Christian Sopkowiak/Winonan

Although club sports and varsity sports can be vastly different, the theme of competition is always apparent.

That is how Eric Schoh, the athletic director at Winona State, sees it. “I think it depends on the student and what they want out of their athletic experience. Club sports give more flexibility and the varsity sports have more opportunities such as scholarships,” Schoh said.

There are 15 varsity sports at Winona State which includes both men’s and women’s sports. As for the club sports, the amount changes year to year. Currently, there are 25 club sports at Winona State.

Adrian Shepard is the director of the Integrated Wellness Complex and the sports club supervisor at Winona State. He sees the two types of sports outlets as separate entities.

“You have to look at the equality on an individual basis. You have to ask if the teams in athletics are treated equally. Then you need to look at the sports clubs separate from varsity,” Shepard said. “If we are looking at the equality of the sports clubs through a sports club lens, I think the clubs are treated equally. The opportunities in sports clubs are relatively equal under the sports club umbrella.”

Although there are obvious advantages to varsity athletics, such as scholarships and a possible professional future, Schoh sees club sports as another great outlet for the players.

“A club sport is another opportunity that doesn’t have the restrictions and guidelines and minimums and maximums and things that you have to follow like varsity with the NCAA. I think they are separated in sense that they are two different opportunities for the players,” Schoh said.

Students create the club sports and run them. Each club sport is self-governed by the players in the club.

For the players, the most obvious difference between club sports and varsity sports are the restrictions that come with NCAA sports. But there are even more personal differences between the two.

“In the bigger picture, you don’t have as much of a time commitment with club sports. Because of the self-governance of a club sport, you decide the time commitment. Club sports can provide a better balance, because you can get a job, have a social life and have more time to figure out your balance. Obviously, with varsity you can do those things but you just have less time,” Shepard said.

The players in club sports are able to work around each other’s schedules. The personal benefits of club sports and the professional benefits of varsity sports are what make the opportunities different for players.

“Athletics is more of a business. Sports club is more recreation-based. A ‘compete as you will’ type of program,” Shepard said.

For these two men, varsity and club sports are two different but great opportunities for athletes that are interested in competing.

“I think it’s a good mix to have the varsity, the club sports and even the intramural piece of it to provide a venue for anybody who is looking for athletics as an extracurricular activity,” Schoh said. “They all still have the competition piece and the physical activity piece to them and that opens up the opportunities for any interest level.”

Contact Christian at [email protected]