By: Emily Curtis

With wide and eyes and a serious look on his face, Harrison Landers, former Oregon club hockey player, sits on the sideline of a dimly lit hockey rink as he watches his old team play a tough game against Arizona State club team. Few people sit alongside Harrison in the stands of the cold arena. On the ice, the players take hard hits that create a bombing sound that echoes throughout the rink. This is his first time at the arena since he quit last season. As he continues to watch the game progress, he reminisces of the great memories he shared with all of his teammates last year while on the team.

Harrison played competitive hockey his whole life. As a high school student-athlete he purposely changed schools to continue to pursue his hockey career. After high school hockey came to an end, he knew he wanted to continue to play hockey at the collegiate level, however, Oregon only offered club hockey instead of a team apart of the NCAA. This meant that the college would not fund the team, so all the players and coaches were responsible for all of their expenses. Harrison played on the team during his freshman and sophomore years at the UofO and loved every minute of it. However, he explained that the lack of funding took an impact on both himself and the entire team. Club hockey is one of the most expensive club sports on campus, forcing the students to pay $2,500 a year. He explained, “there were times that we had to cancel important games because we could not afford it and it was really upsetting when you are excited to play and you find out it’s cancelled.” Ultimately, Harrison had to retire from his dreams of playing hockey in college because of the financial problem. His teammate Ben explained, “There was an overall absence from the team once Harrison left. He was someone who able to always keep the spirit high even at our lowest morale.” Harrison had a difficult time leaving his teammates and quitting the sport he was greatly passionate because of a problem far out of his control.

The lack of financial support for all club sports at the University of Oregon continues to be a great problem on campus. Harrison has already began to work with different club teams to receive feedback about the financial problem and to find solutions. He understands this problem will not be a quick fix, however, any progress will help players on teams succeeded both as students and athletes. He hopes one day, club sports won’t have to suffer and students-athletes can ultimately pursue their dreams.