By J.D. Eddy, Editorial Editor
For ex-athletes like me, it feels like there is not a lot to do on campus. But there are things that can keep you entertained and active throughout the school year.
What I am referencing is intramural sports, which is for people who used to play a sport. There are flag football games that start late in the fall, basketball that starts in the spring, volleyball in the fall and, if we’re lucky, softball in the spring as well.
Flag football sticks out for someone like me who used to play football; it is a fun way to get in some cardio without thinking of it as just running. Sign-ups for football are closed for this year. But for next year, when the email is sent, be sure to go and sign up.
Now, it may seem like a lot of fun. However, these games do tend to get a bit intense. I was a referee at these games last year, and it always made me think, “They’re playing flag football. Why is everyone so aggressive?” However, I am just as competitive as everyone else. I am not to the point where I will fight someone. This is not to dissuade you from signing up, but to tell you that this is an intense activity on campus.
Intramural basketball is where students tend to have the most fun. It is competitive, but not to the point where there will be fights breaking out. Everyone has a good time even with refs like me, who had no idea what they were doing. I am not saying that we were bad, but a lot of us had never played basketball before. If we had, we were young and did not remember most of the rules. This was the most fun I had ever seen the students have. In one game of basketball, the teams had more good sportsmanship than all of the football games put together.
Volleyball only had three teams last fall. No one else signed up, so we decided to do a few games for fun.
There would still be refs, but no bracket, and maybe a few rules. This turned out to be fun for the students who were involved. Even though there was never an actual winner, it was just something enjoyable for everyone to participate in.
I don’t have much to say about softball, except for the game two years ago. The teams weren’t necessarily playing to win, but to more or less have a good time. Players did a lot of trash-talking with friends who were on other teams.
I don’t remember who won or anything other than that it looked really good. It was a great stress reliever, and it was good to see these guys that were on the football team with me unwind. The only time I would see them is at practice or workouts.
Intramural sports may not be for everyone, but I would encourage you to check them out. The school does not have to put these events on, but they do it for us as students. You might as well leave the comfort of your dorm room and go outside for a little while.