2008 Woodie Awards
Club sports teams offer students chance to compete in variety of sports
Alison Mugler
Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: Sports
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Three of these teams are making noticeable increases in both talent and student participation as they finish their 2007-2008 season.
Field Hockey
For junior Rachel Just, field hockey is more than just a sport; it's a community of women doing something they love.
"The women we have on the team this year are field hockey players to the T," Rachel said. "They want to play, not because they are so worried about winning, but because they want to play the game."
The Murray State field hockey club was established in 2002 by Emily Just, Rachel's older sister. Emily said when she arrived at Murray State and there was no field hockey team, she was determined to make a change.
"I had been playing field hockey in high school for four years and got down to Murray and there wasn't a team," Emily said. "I knew I loved the sport too much to quit playing altogether, so I decided to start a team at Murray State, recruit people and see if it would catch on."
"Catching on" could be seen as an understatement, as the field hockey team has seen a noticeable growth in University popularity throughout its 6-year lifespan.
Sabrina Mathis, faculty adviser for the team, said she has seen a significant growth in not only the size of the team, but the fan base as well.
"I can really see an improvement in the area, even though it is not as popular of a sport as we would like to see at this time," Mathis said. "It seems like every time we play a home game the crowds get bigger because they aren't used to seeing the sport, and it is interesting to watch."
The team competed in two tournaments this season, one hosted by Murray State and the other by Western Kentucky University.
Emily said she could not be happier with how the team is improving.
"Since my sister is involved in it I obviously care about it a lot," Emily said. "But something else I enjoy is the fact that we continue to get new girls on the team that are excited about playing and are skilled athletes. We keep playing better and better teams too, which is something I would not have imagined. I really am glad it is going as well as it is."
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