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A guide to sports at Dal

photo by Chris Parent
Photo by Chris Parent

I know what you’re thinking – being responsible for introducing over 2,500 new Dalhousie students to the ins and outs of athletics at a university that is not renowned for their sports teams must be a grueling task.

With the Wickwire stands that will leave your butt still feeling numb a half hour after the game’s end and the absence of a varsity football team and an on-campus arena, it can be concluded that participation in varsity action at Dal is at an all-time low compared to its counterparts.

Well, I’m here to exploit that misconception.

Even though Dal is not among the powerhouse sports schools like, say, Florida State, we’ve still got a pretty good thing going for ourselves here.

Last year’s women’s soccer team’s dominance during the regular season combined with the anticipated reoccurring dominance of the cross-country, track & field and volleyball teams leaves this year swirling with potential.

And let’s not forget about the solid core of young, gritty women’s hockey players that have the potential to make a stir in the playoff picture, or the always-entertaining men’s soccer and basketball games.

But before we get into all of that, we should go over the basics. For the select few
of you who do care, club and varsity action at Dal can leave you rejuvenated, outraged,
and everything in between.

Our top guns

Dalhousie is pleased to represent seven different sports at the varsity level. Soccer, basketball, volleyball, hockey, track & field, cross-country and swimming are what we’re known for. We’ll get into how we do at each event later.

Going clubbing

Dal’s sports clubs are broken down into Tier 1 and Tier 2 divisions. Our Tier 1 sports clubs include football, lacrosse, rugby, ringette, field hockey, baseball and rowing. We tend to do pretty darn well in these leagues and the competitive level is surprisingly high.

You may have to go more out of your way, however, to access the Tier 2 sports clubs as the events are not as frequent and scattered across the Atlantic provinces. These events range from ultimate frisbee and squash to sailing and taekwondo. Tier 2 clubs are always looking for new members, so you can head on over to the Dalhousie website for more details.

The leagues

All of Dal’s varsity teams compete against fellow Atlantic Canadian rivals in the Atlantic University Sport, but we here at The Gazette like to call it the AUS. If we triumph in this division, we move on up to play the big dogs at the national level in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), which is every AUS athlete’s dream.

However, our club teams compete in individual separate leagues. And if you’ve got even more free time on top of that, you can swing down to the University of King’s College and check out the Blue Devils compete against fellow universities and colleges in the Atlantic Colleges Athletics Association (ACAA).

Broke? No problem

Got a DalCard? Of course you do, silly, or else you wouldn’t be reading this. Well, it actually does more than getting you into the meal hall. All varsity and club action is free upon displaying that multi-purposed gem. So save that five-dollar bill for late-night Taco Bell runs and enjoy all the Tigers action you can handle.

There you have it. As mentioned, it’s not the most riveting lineup of athletics that you’ll find, but it’s what we have to offer. If you’re still reading this, you’re ready to take the plunge into all that is Dal sports. We’re glad to have you along for the ride.

Did I mention there are beer tents? Yup. Beer tents are a thing.

Graeme Benjamin
Graeme Benjamin
Graeme is the Gazette's Sports Editor. He was the Assistant Sports Editor for Volume 145.
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