Spring Break
Senate recognizes gymastics, swimming as club sports
Chris Curtis
Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: News
09/18/08 - Two sports programs cut from the University of Rhode Island athletics lineup last year will be returning to campus, albeit in different forms.
The Student Senate voted last night to recognize the Gymnastics Club and Men's Swimming and Diving Club as Level III student organizations.
The athletic department last year cut the two varsity teams along with the field hockey and men's tennis teams as a result of heavy budget cuts.
In both instances, the vote to recognize the clubs was unanimous.
President Erika Sloan spoke on behalf of the Gymnastics Club, which was represented at the meeting by 9 prospective members and with the club's coach in attendance.
"After our team was cut by the administration we decided that this couldn't be the end of gymnastics at URI," said Sloan, who was a member of the team last year as a freshman.
Derek Benard, president of the Swimming and Diving Club, told a similar story.
"Same position as the gymnastics team, you know, last year, administrative cuts, and there's still a lot of guys that want to hang around."
"We want to be able to give the opportunity to kids in the state to still swim, since there aren't many swim teams around," Benard said.
Benard said the club currently has 23 members, who practice with the women's team, and that the club has already begun to raise money.
Club Vice President Matthew Zrada said in an interview following the meeting that the team has in fact changed little since being cut.
The team has only lost two members, and with new freshman members, actually has greater numbers than last year.
The club's schedule will be almost the same as the team's was, Zrada said, with the difference that they will compete in a club championship rather than the Atlantic 10 championship.
The team has been able to preserve itself in this way thanks to their coach's connections and to the willingness of other teams to compete, Zrada said.
The Student Senate voted last night to recognize the Gymnastics Club and Men's Swimming and Diving Club as Level III student organizations.
The athletic department last year cut the two varsity teams along with the field hockey and men's tennis teams as a result of heavy budget cuts.
In both instances, the vote to recognize the clubs was unanimous.
President Erika Sloan spoke on behalf of the Gymnastics Club, which was represented at the meeting by 9 prospective members and with the club's coach in attendance.
"After our team was cut by the administration we decided that this couldn't be the end of gymnastics at URI," said Sloan, who was a member of the team last year as a freshman.
Derek Benard, president of the Swimming and Diving Club, told a similar story.
"Same position as the gymnastics team, you know, last year, administrative cuts, and there's still a lot of guys that want to hang around."
"We want to be able to give the opportunity to kids in the state to still swim, since there aren't many swim teams around," Benard said.
Benard said the club currently has 23 members, who practice with the women's team, and that the club has already begun to raise money.
Club Vice President Matthew Zrada said in an interview following the meeting that the team has in fact changed little since being cut.
The team has only lost two members, and with new freshman members, actually has greater numbers than last year.
The club's schedule will be almost the same as the team's was, Zrada said, with the difference that they will compete in a club championship rather than the Atlantic 10 championship.
The team has been able to preserve itself in this way thanks to their coach's connections and to the willingness of other teams to compete, Zrada said.
