Playing a college sport takes a lot of time and dedication. Athletes’ days are filled with classes, homework, practices and games. It is not always easy to balance sports and school. But for some athletes, joining a social club was also on their agenda.
Freshman volleyball player Kalyn Helton said she wanted to join Pi Theta Phi so that she could meet more people and form new friendships. She said that it has been hard to attend mixers and do visitation because of practices and games. The process was stressful for her but she kept a good attitude.
“Being an athlete and joining a club is a lot to take on with classes as well, but when volleyball is over hopefully I will get to attend some of their events and meet more people,” Helton said.
Sophomore basketball player Hayden Johnson said he wanted to join TNT so that he could meet others outside of athletics. He also wanted to get involved in different campus activities. Trying to do it all has been overwhelming at times for Johnson, but he said that it is definitely worth it.
“I have met more people this semester through the social clubs than I did my whole freshman year, so I would recommend it to any athlete that is considering joining a club,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s teammate, junior point guard Weston Jameson felt the same way. Jameson said that although it was tough at first, he thinks that it will be worth it.
“Visitation week was pretty hectic because so much was going on but other than that it has not been that bad,” Jameson said. “I spend a lot of time with the basketball team, and I wanted a chance to meet people from all different walks of life. You really have to prioritize your time, but I think it will be worth it.”
One athlete did not come into the semester planning on joining a club, but ended up changing his mind. Gehrig Haberstock, freshman soccer player, said he was not going to join Beta Omega Chi until a friend took him to a mixer.
“I liked everyone I met, so I figured I’d give it a try,” Haberstock said.
For Haberstock, it has not been as stressful. He said he could not always make it to mixers and he would just visit the guys before and after practice. He said he is excited about this opportunity to be in BOX with some great Christian guys.
Joining a club is not the easiest thing to do. Mixers, visitation and club week are all things that can be stressful, especially for athletes, but once on the other side of the whole process, it is worth it.
