Published: March 02, 2008 10:41 pm            

Club sports taking a jab

Some not pleased with being overlooked

MORGANTOWN — Club sports often get overlooked, says Patrick McLaughlin, president of West Virginia University’s boxing club.

“The university hasn’t helped us out at all,” McLaughlin said.

This is evident by taking a look around the WVU boxing club’s training room. The club, now in its third year of existence, is confined to a small gym on the ground floor of Summit dormitory at WVU’s Morgantown campus.

As the boxers spar with a partner, they frequently bump into other teammates who are sparing. Boxes and exercise equipment line the perimeter of the room, causing many pauses while the club tries to train.

Some days the team has to open the doors of the gym, and some fighters have to train out in the hallway, says Sam Checa, WVU’s boxing coach.

“We’ve been hopping around every year, every season, every semester, actually,” says McLaughlin.

None of the boxers complained about these circumstances, but it is obvious it frustrates them. McLaughlin spoke of how the team pays for their own equipment to represent the school even though they get little in return.

“I think it’s kind of unfair, and we all do,” McLaughlin said.

Last year the Student Government Association at WVU lost the club’s grant application. However, the boxers used their fighting mentality to refuse to let this incident put a damper on their season.

So the boxers started fund raising, and the club ended up being one of the best in its region and sent four boxers to nationals, which costs $900 a ticket. The boxers received help paying for these tickets, though not from the university. Nationals are televised and the company that broadcast the event partially reimbursed the boxers.

McLaughlin believes school officials view boxing in a negative light. Everybody he has tried to speak to about getting a venue, money or transportation has deemed the team a liability.

McLaughlin disagrees with this notion.

“We work skills (and) fundamentals to the death,” he said. “They hear boxing, we’re in West Virginia, (so) they think Tough Man contest. We’re trying to beat the stigma that boxing has around here.”

However, McLaughlin was quick to say that he does believe that the SGA just made an honest mistake last year.

However, other club organizations have gained the respect of the university over years.

The WVU club lacrosse team acknowledges they get some help from the university and the accommodations show. The university allows the lacrosse club to use Mountaineer Field when the weather permits. Also if the team advances beyond the regular season, the school pays for its trip to the playoffs.

But the lacrosse club still faces a challenge of getting respect from people affiliated with the university. They get no love from their peers.

“You don’t get a lot of respect from people when you tell them you play for a club team,” says Jason Griggs, vice president of the lacrosse club.

“A lot of our players have the talent to play NCAA lacrosse. They just don’t have the grades or just want to have fun (in a more relaxed environment).”

        

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