When I was a kid my friends and I made up our very own sport club that was special just to us. Its purpose was to serve as an excuse for all of us to hang out in a specific area, at a specific time focusing on whatever we could all do really well.

Because of my lack of athletic talent I sort of made everyone else suffer. So when I say what we could "all" do really well, I actually mean what I could get by doing without horribly embarrassing myself or breaking any bones. I had really good friends.

With that self-sacrificing introduction, I would like to talk about the main subject of this column, which is club sports. Tech is home to four: karate, powerlifting, rugby and water skiing. All of these activities involve skill, stamina, physical strength and agility, which defines an athlete.

But this definition does not apply to these club sports, according to the Tech athletic department who does not provide money or sponsorship to these club sports.

They are financially supported by your student fees, their own member fees, fundraisers and the Intramural Center.

I am not talking bad about the athletic department because, as far as I can tell, members of these club sports do not mind the lack of support or money because they are still going out there and doing what they enjoy.

Although, I am sure any sort of donation would not be looked down upon. It takes a lot of time and dedication to get what each club sport gets done with what little they are given to work with.

No, I take that back. They are given quite a lot--participants. Students who give up so many weekends and days out of the year doing what they love. Whether it makes them happy, more self-confident or just gives them an excuse to exercise, they are doing it because they want to.

There is no scholarship dangling in front of their faces reminding them that they have to be good or else and, unfortunately, no coverage of any of their events on the back page of The Tech Talk.

Although they do care how well they do, what matters most to them is that they are having fun while competing.

I made the "unfortunately" comment earlier about the little to no coverage because I am sincerely disappointed that we cannot cover our club sports, thus far. If we could afford an extra page or two every issue to cover everything and everyone sports related we would gladly do it.

But since we can't at this moment I'd figure I would give everyone the rundown.

The powerlifting team, who between the men's and women's teams, have brought home 27 national championships since 1978, and are on their way to bring back two more as they head to Baton Rouge this weekend to compete.

Our water ski team recently placed fifth out of 12 teams in the 30th Polar Bear Classic held at Texas A&M and is hosting a South Central Region Tournament on April 30-May 1 in Bossier City at Old Oaks Ski Lake.

Our 20-member karate team will be competing in the United States Karate Alliance Tournament April 30. In March they competed and swept each division they entered.

Tech's rugby team is in their fifteenth year, and they will be hosting an alumni game on April 23 at home at 3 p.m. in the soccer field located behind the Lady Techster Softball Complex.

Erin Bass is a sophomore journalism major from Bossier and serves as associate sports editor for The Tech Talk.