Hi everyone!
My name is Rachel Smith, and I am a 5th year graduate student in Biomedical Engineering. I love my research and being in the lab, but I also love going outdoors and exercising. One way that I have found to do that is through Club Sports at UCI. Club sports are different from NCAA collegiate sports UCI offers like the main UCI basketball, baseball, and volleyball teams. But Club sports are also different from Intramural sports, where UCI students play flag-football (or a similar sport) against other UCI students. Club sports is somewhere in-between: UCI students can play a sport or do an activity and often will compete against other colleges.
For example, I played on the Ultimate Frisbee team my first two years of graduate school. I played on my college Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team at my undergrad institution, and I wanted to continue to play in graduate school. On the UCI team, we practiced year-round during the academic year and typically practiced 2-3 times a week for 3 hours at a time. This is a higher time commitment than intramural sports, but the level of play is much more competitive. We played in tournaments on the weekends against other colleges. We traveled to places like Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Jose, and Arizona to play in tournaments. We played against teams from UCSD, Cal Poly Pomona, and UC Santa Cruz. It was a great way to stay competitive in the sport while still being affiliated with the University.
I can only speak for how great Ultimate Frisbee is, but there is excellent camaraderie that develops when you spend that long of a time with your team! I found it to be a great way to make friends at the start of my graduate career. I should note that I was one of only 3 grad students on the team, so the teams are mostly undergrads, but they’re all really fun!
If you are interested in playing a Club Sport at UCI, you can find a list here. Some examples of club sports include Climbing, Lacrosse, Cycling, Basketball, Dragon Boat racing, Powerlifting, Roller Hockey, Rowing, Sailing, and Triathlon. You can continue a sport you did in undergrad or find something completely new! There is a student contact for each club on the website if you find a club sport you like. Play on!
Rachel SmithHome Country: U.S.The Henry Samueli School of EngineeringBiomedical Engineering, Ph.D. |