Students looking to play different sports and video games in competition without the added pressure of everyday practice and intercollegiate games may consider participating in intramural sports.
Intramural sports are part of a larger recreational league on campus that includes different sports, video games and competitive activities. The sports do not come with the added pressure of NCAA athletics; the league is more casual, where groups of friends can play against other Stevenson students. Kris DeJesus, graduate assistant for campus recreation, said that students can sign up for intramural sports here.
Because intramurals are less competitive than NCAA sports, students who play on any Stevenson NCAA team are not permitted to play on an intramural team within their area of expertise. They are encouraged to play sports they may not be too familiar with to prevent giving a team an “unfair advantage,” said DeJesus.
In the past, Stevenson had a men’s division, a women’s division and a Co-Rec division. According to the IM League’s website, “The men’s division was the most competitive, while the women’s was non-existent and the Co-Rec had trouble finding enough players for the half-male/half-female requirement.” This year, the focus is on making the new open division more competitive. In the open division, there is no requirement for the amount of males or females on a team.
Furthermore, the Co-Rec division will now have a minimum requirement for each gender instead of the half-male/half-female rule.
In addition, intramural teams play video game tournaments. In September, there was a Fortnite tournament which consisted of 18 participants in the gaming room located in Garrison Hall North (OM). DeJesus also said that campus recreation plans on running a Madden tournament and a 2k tournament.
“We always try to do at least one or two video game tournaments,” said DeJesus. Those who missed out on the last video game tournament have the opportunity to sign up for the next one later in the fall semester.
The intramural seasons are divided within the semesters as fall 1 and fall 2, and spring 1 and spring 2. Recently in fall 1, there were two leagues: beach volleyball and flag football.
Indoor volleyball, 3-on-3 basketball, racquetball, billiards and Madden will be offered within fall 2 which begins on Oct. 22.
Students can head to the IM League’s website for a flyer detailing all the events coming up, including bowling, KanJam, cornhole and racquetball. “Every season we try to change it up so we can get a little bit of everything for the students to try,” said DeJesus.
The deadline to sign up as a team is the Thursday before intramurals start, at 5 p.m. On those Thursdays, a captain’s meeting with one representative from each team is held. At the meeting, the rules and guidelines are shared and it is up to that representative to relay the information to the team.
Those who do not have a team to sign up with can register on the IM League website as a free agent, and teams will be able to add players from there. For more information and updates, consult the website or follow Stevenson’s intramurals page on Instagram.
