Sports at UVA

Ironically for this week I’m writing about sports. This is ironic because I’m not a very sporty person as anyone can tell you. But even I, who hasn’t stepped foot in a gym in over a year, can get involved in sports at UVA. At the beginning of each semester, there are tryouts for many different club sports: tennis, baseball, cross-country, track, archery, cycling, Quidditch, anything you can possibly imagine, and each team has a specific commitment level necessary for each season. 

For instance, early in September I tried out for the Ultimate Frisbee team. I’d always loved tossing the Frisbee (disc, according to the Ultimate team) and decided I would try something new. I’d learned that 1. Frisbee is much harder than it appears to be and 2. the spring season is Ultimate’s main season, so all of the players are much more dedicated to the sport in the spring. This makes it easier for students to adjust to school and a new environment as well as the sport, especially for 1^st years like myself. While I didn’t stick with Frisbee because of scheduling conflicts, I enjoyed learning a new sport, one in which experienced players said you needed no prior experience to try out. That’s the amazing thing about UVA. Club sports travel for games and competitions and the level of intensity varies with each sport. 

If you aren’t looking for such an intense sporting experience, intramural sports are a great way to get involved. Dorms, fraternities and even just friends can make teams in any sport and play against other dorms, fraternities and friends (or enemies). Many RA’s coach dorm teams for sports like capture the flag or hockey or dodge ball. Again, although I’m not athletic and most people know that, in January I was asked to play on an inner dorm basketball team for fun. And my sorority decided to organize a team to play inner tube polo although I’ve never heard of that sport in my life. There are many easy ways to get involved in sports at UVA, even if you aren’t the most athletic person and especially if you just want to have fun.