At 3:30 p.m. every day in high school, I headed to the locker room to get ready for track practice. We’d head out to the track, run two warmup laps, stretch and then start our workout for the day. This would be my routine all four years across three athletic seasons.
High school sports consumed my life. They became a part of my identity, so they were difficult to shake when I entered college. After graduation, the consistency and community established through hourslong daily practices just disappeared.
When searching for colleges, I considered schools where I could compete on the official cross country and track teams, but none were the right fit. Ultimately, I decided to attend UF for the variety of opportunities it offered, and — starting as an exploratory student — I needed a lot of them. But I was left questioning the future of my running career.
I was forced to make a major adjustment after losing my high school team. If not playing for a varsity team, it’s easy to go into college thinking your time with your sport is over. I knew no matter what I would still be able to run, but less sure about a community like the one that had been such an integral part of my high school experience.
But club sports offered an amazing opportunity to continue this passion, while providing opportunities not always available with varsity sports. Although my college routine doesn’t look exactly the same as high school, club sports have allowed me to continue competing in the sport I love.
I was relieved to quickly join a running club after scouring UF’s student involvement website soon after committing. While joining a club sport wasn’t my original plan, I was happy to find an opportunity to continue to run with others. I was also surprised to learn just how competitive recreational sports can be. The club still travels to meets, where it sometimes even competes against NCAA teams. The pressure to run faster presents itself the same as on a varsity team.
Club sports offer the same intense competition without consuming your entire life the way highly structured, intensive varsity sports do.
Recreational teams usually have a more flexible schedule with fewer practices at more convenient times. They also allow you to choose your own level of involvement, giving you more time to explore other interests. You can also structure your practice attendance around your academic schedule, so if you ever feel overloaded, you can miss a practice or two.
College is a time to explore new things. A constant dedication to your sport could easily limit or prevent you from finding something you're more passionate about than your sport. Club sports allow for your development as a student outside of sports. Athletics remain a major part of your life, without completely overtaking it. If you see a flyer for a club that catches your eye, you have the freedom to explore it.
Joining a club sport also allows you to find a community of like-minded students. That can make UF’s campus of 60,000-plus students feel less intimidating. Through consistent practices, meetings and social events with the same group of people, club sports allow you to easily form those bonds
Your level of involvement may also open up the opportunity for a leadership position varsity teams usually fill with hired coaches. Responsibilities like fundraising, event planning and budget management can then be applied to careers later in life.
Club sports are often seen as a backup choice, but these groups offer a competitive environment where students can improve their skills without going Division I. You can add structure to your training but don’t need to choose between athletics and academia, offering a real compromise varsity team usually can’t.
Contact Kaitlyn Ocuto at kocuto@alligator.org. Follow her on X @KaitlynOcuto.
Kaitlyn Ocuto is a sophmore biomedical engineering major in her first semester at The Alligator. In her free time, she enjoys running, hanging out with friends and reading.
