By Catherine Laroche
The University of Louisville has earned a reputation for recruiting some of the best players in the region, but a student doesn’t have to be a McDonald’s All-American to play sports at U of L. In fact, all you need is a valid U of L I.D. to join an intramural sports team.
“The easiest way to get involved is through organizations,” Intramural Coordinator Dale Young said. “The dental school, fraternities and sororities and resident halls are some examples of the many groups involved with intramurals. We also have a free agent list, which is a list of people who aren’t in an organization or don’t know anyone, but wants to be active in intramurals.”
Intramurals can benefit students physically and socially. “It’s a great way for students to connect to the university,” said Dale Ramsey, director of Intramural Sports and Student Activities. “Physical fitness, social contacts, stress relief from work, family and school are some reasons to get involved. You can sit across from someone in class and not know them but dislike them for some reason. But then you could go to the gym and meet them there and then realize they aren’t so bad.”
Playing sports can also look good on a job application after college. “I’d rather have someone that had a 3.5 GPA and was involved on campus work for me than someone who graduated with a 4.0 GPA but wasn’t involved,” Young said. “It’s just a great opportunity to meet new people and grow as a person.”
Students aren’t the only ones that benefit from intramural sports. “Intramurals is important to the university because it helps attract and retain students to U of L,” Ramsey said. “It provides an opportunity to learn outside the classrooms.”
The rigorous practice of varsity sports consumes a lot of time, but intramurals are not as demanding. Dan White, a junior Sports Administration major, has taken advantage of the easier schedule to try a wide variety of sports. In three years at U of L, he has played basketball, football, tennis, dodgeball, pingpong and soccer for Sigma Epsilon Fraternity, but he says it only takes about four hours each week. “I decided to play intramurals to support my fraternity and stay in shape,” White said. “The best thing about intramural sports is the amount of sports offered and the quality of the competition.”
If you are interested in getting involved with Intramural Sports call 852-6707 or visit the Intramural Office, which is located in the Student Activities Center on the first floor of the East Wing.
Upcoming intramural deadlines:
Sport Rosters due Play begins
Aerobics Jan. 17 Jan. 17
Basketball League Jan. 19 Jan. 23
Racquetball Jan. 23 Jan. 30
Billiards Jan. 26 Feb. 2
Mile Club Jan. 30 Jan. 30
Table Tennis Feb. 2 Feb. 13
Soccer March 6 March 20
Ultimate Frisbee March 6 March 20
