is a lot easier to find twenty-five good baseball players out of CSU’s 25,000 students than Trinidad State’s 2,000 students.
The 16 varsity teams at CSU means that CSU is on the borderline to be eligible for division 1 competition. Any fewer teams and CSU would be able to compete at the top level.
With more varsity teams, CSU would have more opportunities to field more competitive teams. President Larry Penley is happy with the sports that are currently fielded at the varsity level and believes there is no need to add additional varsity sports.
“We are under no pressure to add a 17th or 18th sport,” Penley said. “CSU is better off in some ways not having so many teams.”
One other theory is that it is just a coincidence that club sports are doing well and not varsity teams. CSU’s varsity sports were consistently winning conference championships during the mid-and-late nineties and teams such as volleyball and track and field still are competitive every single season. Before 2004, the football team had 12 straight winning seasons and the women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA tournament five out seven seasons from 1996 through 2002.
Most coaches believe that new athletic director Paul Kowalczyk, who started work on May 17, will be able to revitalize the athletic department. Men’s basketball coach Dale Layer believes that hiring Kowalczyk is a start in the right direction.
“Many times using new ideas and a fresh face makes things better,” Layer said shortly after the Kowalczyk hiring.
Not all coaches are convinced. Naumberg believes that Kowalczyk may follow the footsteps of former athletic directors Jeff Hathaway, Tom Jurich, and Tim Weiser who all left for the same job at larger, more prestigious athletic institutions.
“Unfortunately, I get the feeling that it will stay the same with (Kowalczyk),” Naumberg said.
While there is no cut-and-dry reason for the success at the club sport level, one thing is certain. Until varsity athletics proves they can compete at a proficient level, club sports such as lacrosse, baseball, and soccer will be the pride of CSU athletics.