(Bryan Brenize -- The Beacon)
By John McCarty, Staff Commentary -- McCarty12@up.edu
You may or may not have noticed it, but spring is in the air at UP. The increase in bare legs and freshman couples might have tipped you off, or perhaps its the 15 minutes of sunshine between rain showers and the fact that it no longer gets dark at 5 o'clock.
At one point in late January I was beginning to have serious doubts about the existence of the sun, like most UP students, the oppressive No Po gray was finally getting to me. I refused to even consider that I might be succumbing to the dread Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD); fortunately, I realized there was a cure. I'm not talking about the happy lights, but rather the commencement of the spring season of intramurals.
Yeah, this is another column where I petition, plead, and otherwise ramble about how you should play intramural sports. No, the Department of Recreational Services is not paying me to write this, although I think I will inquire about some kind of reward the next time I'm in Howard.
I presume that you are an intelligent and thoughtful person – this is the part where I flatter you so you keep reading – who is fully capable of making informed decisions. You don't need some chump sports reporter to tell you all the awesome things about intramurals, but since you've already read this far you might as well let me remind you.
As crazy as it may seem, summer isn't all that far away which means it's about time to start working out again so you will feel comfortable wearing less clothing come June. What better way to stay physically active than trying to clobber your opponents with a red rubber ball in the name of sportsmanship and friendly competition?
Maybe dodgeball isn't your thing, never fear, there's soccer, 4x4 basketball, ultimate frisbee, and even bowling. If half pint pop star Justin Bieber can be the MVP of a celebrity basketball game while making millions selling records to pre-teen girls what exactly is stopping you from having a little fun playing sports with your friends? I know you don't want to do homework all the time, and we're going to be seeing more and more of the sun, so why not start an ultimate frisbee or co-ed soccer team and enjoy the weather?
You don't have to be the star forward of your high school soccer team; you don't even need previous experience playing, if you just want to have fun there's a division for you, and if the fires of competition burn deep in your soul there's a division for you too.
To put it simply, intramural sports are a fun way to stay physically active in the context of (friendly) competition, Rec. Services is even nice enough to provide the league champions with sweet t-shirts. So what are you waiting for? Consider this column a formal invitation for your participation in one of the few socially acceptable and encouraged distractions from schoolwork. Create or join a team on athleague.com today; seriously though, or you'll miss the signup deadlines.
