No one ever said you have to be a varsity athlete to play a sport here at Pitt.

There’s… No one ever said you have to be a varsity athlete to play a sport here at Pitt.

There’s no longer an excuse to sit around your dorm room watching television when you can be tossing a Frisbee on the Cathedral of Learning’s lawn or skating down the ice at a hockey practice. Here are a few examples of the many club sports offered on campus.

Men’s Rugby

Under the direction of head coach Dan Talbert, the rugby team plays two different seasons: one in the fall and one in the spring. Practices for the fall begin in August and the schedule is competitive for the next two months, facing teams such as West Virginia and Slippery Rock.

The team then plays a lighter schedule in the spring, opting to use it more as time to simply prepare for the fall season and work out any kinks. Practices are held on the Cathedral lawn or at the Cost Center, and home games are played at Frick Park, which is located just down Forbes Avenue.

Anyone interested in information regarding the rugby team or signing up to play can contact the team at [email protected]

Ultimate Frisbee

Ultimate Frisbee is not, for the most part, a stoner sport. Anyone playing on this team will be quick to tell you that, in order to play at a competitive level, you need to be an athlete.

The team is a potpourri of players, ranging from those with substantial experience to those who had never played before. A resident assistant named William Brotman, better known simply as Brody, formed the team in 1997. The team practices throughout most of the season either on the Cathedral lawn or at the Cost Center, depending on the weather.

The spring consists of weekend tournaments with names like “Hucking in an Amish Paradise” and “What the Funk?!?” And as President Rich Coker, better known as Fraggle, will attest, the tournaments are “competitive yet respectful and fun.”

All you need to join is the desire to play. The team is coed, but the women also have their own team with players from Carnegie Mellon University. Both of the Pitt’s Ultimate Frisbee teams can be reached at [email protected]

Men’s Hockey

The Pitt ice hockey team plays a competitive schedule of 20 to 30 games a year in the University Hockey League. This past season, the Panthers advanced to the playoffs, where they fell to Penn State, 3-2.

Home games are played at the Airport Ice Arena, which is approximately 20 minutes from campus, and the team holds two 90-minute practices per week, in the late evening. Also required is one off-ice training session per week for strength and conditioning and one weekly classroom session.

The season begins in September and runs through the end of February. Any interested players can contact the team at [email protected]

Men’s Lacrosse

Lacrosse has a history of recent success here at Pitt, but the team hasn’t captured a title since 1993. In 1999, the Panthers placed second when they fell to Penn State, 10-6. Last year, the Panthers were the Allegheny Division champions. This spring, the team compiled an 11-3 record.

Pitt is a member of the National Collegiate Lacrosse League, which has 80 members, including rivals West Virginia, Duquesne and Carnegie Mellon. The season runs from late February until the end of April.

The team can be reached at [email protected]

Women’s Lacrosse

Pitt does not currently have a varsity women’s lacrosse team, but the women’s lacrosse club has been vigorously lobbying for one.

The goal is definitely to get a varsity team here,” coach Gary Neft said. “We just don’t have the facilities.”

The women’s lacrosse club takes on Division I, II and III teams. It is a part of the Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse League, which also provides the club with some of its opponents.

The club has been around for 10 years and has attended the Regional Playoffs for the past several years. Only the top 12 teams from the WCLL go to the Midwest Regionals.

Generally, the top two teams from the region go on to the national playoffs. For the past three years, the team has missed the nationals by one goal.

However, this year was different, as the Panthers finished the regular season 15-0 and secured the No. 7 seed in the national tournament.

Anyone interested in playing can contact the team at [email protected]

Rowing

In the early morning hours, while most people are still tucked into their warm beds, the Pitt rowing teams are wide awake and pushing their bodies to the limit.

“Rowing requires a higher level of dedication than most sports,” women’s varsity coach Tiffany Altoff said. “You just can’t go sit in a boat or on an erg [rowing machine] then pull and expect to be fast.”

Rowing involves a group of people pulling as one in a boat that is led by a coxswain who steers the boat and encourages the rowers to give it all they have in crunch time.

It is a very graceful sport in the sense that all the movements within the proper techniques present an onlooker with a picture of precision and power, according to Altoff.

“Yes, crew does look very ‘pretty,’ but what many people do not see is the end result when the rowers emerge from their boats covered in sweat and on the verge of getting sick.” Altoff added.

The team can be reached at [email protected].

Women’s Rugby

How many people know of a women’s rugby club on campus?

The answer is probably none, and with good reason. Nobody has ever pursued creating such a team.

Until now.

It started out as a group of four girls initiating themselves into the sport through the Pittsburgh Women’s Rugby Club. They are now breaking away and structuring a team of their own through Pitt.

Now, with over 70 names on their list, this club, which began with only four girls, certainly has a lot of interest and some room to work with.

Anyone interested in adding her name to the list can contact the team at