The winter intramural season is drawing to a close – teams are headed into playoffs in everything from badminton to basketball – which means it’s not too early to start grabbing your friends and forming spring intramural teams. For many students, the idea of competing in a sport they’ve maybe never played before or haven’t played since high school can seem a little daunting, but here are some common intramural myths I would like to clear up after having given intramurals a try myself for the first time this quarter.
(This is my team, the Flying Unicorns. As you can tell by our team name, intramurals are all about having fun. Otherwise we would be the Serious Unicorns).
Myth 1: You have to have solid athletic skills to join an intramural team.
– Wrong! As long as you go in with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn, you’ll be fine. Most of the people on my indoor soccer team hadn’t played since high school, and one of our teammates had never played before, but we’re three and three going into the playoffs. Intramurals are for fun, not Olympic level competition.
Myth 2: Intramurals will take up too much of my time.
– No way! Games are typically twice a week, so if you have two to three hours a week to spare, you’ll be just fine. The games are also usually between 7 and 10:30 p.m., which alleviates conflicts with classes or other activities. Whether or not a team practices is up to the team members, but practices are not required. As long as your team has subs, it’s also not required that you attend every game. For example, one of my teammates is typically busy on Thursday nights, so he’ll play only on Tuesdays. We have plenty of guy subs, so this is no big deal.
Myth 3: I don’t have the money to play an intramural sport.
– Don’t worry! Intramurals are designed for college students, so a college budget has been kept in mind. The fee per team is typically about $50, which split between seven or eight people isn’t a big investment. Depending on the sport, you may need to purchase some gear, but this won’t add up to too much either. There are no team uniforms, so as long as you and your friends all have t-shirts of the same color, you’ll be good to go.
Myth 4: I don’t have enough people for a team, so I wouldn’t be able to play.
– That’s fixable! A lot of times teams without enough people will join together. If you want to go it alone, you can register as a free agent and join a team that way, which is a great way to make new friends. If you’re having trouble forming a team, don’t hesitate to contact the intramural staff – they’re there to help you get playing.
Myth 5: There’s no intramural sport that I would want to do.
– Have you seen the list? Just this season there’s basketball, indoor soccer, indoor flag football, bubbleball soccer, volleyball and dodgeball. In other seasons, there has been everything from pickleball to ping pong, and many of the spring intramural sports are outdoors.
If you want a chance to hang out with your friends, stay physically active and enjoy some friendly competition, intramurals should be your go to. For more information about intramurals at CWU, head to http://www.imleagues.com.
CWU Hype 