American football is a sport of strategy that requires coordination, strength, balance, agility, and most of all, teamwork. The sport has many rules and many ways of scoring points, but the main aim of the game is to carry the ball into the opponent's end zone. Although the game is played with two teams made up of eleven players on the field, the entire team roster consists of forty to sixty players in which people of every size can play a role. A club was established this year by Hürşehit Çiğdemoğlu (club manager), Cihan Özsönmez (team captain), and Alkan Açıkgöz (line captain). The response from other students was so positive that they were soon able to form a team, settling on the name "Bilkent Judges." The team members say that American football is so fun that it is almost an addiction: once you get involved in the sport, it is not easy to give it up. "I played basketball for nine years, but it was only after playing American football that I discovered the total satisfaction that no other sport has been able to give me," says Cihan. The American football team is also supported by the Sports Center and the University Administration.

These ambitious Bilkenters are determined to make the sport a regular part of the Bilkent athletic scene as well as a Turkish institution by arranging games, tournaments, and conferences in the future. They are also working hard to introduce American football to all Bilkenters so that they can share the excitement and challenge of the sport while enjoying the camaraderie. The team practices on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the East Campus green in front of Bilintur. Come and join the team to taste its spirit and form long-lasting friendships.

For further information call Hürşehit Çiğdemoğlu at (532) 684-9522, Cihan Özsönmez at (532) 714-9510, or Alkan Açıkgöz at (532) 374-8179, or just stop by during one of their Saturday practices.