
Club Sports and Recreational Organizations
Club sports and recreational teams are all about relaxing with friends, friendly competition and fun. Don’t see your favorite sport or activity below? No problem, with a few friends you can probably start your own club.
Chartered Club Sports
Chartered club teams compete against comparable college clubs including Division I institutions and the other service academies. The level of interest among cadets in the chartered clubs listed is strong and spirited in terms of roster size, fan support, and their alumni base. The Women’s Rugby team, Rifle team and Pistol team have a tradition of national success.
Much of the leadership and fundraising for chartered clubs comes from team members and their parents. Coaching and administrative oversight comes from volunteer alumni, staff, and faculty. Many cadets regard chartered club teams as the best of all worlds!
For club sport schedules and rosters, see uscgaports.com/clubsports.
Since 1968 the Bears have clawed their way up from playing Division IV in a Stonington cow pasture to the 2006 DII National Champions. Since 2012, the Bears have been conference winners 3 times, runner-up conference champions twice, went undefeated in 2016, and have competed in the National Championships 4 times in 15’s rugby and twice in 7’s rugby. In 2016 the men held a final ranking of 5th place and have been nationally ranked in the top 20 for 6 of the last 8 years.
- 2018 3rd place Conference Standing
- 2017 Runner Up – National Rank top 20
- 2016 Conference Champs 7s – National Rank 5th
- 2016 Conference Champs – National Rank 5th
- 2015 Conference Champs 7’s – National Rank 7th
- 2015 Runner Up – National Rank 12
- 2014 Conference Champs – National Rank 8
- 2012 Conference Champs – National Rank 8
No prior experience is necessary – potential ruggers don’t have to know anything about rugby to join the team; they just must be willing to work hard, get dirty and be dedicated. The game is not for the faint of heart. It involves non-stop running, hitting and tackling, and the team prides itself on a strenuous training program to develop endurance, strength and confidence. The team is a close-knit group of women who excel on and off the field.
Women’s Rugby began in 1999 with a small group of cadets practicing on whatever patch of grass was available. The team now competes in the top tier of the New England Collegiate Rugby Conference (NEWCRC) at a Division II level. They have won the Conference Championship six consecutive times since 2013, and have advanced to the USA Rugby DII Final Four Fall Championship in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 and finished the season ranked third nationally in each of those years. One cadet, a 2019 graduate, is in the talent evaluation pool for the EAGLEs, the U.S. National Team.
For more information, visit their Facebook page.
Recreational Organizations
The Coast Guard Academy Alpine Ski Team is a group of cadets and faculty who share a love of the sport of alpine ski racing. Student-led with volunteer coaches, the team competes in the U.S. Collegiate Ski Association’s McBrine Division and races against several other local colleges during the winter months. The team won third place in the Eastern Cup race during its inaugural 2020 season and is growing into a strong division contender.
Over the course of the season, the team travels to several mountains in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut to train and compete in 6 weekends of racing. No racing experience is necessary. The only requirement is a desire to improve skiing skills and an enjoyment of the sport of ski racing.
The Archery Club offers cadets the opportunity to learn the sport of archery. Members travel to a local range every other week to develop their skills using targets. This cadet-led club holds morale events throughout the year where they shoot at objects such as pumpkins or balloons.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling system that uses positional advantage to submit opponents primarily using throws, chokes and joint locks. It has competitive and combative applications and is a core skill set of modern mixed martial arts (MMA) and military and law enforcement combative systems. The BJJ club meets twice a week and is open to all cadets, CG military, and civilian personnel. The club competes with other service academies and in regional tournaments throughout the year.
In daily life it is sometimes hard to find time to enjoy the finer things. This is why a group of cadets decided to form the International Ballroom Dance Club (IBDC). The IBDC provides cadets with an opportunity to represent the Academy positively in the New England community; it does so in an enjoyable, yet rigorous environment. The IBDC started out small and was largely focused on swing dance. With the growing popularity of formal ballroom dancing among colleges all over the nation and exposure to ballroom dancing in television shows such as “Dancing with the Stars,” many cadets expressed the desire to expand their footwork skills to include other dances.
This ever growing club is coached by an instructor with a professional dance background, a passion for art, and a wonderful teaching style. Her goal is to guide the dancers with a proficiency for an art that builds confidence, poise and grace. Community dances are hosted by the club and are free and open to the CGA community and the public.
Fall 2018
Community dances and lessons will not be held in the fall 2018 semester but they will resume in the spring 2019 semester. Please visit the site in mid-January to view the updated schedule.
The U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Scuba Club promotes opportunities for cadets to engage in recreational diving and associated activities. Emphasizing knowledge and skill development, situational awareness and operational risk management, the club serves to broaden understanding, instill passion and deepen respect for marine and other aquatic environments that will serve them in their future careers as Coast Guard officers. The Scuba Club is active during the academic year, supporting local shore and charter boat recreational diving.
For more information, visit their Facebook page.