Mary Harrison, Campus Carrier sports editor

Four colleges recruited him to join their varsity rowing teams in high school, but Berry senior Joseph Shimko knew that he could not pass up on the opportunities offered at Berry. Joining the Viking Crew club team, established in 1992, would let him enjoy both the college and the sport. 

However, while rowing was on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the man coaching and financially backing the club stepped down. The seniors all but disbanded Viking Crew, according to Shimko.  

Rather than contributing his talents to the club, Shimko and another remaining teammate were faced with a choice: rebuild the club, or let it die. They chose to rebuild. 

“It was a lot more than I expected, but I wouldn’t change it because I’ve been able to share the sport and knowledge that I have with people who have been very interested in learning about it,” Shimko said. “I’ve been prioritizing it because I’ve been happy to teach people a sport and get them competing.” 

Berry’s Viking Crew and ultimate frisbee teams are hungry to represent Berry well in intercollegiate competitions this spring. Yet to compete at the national level, club teams must overcome an inherent instability and lack of resources not typical of varsity sports teams. 

Shimko, second-year Crew president, has essentially served as the team’s technical and recruiting coach since the COVID-19 pandemic. The dual-gender rowing team now includes 14-20 members, a step up from the two returning students Shimko’s sophomore year. 

“We are an active club,” Shimko said. “We have members and we’re creating our own little family, we go to places and represent [Berry].” 

The senior said that while the team has been rebuilding, they have also been delivering the goods. 

Among club competitors, junior and Vice President Ella Jane Miller placed second in the 2000m and 500m ergonomics races hosted by the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (UTC) in Spring 2023, and junior treasurer Jasmine McDonald placed third in the 500m race. At a water scrimmage against the University of North Georgia and Sewanee: The University of the South, the Crew’s boat of four women placed third. 

But lacking regular water practices and a boat storage location, as neither venues are guaranteed for a club sport, makes Shimko nervous about the future of the club after his graduation this coming Spring. 

Unfortunately, a large body of water with a straightaway long enough to maneuver Crew’s boats does not exist on Berry’s campus. For the past three years, the team has practiced on the water at Bushy Branch Creek, 30 minutes southwest of Rome. The distance makes practice difficult during the week, so the first water practice of the season will be held this Saturday morning.  

As the Student Involvement and Intramural Coordinator for the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) and Department of Recreation, Scott Lively’s responsibilities include reserving transportation, waivers, boat insurance for rowing and ensuring tournament eligibility for club sports.  

Lively said OSI and the Berry College police are working with Crew to find a permanent storage location for their boats on-campus. Most storage locations, like the Emery Barns behind Morgan and Deerfield, do not have 24/7 or weekend access for students. 

This spring, Shimko plans for the Vikings to again compete at UTC and scrimmage against UNG and Sewanee. Without more frequent practices on the water during the fall, Shimko said he is nervous about taking his team to more competitions this Spring. Shimko said that rowing is a demanding sport, and without enough preparation, competition could lead to a sub-par performance that misrepresents Berry – or worse, causes an injury. 

Shimko said he knows that with junior Miller poised to take over the team, Viking Crew has what it takes to continue next year. As the most experienced member of a team without an external coach, the twelfth-year rower only hopes the resources and commitment will pan out. 

“This whole year before I [graduate] is to leave Berry with a successful rowing team and show the school that we’re here,” Shimko said. “We’ve been quiet the last few years, but we’ve just been building for greatness.” 

Berry’s ultimate frisbee club, including the Berry Valkyries women’s team and Berry Bucks men’s team, at times endures some venue uncertainty, mostly caused by moving practice locations or times when a varsity sport needs the venues they normally use. They also navigate unique financial challenges created by the national fame they have enjoyed in recent years.  

The Bucks placed ninth at USA Ultimate (USAU) Division III nationals this spring, the third year in a row that they have finished as Top 10 out of all varsity and club men’s ultimate frisbee teams in the nation.  

The Valkyries would have headed to nationals for the second consecutive year this May, since beginning to play by USAU regulations four years ago, but injuries suffered in their regional playoff against Union University forced them to give up their spot to Union.  

Both teams place 11th nationally in UltiWorld’s pre-season rankings for 2024. But if they live up to expectations this season, travelling nationally could continue leading to strains on their budget.

Livley said that as a single student organization, the ultimate teams share a budget. Their dollar-amount requests are also much higher than the typical organization. 

“The student organizations on campus, are hosting meetings where they’re, getting some pizza and some drinks and doing an activity,” Lively said. “It’s just hard to compare that with 20 or so students traveling to Ohio [for a tournament].” 

OSI helps clubs figure out how to fundraise the money that the Student Government Association cannot provide, Lively said. For the past several years, including Spring 2023, the Bucks have used GoFundMe to sponsor travel               to nationals. 

Expecting team members to recruit and retain players can also be a challenge for club sports, according to Valkyries co-captain and senior Kay Petmecky.  The Valks have only seven to eight players each practice, not even enough for a full scrimmage, while the Bucks have 20-23.

Since few ultimate teams are school-sponsored, teams’ existence can fluctuate based on student interest. Women are allowed to join men’s teams at a school if not enough are interested in forming their own team.

Many players, like Petmecky, join the team to find community after they are already at Berry and have very little prior experience. Yet, a misconception still persists that members must have a pre-existing level of skill or commitment to an inflexible schedule, like in varsity athletics. 

While taking their sport seriously, Petmecky said that far from punishing players who do not show up to their two weekly practices, they focus on celebrating each attendee and have fun, both on the field and through community. 

“We want to not just have our team fizzle out when we graduate, but instead, we want to have girls that are coming out and finding friends, finding something that they enjoy,” Petmecky said.