Even if you’ve never participated, you’ve probably seen them: the crowd of people that descend onto the field outside the Nest on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Almost every day throughout the school year, hundreds of students take a break from studying to participate in intramurals.
Whether it be flag football, volleyball, dodgeball or even pickleball, Intramurals provide numerous avenues to stay active. Outside of the extremely competitive environment of varsity and sport club athletics, the chances to participate in organized sport are slim for students. That’s where Intramurals come in. For students like Felix McNally, they are an opportunity to continue a passion.
“I've been playing soccer since I was like eight … It was nice to have a segue into college without having to try to do varsity,” said McNally.
Katie Hurst, who is both an Intramural athlete and volunteer, echoed similar sentiments. “Obviously, I don't play varsity and I still wanted to stay active … so I thought it was a good balance and a great way to meet new people as well.”
Meeting new people and building community is another key draw of intramural sports. The team environment provides a great place to strengthen existing bonds and create new ones. Or, as McNally points out, often both simultaneously.
“Even if it is your friend that got you into it, you're definitely going to find people that you haven't met before on your team, especially with the tiered sports,” he said.
Tiers are crafted to appeal to players of all experience types and have different competition levels.
Competition is another central aspect of Intramurals, especially for basketball player Ryota Muramatsu. “I find it fun because I'd say that it's competitive, but to the point where people take it seriously but not too seriously.”
While Muramatsu has enjoyed the balanced level of competition he has in Intramurals, he noted the tiers’ adaptability.
“It's competitive, [so] if you're looking for that competitiveness, it’s there,” he said. “There are different tiers you [can] join in depending on what level of competitiveness you want.”
However, Hurst pointed out other areas of accommodation where intramural sport needs to continue to grow and evolve. “I feel like it's very male-dominated and so that can be really intimidating to some women, especially in the open categories,” she said.
The “open” category welcomes any participants, regardless of gender. Despite being open to everyone, the unequal gender distribution in the category has been a concern for Intramurals this year. Hurst noted that action is already underway to lessen that intimidation.
She mentioned Intramurals hosted “try-it nights” this year — one-off events that allow female-identifying participants to try an intramural sport outside of the normally scheduled season. “We've had lots of good turnout, which I think is a really good initiative,” she said.
Intramurals can mean many different things to many different people. Some join for the chance to be active, some for competition and others to be social and make friends. There really is no right answer to what someone should get out of intramural sports. It exists to make sport accessible to all students, providing a gateway into the endless benefits of sport.
“Join Intramurals to meet new people, have fun, stay active and just put yourself out there,” said Hurst. “It's a great opportunity, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.”