It’s been several years since most students have heard the bell for recess. Now, students utilize the 48 minute lunch period for more than eating. Whether it be finishing up notes or cramming in last minute studying for a quiz, this break that used to be meant for exercise can be filled with academic tasks instead. Now, various sports clubs gather during this time to provide a “light hearted” activity for students.

Communications junior Sloane Clarke said that the lack of a school lacrosse team brought the Lacrosse Club together.

“Since our members already play lacrosse outside of school, this is more of a chance to meet people with the same interests,” Clarke said. “Especially for underclassmen looking for friends that can relate to a sport we don’t have here, we want to offer that more than anything.”

Instead of asking players from different teams across the county to find time to play each other, they aim to get to know each other better at lunch meetings and discuss how each of them found this sport. In its first year, The Lacrosse Club hopes to “establish a sense of community” that didn’t exist for players before.

However, other sports clubs like the Recreational Sports Club, want to challenge students in trying new sports every meeting. With a current rotation of indoor sports, Pickleball Club president and band senior Drew Arfa hopes to expand to field sports in the new year.

“We focus mainly on bringing people together through accessibility and variability, to get students to try things they haven’t before without the pressure of failure,” Arfa said.

Just by opening the gymnasium doors during lunch, he has seen a surge of underclassmen ready to join in. According to a casual survey by The Muse, 78% of students share they are more willing to try new activities alongside friends. This new club on campus provides the equipment and attitude to support it.

Beyond connectivity or engagement, Ping Pong Club pledges to create a stress-relief system and a non-competitive outlook on an activity.

“I am happy that it’s not a sports team, coming from a competitive background,” President and strings senior Jeffrey Bai said. “I love being able to teach it in a calm environment inside a competitive school and bring that community together.”

With 83% of students using sports or activity as their main form of stress relief, Bai recognized how the sport he loved could grow through other students looking for outlets, even at lunch.

Pickleball Club, on the other hand, has turned students’ love for sports into a way to support causes in the community. President of the Pickleball Club and strings junior Petra Debabnah said it was the passion of club members that pushed her to plan the tournament on Sept. 28, which raised $300 for pancreatic cancer research. The Pickleball Club plans to continue their efforts with more events as the year goes on.

“I wanted to involve pickleball to connect with students about fundraising to keep it (the fundraising) lighthearted,” Debabnah said. “It has really come down to the support of our members that wanted to be more involved in this cause and dedicate more time.”

While school will never dedicate time to monkey bars or four-square again, some students turn to sports clubs to recreate this lost break — one meeting at a time.