Student intramurals begin as a chance for students to compete in new and familiar sports
By Lisa McMahan
Making their way from backyards and playgrounds to the UP campus, bocce and kickball prove that it's never too late to learn a new sport.
The Department of Recreational Services is offering a variety of intramural sports at UP as a way to get involved on campus outside of the classroom. In hopes of recruiting beginning players and serious athletes alike, Rec. Services is presenting students, faculty and staff with both traditional and unconventional intramural activities this year.
Bocce and kickball seasons have already concluded, but their popularity shows students' willingness to try new activities.
"I really like (bocce and kickball) as part of our program," said Brian Dezzani, director of Recreational Services. "They definitely make people come out and play."
While some intramural sports tend to attract students with years of experience, it is rare that a student enters the university with competitive bocce or kickball experience.
"They're kind of like gateway intramural sports," Dezzani said. "They're non-threatening and they give the common student a spot to play sports."
Though players' skill levels vary, bocce is not a game that necessarily requires a great deal of athletic prowess for the two-player team.
"The playing field is pretty level," said junior Alec Devereaux, who played bocce on team Weapon X this fall.
Although bocce is a simple game to pick up, there are moments when the game can become rather intense.
"It's the easiest game," junior Nate Banet said. "You can get really competitive in this game that is really just a game of luck."
Students who participated in kickball tend to agree that it, too, is an entry-level sport that almost anyone can play. Teams consist of a minimum of eight people, and they are co-recreational, meaning that the male-female ratio must be roughly 50-50.
Sophomore Jacob Lampe, who played kickball for the Just Kickin' It team this fall, believes one of the reasons kickball is so popular is because it's not taken so seriously.
"Everybody's just there to have fun," Lampe said. "Kickball is one of those sports where you don't have people who have played for years."
Kickball and Bocce serve as an introduction to the intramural program for athletes, but they also serve as an introduction to officiating for new student referees.
Because of the similarities between kickball and softball, referees who officiate at kickball games are simultaneously preparing themselves for the softball season, Dezzani said.
Players are expected to abide by the same standards upheld by other intramural sports, including the Spirit of Game System. At each game, referees rate the team's behavior, Dezzani said. If they're good sports and are respectful of the other team and referees, they are permitted to compete in the playoffs.
"Yelling at the other team or at the ref means they are not able to compete in playoffs," Dezzani said. "It doesn't happen very often, but it does happen."
The Spirit of Game System helps keep bad attitudes in check and was put into place as a way to ensure good sportsmanship across the intramural program.
Another reason the program exists at UP is to build community within residence halls, according to Dezzani. However, the sports are not only available for students, but also for faculty and staff.
One staff member who took advantage of the opportunity to build community outside of the classroom is Web and Administrative Systems Director Jenny Walsh, who played futsal soccer with a team of other staff members a few years ago.
She was approached by a group of social and behavioral sciences faculty and was surprised to discover that intramurals at UP are not just for students.
"It was great to get to do something different on campus," Walsh said. "It's really fun playing with or against students you see around campus."
This year the process of signing up for each intramural sport has changed. Rec. Services has adopted the use of Athleague, a Web-based service that enables students and faculty to start teams, join an existing team or sign up as free agents.
This is the biggest change this year, said Dezzani. "It really makes it easier for people to sign up, and it definitely makes it easier for us to schedule."
Students, however, find that the program formulates game schedules that may conflict with their classes.
"It automatically gives you a schedule that doesn't necessarily coincide with your class schedule," Banet said.
Despite this challenge, the games go on - usually resulting from substitute players, who are permitted to participate in intramural sports.
Lampe remembers a kickball game in which only two team members showed up to the game.
"I got on my phone and started texting people" to find subs, Lampe said. "And we won! It was ridiculous."
Intramural activities are staggered throughout the year, enabling Rec. Services to find adequate playing space and enabling students to participate in multiple sports.
Banet, who played bocce, plans on later participating in intramural soccer and basketball. "Anyone can play kickball and bocce," he said. "It was a good way to get the ball rolling."
