Eagle News

Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Ben Schlief Noah Grimes holds a bass during a fishing club event.

The delicate balancing act
that defines NCAA athletics,
where students attend
to the rigors of high-stakes competition
and slave over repetitive
schoolwork, serves as a contrast
to the informal nature of club
sports.

FGCU clubs such as fishing,
volleyball and hockey provide
an outlet for students to sustain
their passions beyond the high
school level, in a less binding environment.

Nowhere is this more apparent
than with hockey club President
Jason Almcrantz, a junior
civil and environmental
engineering major, and his teammates.

A member of the ACHA
(American Collegiate Hockey Association),
the Division 2 and Division
3 teams lay claim to a No. 2
national ranking (2008-09), and a
current No. 1 divisional ranking
respectively, yet such feats come
secondary.

"The difference between
NCAA teams and us is that here
it is more school-focused, with
hockey coming after," Almcrantz
said. Still, intensity, pedigree,
and ambition are mainstays within
both the D2 and D3 teams.

They follow a steady schedule,
with practices twice a week
and games on weekends. Missing
practices can result in team fines,
such as picking up loose pucks,
and cleaning up water bottles.

Commitment shouldn't be an
issue as most players have at least
high school or Junior Hockey experience,
with some even aiming
to play beyond college.

"I'm sure there will be guys
who go and player over in Europe,
and there will be opportunities
elsewhere. Not much separates
ACHA from the NCAA
talent-wise," Almcrantz said.

Fishing is a less publicized
club, without the constant bubbling
of Germain Arena admirers.

Instead, President Thomas
Edwards IV, a sophomore environmental
studies major, and his
fellow anglers hone their skills in
secluded local ponds and lakes.

Such detachment only extends
to practice, however.

"We participate in fishing
tournaments nationwide, facing
the largest schools you can think
of, such as UCF and Penn State, to
the smallest," Edwards said.

Their journeys include stops
in South Carolina, Texas, Arkansas
and New York, all paid for out

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools