Policies and FAQs

Designed to provide individuals with an easy, central method of accessing answers to commonly asked questions about Ithaca College Sport Clubs and the Office of Recreational Sports, the Sport Club FAQ addresses the primary areas of interest that visitors to the site may have. If your question is not answered here or you need more information, please contact the Sport Club office directly or go to the home page dedicated to the sport of your interest and follow the club contact link.

What is the difference between a sport club and a varsity program?
Varsity programs are the responsibility of Intercollegiate Athletics and are funded entirely out of the athletic department's budget. Sport clubs are under the direct supervision of the Office of Recreational Sports which partially funds the activities of its member clubs with the difference being made up through student activity fees, membership dues and club fundraising activities.

While not an official intercollegiate team, some club sports, such as equestrian, ski racing, rugby, cycling and the cheerleading and dance teams, compete at the intercollegiate level in tournaments and through their sports governing bodies.

What is the difference between competitive clubs and performance and recreational clubs?
Competitive clubs are primarily traditional sport teams that play against fellow institutions, traveling off campus and hosting games in Ithaca. Performance and recreational clubs are largely based on campus and are non-competitive, but are more performance based. For additional information on the differences between club types, please visit the Competitive and the Performance and Recreational club home pages.

How competitive are your competitive sport clubs?
Ithaca College's competitive clubs regularly attend their sport's league and regional championships and several have attended the National Championship Tournaments for their respective sports in recent years. Men's volleyball, field hockey and the Bombshells Dance Team have competed at the national level within the past two years and the Bombers Cheerleading team won a National Championship in 2005 in their first ever competition. Division III Bomber sport clubs often challenge, and defeat, major Division I institutions each year.

Who do you compete against?
Ithaca College club teams compete against local, regional and national opponents each year, including several varsity and junior varsity intercollegiate teams, and are members of a number of leagues and associations that operate under the direction of each respective sport's national governing body.

Among the local institutions that Ithaca's club teams play regularly are Cornell University, SUNY Cortland, Syracuse University, Binghamton University, and the University at Buffalo. National competition has included the University of Maryland, Penn State University, the University of Connecticut, Georgetown University and the University of Pennsylvania.

How competitive is Ithaca College's sport club program?
Ithaca's sport club program is among the most comprehensive and competitive programs in the northeast and strives to be one of the most competitive in the nation, sending teams to regional and national competitions on a regular basis. In the past, Ithaca's sport clubs have traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, College Park, Maryland, Reno, Nevada, Dallas, Texas, Louisville, Kentucky, Kansas City, Missouri and Orlando, Florida in pursuit of national championships.

Do the clubs conduct any other activities other than playing or performing?
Yes, many clubs are active outside of their main purpose. Most clubs hold fund-raisers ranging from carwashes to barbeques and may also have social functions such as a movie night or other activity outside of the club itself.

How do I find out information about the clubs?
The latest information about Ithaca College's sport clubs can be found on the Office of Recreational Sports website by going to each club's dedicated page. Links to these pages can be found by going to the home pages for the competitive and the recreational and performance clubs and clicking on the desired link at the top of the page.

Who is eligible to participate on a club team?
All members of the Ithaca College community are eligible to participate on a club team for the College. Additional information can be found at the Ithaca College Fitness Center main office.

Are there tryouts for the teams?
Due to the competitive nature of some of the clubs and limited roster space on others, a number of clubs do hold tryouts and make cuts to determine who will be on the team for the upcoming season. However, there are a majority of clubs that either do not hold tryouts and are open to all individuals with an interest or offer a second opportunity to tryout for their spring semester season. Largely up to each individual club, tryouts and available space will vary greatly from club to club.

How do I find out about tryouts and other important dates and information?
Tryout information can be found by searching the individual club's home page on the Office of Recreational Sports website, by contacting the club through e-mail or inquiring in person at the Office of Recreational Sports, located in the Ithaca College Fitness Center.

Who organizes and runs the clubs?
Each club is setup and run, with the assistance of the staff of the Office of Recreational Sports, by the Ithaca College students that are involved with it. The Executive Board of each club is responsible for the operation of the club, including financial planning, scheduling of contests or events, authorization and confirmation for club travel plans and ensuring that the club represents Ithaca College in the best possible manner at all times.

Additionally, some clubs, particularly those of a competitive nature, employ a coach to assist with the “on-field” operation of the club with the position usually on a volunteer or gratuity based arrangement. While the level of involvement and responsibility will vary by club, these individuals are quite often responsible for making the cuts during tryouts, running practice during the season and making the game-day decisions such as which players start, when to make substitutions and what strategy to employ. All coaches must be approved by the Office of Recreational Sports and some, based upon the sport that they coach, must have certain certifications.

Why do some clubs charge dues?
All clubs receive funding from the Office of Recreational Sports budget, however, club funding does not cover all costs of the operation of the club. To offset these costs, and provide more opportunities to travel and purchase equipment, clubs collect dues from their members. In order to mitigate the personal cost to each member, many clubs fund-raise in a variety of ways throughout the year.

What if the club sport I'm interested in isn't offered?
Club sports are offered based on the interest from the Ithaca College community and the initiative of an individual or a group of people to organize interested parties into a club. In order to begin the club formation process, it is necessary to meet with the Program Coordinator for Recreational Sports, Sarah Hawkins.

Where is the Office of Recreational Sports located?
The Ithaca College sport club program is under the direct supervision of the Office of Recreational Sports. This office is located in the Ithaca College Fitness Center in the lower portion of campus, adjacent to the Campus Center.