Students that played sports in high school but are not competing at the collegiate level usually attempt to find a way to fill the void.

Club sports and intramurals are here for students to fill that college void.

“Seventy-five percent of [ISU] students participate in intramurals in some way,” said Garry Greenlee, associate director of recreational services.

Both intramurals and club sports offer different levels of competition and have benefits that go beyond participating in an athletic activity.

Most members of sports clubs will tell you being a part of a club will allow you to meet new people and make some of the best friends you might ever have.

The range of commitment in sports clubs also vary. Clubs like baseball, hockey, rugby and ultimate Frisbee compete against other schools’ club teams and require a large commitment.

Both hockey and rugby play in a national collegiate club league comparable to the NCAA. They play rival schools and, in the case of hockey, compete for national tournament championships on a year-to-year basis.

But with that commitment comes fun.

“[The ISU Ultimate Frisbee Club] is some of the most fun I’ve ever had,” said Michael Brisbois, senior in finance. “We work hard, but we have a lot of fun, too.”

More information on the various sports clubs can be found at www.recservices.iastate.edu.

A variety of intramural activities are available to students, and if you win, you get the coveted intramural champs T-shirt, which serves as bragging rights to your fellow students.

While club sports are for the more competitive athletes on campus, intramurals are strictly for fun.

Intramural activities include the obvious sports such as basketball and flag football but also include table tennis and euchre tournaments.

There are co-ed events as well, so any combination of friends can get together to compete for the T-shirts.

Among the most popular intramural sports is broomball. As a spin-off of hockey, broomball is played at the Ames Ice Arena.

Another aspect of club sports and intramurals is that they serve as a supplemental way to stay in shape aside from a normal workout routine.

“If you’re competitive and want to stay in shape, what better way is there?” Greenlee said.