Friendly Competition
By Grace Lindquist
June 6, 2022

As students transition into college, their participation in athletics changes. Competition for spots on intercollegiate teams is extremely high, and some high school athletes decide they would rather have more time and energy to dedicate to other extracurricular opportunities. Fortunately at JBU, students have a lot of opportunities to participate in club sports or intramurals. JBU is home to five club sports that compete against other college club teams: ultimate frisbee, rugby, shooting sports, baseball, and the newest addition in 2021, esports, a coed club sport with 13 players.
Club athletes experience many of the same aspects of being a part of a university sport as varsity athletes – including leadership positions, competition, the dedication of their time, and most impactfully, being a part of a team environment.
Seth Eben, senior electrical engineering major, is one of the co-founders and the captain of the club baseball team, the JBU Talons. Eben nearly attended another Christian university to play baseball but ultimately decided he wanted to be at JBU more than he wanted to play baseball at the intercollegiate level. Eben played other club sports during his freshman year, but he recognized interest in others in starting a baseball team at JBU.
In the summer of 2019, Eben and Jack Stockton ’21 wrote the constitution, recruited athletes, and petitioned the university for club approval. Unfortunately, the Friday before the team’s first game was when JBU sent students home due to COVID-19, so the Talons didn’t get to play any games that spring. Finally, a year later, they joined the National Club Baseball Association and had their first home games in March 2021, where over 100 people attended to watch their home opener. Later in the season, they went on to win against the University of Arkansas and Missouri University of Science and Technology.
The baseball team practices twice a week through the year, with their hours ramping up during their spring season. “We usually play a game on Friday and two games on Saturday, and that’s the most time commitment because it will be about eight hours of playing baseball,” Eben said. Their home series against Missouri S&T was Eben’s favorite team memory so far. The team bonded as they tarped the field in the rain and moved the games back to the evening, ultimately wrapping up at 11:30 p.m. They won that game in an epic walk-off hit by Stockton.
“I have learned a lot about patience and about different styles of leadership and ways to approach each player,” Eben said. “Commitment levels of players can wane and grow depending on seasons, and club sports might not be the most important thing in people’s lives sometimes. But for me, this team is one of my biggest commitments. I love playing with this team, and I love playing baseball; so it’s about learning when to be patient and understanding and learning when to push them.”
Loraine Ferrin, junior digital cinema major, is a dedicated member of the women’s ultimate frisbee team, also known as “Savage Skies.” The club team is one of the reasons she decided to attend JBU. During a tournament in the fall 2021 semester, the Savage Skies won five out of six games, despite a low number of members.
“I’ve never seen a group of girls give it all on the field and still have a great attitude,” she said. “It was hot. We were tired, but I think for the first time, I learned not only what it’s like to have a team but to love that team.”
Ferrin said at the first practice, everyone was so welcoming and friendly. She could see that everyone cared for and loved one another, on and off the field. “It’s such genuine love that makes you work so hard every single practice and tournament because you see how hard everyone else is working,” Ferrin said. “But it’s also a love that makes you care for one another physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This might sound cheesy, but it truly is not just a team; it’s a family.”
This season, the women’s team has seen some low numbers, but they were able to join the men’s team and continue to compete in tournaments. “They [the men’s team] have been so awesome and welcoming to us. It’s definitely been a little challenging, because most of us were so used to playing against girls, but everyone has been so good about working together,” Ferrin said. “We all help each other, give each other tips and keep each other accountable. It’s amazing to see how well we work together, and while there’s still a lot we need to figure out, I’m so confident that with time, we’ll get there.”
On April 2, “Iron Skies,” the combined name of the men’s and women’s ultimate teams, went undefeated at the Dust Bowl Tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “For this to be our second tournament playing all together and to win the whole thing is so impressive,” Ferrin said. “I’m so extremely proud of everyone for giving it their best but also so thankful that God is giving us the physical and mental strength to play so well.”
Joe Oliver, junior outdoor leadership and entrepreneurship double major, is the men’s rugby captain. He joined the rugby team nearly as soon as he arrived on campus his freshman year after hearing about how the team felt like a brotherhood. The team’s goal is to bring men together to honor the Lord through playing rugby — an aspiration that has been passed down through the years. He said some of his highlights have been spending time as a team off the field, having cookouts together, and being intentional about getting to know each other.
“On the field this spring, we beat the University of Arkansas. It was exciting that all of our starters were healthy and were able to compete and win against an elite team,” he said.
Oliver has learned two big lessons by being on and leading the team. “Once you are there, you have to be fully there. Rugby is not a sport you can put 60% in, because you will get injured,” Oliver said. “Second, when you’re in a game, you are always fighting for your brother next to you, which encourages responsibility, and you know that the person next to you has your back.”
Fiona Stoll, junior nursing major, loved her time on the women’s rugby team, as it centered itself around Christ which she said made practice so much more enjoyable. She said the team took time to get to know each other and build friendships that last in a safe environment to make mistakes and learn new skills while also having a lot of fun.
“I learned not only a lot about rugby itself but also how to be a better team player,” she said. “I learned how to be happy for people when they are doing well and how to be there for people when they were having a difficult time. I learned that it takes every member of the team to win and that we need to encourage and build each other up in order to succeed.”
Stoll said since it was a club sport, new members would join at random with experience ranging from newbie to pro. This meant the team needed to be patient with one another as they learned how to perform the skills and flow as a team, which, she reports, was a very humbling experience.
Stoll had the opportunity to go to two matches where she said they were intense and even dangerous at times, but that’s the beauty of the sport. “There was never any anger or hatred toward the other teams, just a real fear that you might break a bone that day,” Stoll said. “Both sides would celebrate together after the games which really emphasized the community aspect of the sport. Sadly, we lost both matches, but we learned a lot and have since become better players.”
Women’s rugby debuted in fall 2015 and has won decisive victories, including a Mid-America Rugby Football Union DII Regional Championship and a deep run in the national playoffs in 2019. With COVID-19 restrictions, interest dwindled for a time; and the team hasn’t competed since 2020, but there is a growing movement to bring it back.
Makayla Woods, senior mathematics major, joined the shooting club during her freshman year after a lifelong interest in shooting firearms. Coming into college, she had never participated in an organized game of trap or skeet, so she enjoyed the games and learned a lot about teamwork and the importance of trusting and relying on other people. Woods helps run the team and says she couldn’t do so successfully without the help of their faculty sponsor Mark Terrill and club Vice President Patrick Simpson, a junior mechanical engineering major.
The Shooting Sports club was established in 2015 after a few construction management students wanted to help other students learn more about gun safety and operation. Safety is a top priority for the team, along with skill-building. Regular practices are two hours long on Fridays, but a leadership position requires more of a time commitment, including planning, buying supplies, and scheduling.
“Now, members of the team compete against each other in games of skeet, trap and timed pistol shooting among other things,” Woods said. “Every Friday, we go out to New Life Ranch and have practice and compete against each other to sharpen our skills. For me, it’s fairly easy to make time for the team because it’s something that I am passionate about.”
Intramurals also provide a popular outlet for students, and even faculty, to be active and compete with friends and roommates. The sports are organized into smaller seasons, typically a few weeks long and often set up as leagues, with the final matchup drawing a crowd of students. The leaders of intramurals believe there is something for everyone, including the ability for students to name their own team and win bragging rights.
This year’s intramural sports included basketball, coed volleyball, soccer, pickleball, coed dodgeball, flag football, indoor soccer, sand volleyball, coed softball, and spikeball.
Annalysa Watts, junior psychology major, has always loved volleyball and has been playing intramural volleyball and sand volleyball since she set foot on campus as a freshman. She said she loves the competition and the camaraderie, as it emphasizes teamwork but at the same time, highlights individual skills.
“As a team, we challenge each other and encourage one another. It also serves as a stress reliever for me from the physical exercise aspect — it increases the production of endorphins which results normally in a positive mood,” Watts said. “It’s fun to push yourself and improve performance. It’s also just a fun activity to play with your friends and spend time together outside or inside. That’s where I have met a lot of my friends.”
Watts believes that students value intramurals so much because it gives them an opportunity to play a sport they normally wouldn’t out of fear of being judged for their performance. Students also get the chance to be a part of a team, meet new people, and be active.
Hannah Holden, junior marketing and management major, decided to become one of the coordinators for intramurals during COVID-19 when many campus activities were restricted. According to Holden, intramurals bring people together to create memories and meet new people through various sports. She said sports have always brought a lot of joy into her life, and she wanted to create that same feeling for the students at JBU.
“We introduced the Presidential Pickleball Invitational into the intramural program, hosting it on the outdoor tennis courts to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions,” Holden said. “This new addition had a large turnout of both students and faculty, and it was such a fun experience being able to bring people together in the midst of a season where that was nearly impossible.”
When asked why so many JBU students play intramurals year after year, Holden said intramurals are a fun way for students to spend time with their friends and participate in the sports that they enjoy, whether they played in high school or not.
Whether it’s club sports or intramurals, these activities are important facets of student life at JBU. These sports bring students together to foster community, get active, build skills, and honor God through it all.