Like the varsity teams, the club teams practice each and every single day. It may not be twice a day, with one practice at the crack of dawn, an afternoon time for excruciating lifting and a night time to run tapes. But those hours of practice, traveling and game time all add up.

Like the varsity teams, the club teams fly the UD colors and play with the pride of their school deep in their heart.

Also like the varsity teams, these club teams are comprised of athletes who love the game ' why else would they pay to play?

It is this love of the game that motivates these athletes each day to go out there and keep pushing themselves. It is this love that gets the rugby guys to run that last sprint up Stuart Hill and the lacrosse girls to finish that last run in a scrimmage when that is what they have been doing for two hours. But this love and dedication goes unnoticed.

You see, unlike the varsity teams, club sports get little to no support or attention from the university in any form. Funding, resources and a fan base are all lacking.

Some of the uniforms sported by these teams seemingly date back to the early 90s. Not only are they made out of polyester, but the jerseys have been worn so many times that the numbers are completely falling off. If for some reason a club team does have nice uniforms, it is because they forked over their own money or did some major fundraising.

Also, the facilities our club teams are forced to use is repugnant.

On any given fall afternoon, you can walk up to Stuart Field and find men and women's rugby, men and women's soccer, men and women's lacrosse and women's field hockey all cramped onto that field. There are not enough goals or even field space. These teams cannot adequately practice because they are all smushed together. And there is the constant threat of a random ball flying into a different practice space and knocking cold the unsuspecting athlete.

To top it all off, these teams are rarely rewarded with a huge crowd encouraging them at games. Granted, these games are not publicized in the way that the varsity games are but just about everyone on this campus knows someone that plays a club sport.

I have a feeling that somewhere they have posted their game times. And I am also pretty positive that they would tell you when home games are if you only express some interest. Cheering these teams on means a lot more to them than you could imagine. Because having a fan base makes the claustrophobic practices, and the hot jerseys and the money handed over to play all worthwhile. It shows that people appreciate the athletes and reminds them that the school does care in some way. To all those who have been to a game: thank you from all of us!

The athletes who play club are a unique breed. While the challenges they face to play are not huge obstacles, they do present problems and hinder peak performance. This rough and tumble group of athletes, however, take it all with a smile and meanwhile, keep playing the game, pounding their rivals, and winning championships.