TU Campus Recreation

A Guide to Club Sports and Intramurals at Tulane

In high school, I played all sorts of sports and definitely wanted to continue competing in college. If varsity athletics isn’t the choice for you, there are still many different outlets to play the sports that you love! With over 30 club sports organizations, ranging from recreational to competitive, there is ample opportunity to continue a sport that you have played your whole life or try something entirely new.  Plus, if there is a sport that we don’t currently offer, all you need is 10 interested students and you can start your own Tulane sponsored team.

Some club teams practice once a week, while others practice up to four times per week. Some teams travel multiple times per semester, while others play locally. Commitment levels vary, but it’s not hard to find a club that fits into your schedule. You can join multiple or try a few out before you decide.

The men's Ultimate team lines up for the start of a match.

During my first month at Tulane, I joined the Ultimate Frisbee Team. I honestly didn’t know Ultimate was a “real” sport and could barely even throw a frisbee, but I tried it out anyway.  When they said no experience required, they weren’t kidding. I stuck with it, caught on, and now as a senior, I am the team captain. We travel all over the southeast to places like Tallahassee, Atlanta, and Nashville to compete with other colleges and universities; it has provided an incredible opportunity to visit so many new places that I wouldn’t have visited otherwise. It’s great being part of such a close knit team and has truly shaped my college experience.

If you can’t commit to a club team, there is also the option of playing intramural (IM) sports. You can get together with some friends from your floor or even sign up for a team as an individual.

All of the teams in the IM league are made up of Tulane students, faculty, or staff. Teams usually play once a week on our campus field. The schedules for the regular season & championships are all made and managed at the Reily Recreation Center. Tulane has flag football, sand volleyball, soccer, and dodgeball just to name a few. 

Whether your goal is to win the coveted Intramural Championship t-shirts or just to have fun, intramurals are a great way to meet more people and try something new with no added pressure.

Many of the Intramural teams play in the evenings outside on Brown Field, Tulane's very own turf field.

The Reily Recreation Center in all of its glory.

About the Author:

Marypat Henry

Class of 2016 

Freeman School of Business  

Involvement: President of the Association of Club Sports

Decision Time; I've Been Accepted (Part 2)

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions; Sifting Through Your Admitted Schools List 

First of all, congratulations! Besides the upcoming deadline for depositing and therefore deciding your future at just one university or college, the hard part is done. I congratulate you for all of your accomplishments thus far. I remember, not too long ago, sifting through the universities I was accepted to, trying my best to imagine myself at each institution.

There are many aspects that come with being a Tulane student that have aided in my happiness here. While I cannot begin to list them all, I hope this list will help give you a better idea of what Tulane University is like from the inside so you can better picture if this is truly the place for you.

Extracurricular Opportunities 

The Tulane Green Club works on a variety of projects such as
composting and creating sustainable gardens around campus.

Tulane has over 250 clubs and organizations for students to get involved with. We have everything from the more traditional multicultural, religious, academic, service, and sports related clubs all the way to the Benevolent Society for the Propagation of Assorted Tomfoolery and Other Sorts of Peculiar and Otherwise Absurd and Baffling Nonsense (Otherwise known as, the Juggling Club). Greek Life at Tulane encompasses roughly 45% of Tulane undergrads. That being said, it really doesn't define who you are, who you hang out with, or what you do on an average weekend. With our spring rush system, you will have the opportunity to meet other upperclassman and underclassman in your classes, extracurriculars, and day-to-day life during your first semester. If you decide through those encounters that Greek life at Tulane is something you're interested in, great! If not, also great! In my experiences I have about an equal amount of friends in/not in a Greek organization and a fairly even spread of friends in multiple organizations.

One of my favorite aspects of Tulane student life as whole is our ability to balance the academic side of college life with extracurricular and other outside involvement.

Club Rowing is just one of many ways to stay active as a Tulane undergrad!

Entertainment 

The Uptown Mardi Gras experience is something for the books!
Tulane students are intertwined with local families and tourists to
catch the parades away from the Bourbon Street madness.

That last point brings me into one final one: entertainment. It is no surprise to most that New Orleans has a long history enriched in festivals, celebrations, and drinking. From Sazerac’s at The Roosevelt to Hurricanes at Pat O’Briens, there are plenty of famous venues serving up tasty concoctions. Be that as it may, actually living in New Orleans provides a far different story than Bourbon Street binges and late nights in the French Quarter. In my opinion, Tulane students get the best of both worlds. We spend a large portion of our time in the Uptown neighborhood, enjoying local comforts like afternoons slurping down Snoballs or evenings watching the sunset at the Fly. There is no shortage of amazing venues to catch live music any given night or a delicious fresh seafood gumbo or po’boy all within walking distance from the Uptown campus. Don’t get me wrong, with more festivals than days of the year in the Gulf South, Tulane students definitely have our fair share of excuses to get out and find some relief away from the classroom and Uptown neighborhood. The key to a successful Tulane career, or any college career for that matter, is moderation. As Tulane students, we may have to do a little more long term planning to balance out exams and midterm papers with Mardi Gras parades, catching the Rebirth Brass Band at the Maple Leaf, or chomping down a few pounds of crawfish at Crawfest, but it all comes naturally to most.

Generally, all Tulane students know and understand that academics comes first and stay true to their academic and professional goals for the duration of their Tulane experience. 

Crawfest is an annual music, food, and arts festival located on campus. Each year, over 10,000 community members and students enjoy a day of live music, 20,000+ pounds of crawfish, thousands of pounds of veggies, and 25 local food and art vendors across 2 quads.

The Fly is Tulane's version of a beach, minus the sand or ocean. It is a beautiful park set directly alongside the
Mississippi River bend where students are often found relaxing, hanging out, or even studying!

About the Author

Trey Holmes

Class of 2016 

Major: Public Health 

Minor: Business 

Involvement: GWA, Greek Life, CACTUS, Community Service Fellowship, USG