Our sport club athletes do more than just practice and compete, they also volunteer. This past semester our teams have volunteered at marathons, schools and tournaments. They have logged in a total of 6,341 community service hours thus far in the 2018 to 2019 school year. Clubs have to meet a certain level of requirements to maintain funding and status within RecSports, said Jon Broska, Assistant Director for Competitive Sports. As part of that requirement clubs must have anywhere between 50 to 125 hours in at least two distinct community service projects. The clubs are responsible for finding these events and submitting proof of completion.At the end of February, women’s club water polo was named “The Amazing 7” because of their service at the Five Points of Life marathon put on by Life South, an organization that educates about saving lives through blood donations. The girls were there at the event at 5:30 a.m. on a Sunday and were in charge of the water stations dispersed throughout the marathon that took place at Celebration Pointe.According to Joe Johnson, The Greater Gainesville Chamber’s Program Manager, members of the team continued their job after their assigned station was not there. Instead, they joined in on the Greater Gainesville Chamber’s water station.
“They exemplified the meaning of giving back to the community,” Johnson said.
In addition to the team’s efforts, men’s baseball, women’s soccer and field hockey took some time off from the field to participate in Project Makeover2019 at the end of February. Project Makeover is a UF student-run nonprofit organization that renovates a low-income elementary school every year. The weekend – long event occurred February 22-24, 2019. The student-athletes participated in painting murals, gardening and pressure washing throughout the weekend.
Coming up in May is the 3rd Annual Jamie Chapin Classic golf tournament put on by men’s lacrosse in honor of the UF lacrosse captain, Jamie Chapin, who died of brain cancer at age 25.
“He was a pioneer for the sport of lacrosse in the North Florida area, and he helped to grow the game in this part of the state,” said Garrett Hanrahan, head coach for men’s lacrosse.
The event will benefit the UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program and will take place at the Lagoon Course at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club. Over the past two years, the team has already raised $30,000 for this cause. They hope to meet the $50,000 mark this year.
If you’re interested in registering for the event visit https://www.jamiechapinclassic.org/ for more information.
Visit the Sport Club’s UF student organization profile for officer contact information and related links.
