For incoming freshmen, the world of sports may seem out-of-reach, open only to recruited athletes. Getting involved in athletics at Dartmouth, however, may be much easier than expected.
Not only does the College support 34 varsity-level sports but Dartmouth also offers many opportunities to get involved at the club and intramural level.
While incoming students may find it more difficult to find a spot on a varsity sport, the option is still there.
"It's a challenge," Athletic Director Dick Jaeger said. "It's happened a number of times before, though. They may not be in the minds of the coaches until they come and show their talent."
"It's absolutely feasible. The other guys on the team are so great. They were very helpful," said Matt Burke '98, a walk-on to the football team.
The first few weeks were the hardest, Burke said. "You have to prove yourself. The others are recruited athletes. The coaches wanted them there."
Burke said that the upperclassmen, especially the walk-ons, were helpful in making him feel comfortable on the team.
Jaeger said that while some sports may take more walk-ons than others, every team does recruit high-level athletes to come each season.
Walk-ons "have to work their way up through the ranks. You have to be patient," Jaeger said.
"For me to stick it out, I gained a lot of respect," Burke said. The other players "know how hard it is."
Whatever the case may be, the most important thing for non-recruited athletes who are interested in joining a varsity sport is to speak with the coach.
"Get in to see the coach," Jaeger advised. "It's much more compelling to be talking face-to-face than over the phone."
The summer before he began his freshman year, after Burke decided that he wanted to play football at Dartmouth, he called Head Coach John Lyons to express his interest.
Lyons "was very open. He said to come see him when I got up to Dartmouth," Burke said.
Burke went to see Lyons when he arrived on campus for his Dartmouth Outing Club freshman trip. He met with the coaching staff again when he returned to Hanover.
"I think it's one of the better decisions I've made here," Burke said. "It's a lot of work, but it's definitely rewarding."
Crew is one sport that takes many walk-ons each year. A number of rowers join the team having never rowed before.
Despite the relatively inexperienced freshmen squads, crew consistently puts forth strong teams. The Dartmouth freshmen lightweights won the gold medal at the Eastern Sprints regatta last season.
In fact, both Anne Kakela '92 and Ted Murphy '94 rowed crew for the first time in their freshmen years at Dartmouth. Both Kakela and Murphy rowed for the United States in the centennial Olympics this past summer.
Another option in the athletic department for incoming students is club sports. There are 17 club sports at Dartmouth, including everything from ultimate Frisbee to table tennis.
The main difference between varsity sports and club sports is that varsity sports are funded by the College while club sports fund themselves, Jaeger said.
Club sports compete against other colleges and universities, many in very competitive leagues.
The athletes on such teams have a wide range of background in their respective sports. Some may have played on competitive high school teams, while others may have never played the sport before.
"I'd never tried water polo," Jessica Silversmith '98, a member of the women's water polo team, said. "Two of my house mates were on the team and they encouraged me to come out. I was really interested in getting involved in sports again since I played sports in high school."
One of Silversmith's house mates is Lara Hoffman '98, who began playing water polo in high school.
Recruited to swim for Dartmouth, Hoffman decided after her freshman year that she did not want to put the amount of time necessary into the swim team and would rather dedicate it to her studying.
She switched to water polo, because club sports tend to necessitate less time.
"A club sport is what I needed at Dartmouth," Hoffman said.
Hoffman did not have much experience when she began for the Dartmouth team because her emphasis in high school had been on swimming, but she was hardly alone on the team.
"In general, our team in really young," she said. "It's always exciting to have new people come play. We will take anyone who can play."
Intramurals are a third way students can get involved in athletics at Dartmouth.
The College offers 24 intramural sports over the course of the year. There is a wide variety of choices, including inner tube water polo, volleyball and touch football, among others.
The intramurals program is very popular among the student body, with more than 3,000 undergraduates participating each year.
