Intramural sports offer an environment to stay active and scratch that competitive itch, away from the beer pong table. Each semester, students group up for team sports or go in solo for individual tournaments. Sports available include everything from soccer and softball to frisbockey and innertube water polo.
Team sports usually have a regular season, of various lengths, followed by playoffs. Depending on the number of teams, regular season performance can dictate a team’s eligibility for playoffs. Playoffs come with higher stakes in the form of T-shirts for first-place and cups for second-place. Commenting on the intensity that can show up in playoff games, director of Intramurals and Physical Education Craig Pelizzaro says, “Sometimes people think there’s gold in those T-shirts.”
If battling it out in the competitive ranks doesn’t sound fun to you, there are two other levels of competition available – recreational and co-rec. These are more casual levels which are good opportunities to try new sports. Fourth-year student Dominik LaChappelle mentioned, “Even if you’re not great at something you should still give it a try in the non-competitive rec leagues.” Recreational leagues are open to any combination of team members, and co-rec leagues generally have rules dictating the amount of men and women allowed to play at once. Make sure to check the rules for individual sports before you sign up. If team sports are not of interest, one-on-one tournaments also provide great competition. These range from esports to golf, and there are a huge variety of opportunities in between.
For LaChappelle, Intramurals (IMs) are more than just a shot at the coveted T-shirt. He said they offer him, “Motivation to keep doing school work. As something to look forward to.” LaChappelle is currently playing flag football and sand volleyball. Intramural sports provide an opportunity to diversify your schedule and stay physically active while you’re at it. Pellizarro mentioned his team’s motto; “Fun, Fitness and Friendship.”
Pellizarro encourages students to try new sports, suggesting, “You might find something new that you’ll like for a lifetime.” Adult recreational leagues are popular outside of college campuses, so testing the waters while you’re in school surrounded by your friends could prove fruitful. Who knows, maybe one day your co-workers will have a recreational softball team and ask you to join. You could wear that gold threaded T-shirt to the first game with confidence.
For more information or to sign up visit www.imleagues.com/mtu.
