NSU Horizons Fall 2017

54 NSU HORIZONS commit to, create a strong team bond, and travel to other schools to showcase what NSU can do.” A key component of the Club Sports program is the Club Sports Council, comprised of the leaders of each club. Members vote on new clubs and offer guidance. One of the new clubs is Maasti, a Bollywood-fusion dance team whose name means “fun” in Hindi. Leon Peter, a biology major from Davie, Florida, is a manager of the 35- member troupe. He says the team was well-established as a club before becoming part of Club Sports. Peter has experienced great growth in being part of the club. After he joined the dance team, “I noticed that I was, by far, the worst one,” he said. Encouraged by belonging to the team, he put in extra practice hours until “I absolutely nailed the routine and my friend, Melody Mathew, noticed and gave me a high-five. I won’t ever forget that feeling.” That sense of bonding happens in NSU’s Club Sports. “People who I probably never would have hung out with before are some of my closest friends, including my future room- mate for next year,” Roderick said. “It didn’t hit me until after the season was over, during finals week, that teammates were saying, ‘Wow, I wish we still had practice tonight. It feels weird not seeing everyone all the time’ and I agreed,” Roderick added. “We had become such a close, tight-knit family, it felt empty when the season was over.” Danielle Pierce, 21, is one of the five members of the Equestrian Club. The junior education major in the Abra- ham S. Fischler College of Education got the bug to ride horses when she was a preteen, but the sport became too expensive. When she arrived at NSU, she discovered the university had a club and it was very affordable. “I’m in a sport I never thought I would be, representing my university,” said Pierce, who is from Queens, New York. The team’s coach owns the horses and club members spend about three hours a week taking care of the animals and getting instruction. Prahasi Kacham, B.S., 2016, had never heard of ultimate frisbee before attending NSU. The game is played with men and women, and players may only hold the frisbee for 10 seconds before passing to another player. Kacham, now a graduate student in the College of Engineering and Computing, recalls the Janus compe- tition in Tampa last January. What happened after the competition thrilled her. “Another team came up and got us to join in spirit games,” said Kacham, explaining that in spirit games opposing teams cheer and build bonds with their teammates and their opponents. “Ultimate frisbee is all about doing it together,” she said. Tom Vitucci, M.S., believes Club Sports are a great recruiting tool. If a student is interested in playing sports in college, but is not looking for an NCAA experience, club sports provide the perfect vehicle to do so, he said. “The program becomes a tipping point in a student’s decision to attend NSU,” said Vitucci, director of Wellness and Recreation. But what’s more important is the impact Club Sports participation has on the student. “Club Sports can be transformational for the students. They grow as people,” Vitucci added. “You’re going to have people who, because of their involvement in these club sports, are still going to be best friends 60 years from now.” n You’re going to have people who, because of their involvement in these club sports, are still going to be best friends 60 years from now.” —Tom Vitucci Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHmfrjamteA to view the Maasti Dance Club.