This semester, two new clubs are encouraging students to try out different athletic activities: ballet and archery.
Ballet Club
Ballet Club, which has not yet been officially recognized by Student Government and therefore does not receive funding from them, has seen significant interest in the few weeks that it’s been running, with many people trying out the sport for the first time. The club meets three times a week to accommodate all experience levels.
“We thought it was going to be more of people who’ve done it already, just coming in to do more,” club president Yuko Tanaka ’26 said. “I was surprised to have that many people come to our introductory courses. It’s cool that they want a challenge.”
Jenny Davis ’26, who is a relative beginner to ballet, also noticed the amount of interest there was at her first meeting.
“I just felt like it was really well-structured and they knew what they were doing. I feel like we should get funding for this club because immediately on the first day there were probably already eight people there, and the number is growing,” Davis said.
The club formed when Tanaka connected with two other first-year girls in her classes that also had an interest and experience in ballet. They realized that there was no way for them to continue their practice at Lafayette. Having danced for most of their lives, the girls found that sharing their love of the sport would be a fun way to not only improve their technique but also eventually get to perform again.
Although the club is just getting started, Tanaka is already planning ahead. With hopes for a growth in the number of people regularly attending practices, she’s planning for a possible spring show.
“At the end of the semester, we’re thinking about doing a classical ballet act and maybe take a few excerpts from it and do a couple of famous dances,” Tanaka said.
Those interested in joining the club can reach out to Tanaka at [email protected] to learn about practice times.
Archery Club
Erik Kong ’24, president of Archery Club, has always had a vague interest in starting a club at Lafayette but wasn’t exactly sure how to do so. Samantha “Sam” Peabody ’25, vice president of the club, was critical to the club’s formation.
“I never really had the resources and the connections to sort of work my way into starting up a club,” Kong said. “It wasn’t until I met Sam … She’s the one who has all those connections actually. I figured I also wanted to do something before I left Lafayette to leave something here that other people could enjoy.”
Kong was mainly inspired to start the club by the experiences he had doing archery in middle school. For him, this club would present an opportunity to have fun after a busy school day.
“For me, archery is kind of like a fun childhood thing that I get to revisit. I think a lot of people actually feel that way in the club too, so it’s cool that I get to be a kid again,” Kong said.
Although the club has not had its first meeting, Kong has a pretty clear idea of what he wants for its future. “As soon as people want and as soon as we get people to a level where they feel confident, we can start talking about pushing it to a competitive level and maybe pushing ourselves to the NCAA with competitive archery,” Kong said.
Those interested in joining Archery Club can reach out to Kong at [email protected] for more information.
In addition to Ballet Club and Archery Club, the Bohío Association, which addresses social issues impacting the Afro-Latino community, was also approved this semester. Members of the executive board did not respond to requests for comment.
Disclaimer: Assistant News Editor Jenny Davis ’26 did not contribute to writing or editing this story.
Edith Davis • Feb 17, 2023 at 7:06 am
Clubs are such a great way to get engaged in your “home away from home”, especially for new students. Hopefully spotlighting clubs becomes a regular insert in The Lafayette!