All kinds of athletic backgrounds converge on the ISU campus in late August as the new freshman class begins its journey.

Former high school football, basketball, cross country and track, soccer, wrestling and gymnastics stars are beginning their new adventures alongside freshmen with little high school athletics history.

But regardless of the talent level, Iowa State has a place for all with more than 50 sports clubs and hundreds of intramural sports and activities.

Intramurals are for students who prefer a more relaxed athletic environment. Each intramural runs for a few months and varies in price.

Sports range from basketball to Texas hold ’em, and three categories — men’s, women’s, co-ed — ensure a place for all students who want to play.

Two ways exist to join an intramural team. The first is by forming a team and registering for the sport. The second way is called free agency. Students without a team or partner are put into a pool where they are randomly assigned a team or partner to compete in their desired sport.

“We offer different skill levels in most activities that allows for students to participate even if they haven’t played before or aren’t familiar with the activity,” said Russ Jones, assistant director of intramurals. “We try to pair teams up with other teams of your skill level to make for fair competition.”

One of the pride and joys of winning an intramural championship is the coveted champion T-shirt, which has been provided for more than 35 years and adds to the excitement of winning the title.

One other way of getting involved with intramural sports is to referee, and Recreation Services will even pay refs for their service.

“We provide one of the best employment opportunities on campus,” Jones said.

Intramural sports are part of the student fee, so the only sports that students have to pay extra for are golf and ice sports.

Sports clubs are meant to create a competitive environment.

They compete against other colleges and universities, team members are determined by tryouts and prices vary from club to club and can range from a hundred to a few thousand dollars.

ISU’s sports clubs experienced great success during the last year.

The ISU Baseball Club advanced to the National College Baseball Association’s Mid-America Regionals this year for the first time in nearly 10 years.

The ISU Fishing Club qualified two fishers for the national tournament.

The ISU Golf Club sent its first team to nationals in club history.

The ISU Hockey Club made it to the quarterfinals of the American College Hockey Association national tournament before losing to the eventual champions.

And the ISU Basketball Club went to nationals for the first time in club history.

With all the success these clubs bring, it is often a battle among new students to join the team, as not every team can take every person who tries out.

Club sports often get talented athletes who passed on college athletics to pursue their academic career.

“Joining a club sport is a great way to gain leadership experience,” said Landon Wolfe, club sports coordinator. “Being on the executive board for a club sport is like a real-world experience.”