California Baptist University has hundreds of male and female athletes who participate in National Collegiate Athletic Association competition in 11 different sports.
However, there are uni- versities across the country that play host to sports CBU does not currently offer. Some are sports that CBU used to have, such as tennis, and others are sports that CBU may never have.
One sport that is not found at the university is football. Hundreds of schools generate excite- ment and a unique game day experience. On Nov. 3, the 21st Fortuna Bowl re- vealed the hunger the CBU fan base has for this game.
More than 3,000 spec- tators filled the stands in anticipation of the Homecoming finale. Jordan Kloosterman, sophomore nursing major, Beast Mode On quarterback and most valuable player of the men’s Fortuna Bowl game, said he thinks a football team
would be highly beneficial for the school.
“It would get a lot of support,” Kloosterman said. “Students would be really ex- cited to have a football team. It could make CBU look more attractive for prospective stu- dents as well.”
As difficult as it can be to start a football program, there are other sports that CBU could host right now with its facilities.
At the University of Southern California there is a women’s sand volleyball team. Because CBU is one of the few campuses with sand volleyball courts, the possi- bility is open for the Lancers to have a team.
After the 2009 season, both the men’s and women’s tennis programs were cut by the school. The return of a tennis team could be a reality if the school decides to resur- rect the program.
CBU currently has a track team that specializes in long-distance events, but the team used to participate in all of the traditional track and field events. In the late 1990s, the Lancers had a great deal of success with multiple
athletes being named All- Americans. This success culminated in a national championship in track and field in 1999.
“A legacy they have left is pretty simple – their records,” said Mitchell Moore, senior communi- cation studies major and a runner for the track and cross country teams.
“As a competitor, I want a shot at those times, but the only way of doing that is by having a track team. I want to break some of their records and leave a legacy of my own.”
Another sport that CBU does not currently have is bowling, a highly competitive sport that is being played at dozens of four- year institutions across the country. Participating schools include Arizona State University, University of Kansas and Ohio State University. Although CBU has a bowling class, it has no team. Bowling is not the only sport that flies under the radar: rowing, skiing, ri- fle, fencing and field hockey are all sports that compete in NCAA competition.
