By Logan Jones
Asst. Sports Editor
Every week, from six to ten o’clock, the lights come on over the intramural field just outside Coronado Hall. In addition, every week Northwestern’s finest, ranging from athletes to academics and even the average college student, take part in the comradery that is intramural football.
At the moment, Northwestern Oklahoma State offers five intramural sports including flag football, dodgeball, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball and co-ed softball. All of which are open to every willing student on campus.
Chris Lauderdale, the Intramural Sports Director here at Northwestern says that the matches and leagues are more than just a game.
“We want to encourage our students to get out more.” Lauderdale Said. “Intramurals allow students to socialize and interact outside of a classroom setting. It acts as a way for students to release and escape the pressures that can come with college life.”
These intramural games are not just games to fill unused time. Each sport is in a set league complete with standings and even a championship.
Intramural sports allow Northwestern students to get more involved in school activities, or as Lauderdale puts it, “the more involved the students are, the closer they become to both the school and the campus.”
Intramurals also function as a way for former high school athletes, who no longer play organized ball, to remain a part of their competitive nature. Students are able to enjoy playing sports but with a more carefree and less stressful environment like that of organized ball, Lauderdale said.
Students that are currently participating in the intramural flag football league enjoy every minute of the time spent playing and competing. Senior Math Education major, J.C. Wells said, “I love playing intramural sports! It gives me, along with other students, a chance to continue and compete athletically.” He comically added, “The refs ain’t perfect, but no one is.”
It is not just the average college student who enjoys intramurals either. Current student athletes like to show off their physical abilities in sports that they do not always get to play “Intramurals serve as something that is a good step away from school. It is something that you can go out and compete in,” a senior Northwestern baseball player Justin Bundy said. “As an athlete, it allows you to compete in a sport that isn’t yours, and as a non-athlete it gives you the opportunity to go play and compete in that sport.”
In addition, if a sport that you are interested in is not on the list of offered intramurals that does not mean it is not able to be added to the list. The school is more than willing to add sports that people like to play. “Feel free to offer more sports,”
Lauderdale said. “We are always open to more options.”