Taking part in the beautiful thing we call “sport” is one of the most impactful yet enjoyable forms of personal development known to mankind.
Sports boost physical and emotional health, and they develop life skills — sports create discipline, require teamwork and provide opportunities to persevere.
Sports allow participants to ride the emotional roller coaster of winning and losing, to feel accomplished and, maybe most importantly, to have fun.
For most Golden Grizzlies, this opportunity ends when they reach the college level — or so they think. Thankfully, students don’t have to be the second coming of Jack Gohlke to participate in sports while getting the university education they desire.
Oakland’s University Recreation and Well-Being department, or RecWell, has several solutions to the tragedy that is “outgrowing” organized athletics.
For students who will miss it all — the games, the practices, the team dynamics, the uniforms, the travel and the tryouts — there are club sports.
Oakland has over 20 club sports, including soccer, hockey, football, volleyball, water polo, lacrosse and more.
Senior Erin Flynn is going into her fourth year on the women’s club soccer team. She joined as a freshman and now serves as the vice president.
Flynn credits the soccer club as instrumental to her college experience.
“The number one thing for me was getting to know people and establishing myself at OU,” Flynn said, “and that was through club soccer.”
Flynn also referenced club sports as a much-needed competitive outlet for her, sharing “I would be way more stressed if I didn’t play.”
She credits club soccer for some of her fondest memories — from “super chill” practices, to each and every game, to unique opportunities like hosting a charity game for a teammate’s mother and even traveling to Texas for the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association club soccer national championships.
“It was super fun traveling with my team,” Flynn said. “It was very much a bonding experience.”
Club soccer has sprinkled some fun and competition into Flynn’s college experience and provided her with things she will carry with her well beyond graduation: memories, relationships and life skills.
“I’ve grown a ton as a leader and communicator,” Flynn said.
For those who might not have time for the full nine yards but still yearn for some competition, Oakland’s intramurals, or RecWell Sports, are perfect.
RecWell sports rally teams from all sorts of social circles on campus — fraternities, classes, friend groups, campus ministries, student organizations, high school teammates or even people meeting for the first time on game day — and pin them against each other in a quest for glory — and a championship T-shirt.
In the fall 2025 semester, RecWell sports enthusiasts will have the opportunity to compete in any number and combination of pickleball, soccer, volleyball, track and field, flag football, basketball and an iron man challenge.
Whether joining for a multi-week season or a one-day tournament, participants could get the excitement of game time while doing what they love or trying something new. No conditioning required!
Competition-loving grizzlies looking for anything between a one-day tournament and a heavy commitment may not have to look any further than their own campus.
Students can find specific information for Oakland’s club sports on the RecWell website and intramural sports details and registration on the “Fusion Play” app.
These commitments, small or large, could be the start of a consistently healthy and active lifestyle that carries well into adulthood — and they might even result in a T-shirt to prove it.