Spring intramurals increase numbers, enjoy success

The Spring semester intramural sports are dodging and dribbling their way off to a great start with 137 different registered teams, around 980 players and even more participation to come later in the Spring when softball will be back by popular demand and four-on-four flag football will be offered for the very first time.

With over 1,200 intramural games played and around 2,020 student participants in intramurals since the Fall, intramural sports are becoming even more popular among the student body as improvements are made to meet the needs of all prospective players.

“I know that (intramurals) is one of the most largely participated in areas on campus and I’d like to do whatever I can to keep it that way,” Bert Rosenberger, Coordinator of Recreational Sports, said. “It’s the largest common denominator for any students we have other than academics. All of our Fall sports for 2010, they grew from our numbers from 2009 and we’re expecting the same thing for Spring.”

So far, the Spring sports are having very successful seasons as new sports are being introduced to the line-up. The purpose of these innovations lies in the effort RecSports is making in deviating from only offering what Rosenberger refers to as the traditional “meat and potatoes” type of sports like football and basketball, while pleasing the students of Georgia College as a whole.

“We are trying to offer sports that appeal to the whole entire student body. We’re trying to do things like kickball, dodgeball and volleyball that might appeal to everyone. That’s really kind of been one of our goals because it seems like the same types of students play things like basketball or football but then there’s some other kids that are more into the kickball and Frisbee scene,” Rosenberger said. “Ultimately we just want to get as many people involved as we can.”

One of the more recently added sports, dodgeball, has proven to be a favorite among intramural players and scorekeepers.

“Dodgeball has been a huge success. It’s a good way for people to let out their struggles from the long day. Some can be goofy, some serious, but rarely does anyone leave having a bad time,” senior history major Candice Aaron said.

Despite the fact that RecSports staff is receiving positive feedback on the newly added sports, and proof is seen in the participation numbers, there is one large issue that the intramural administrators are facing.

“Our biggest challenge is trying to accommodate everyone’s schedule preferences,” Rosenberger said. “(Since) we have so many teams, it’s virtually impossible to accommodate everyone because our amount of space doesn’t accommodate the amount of participation that we have. So that means that everybody doesn’t get the most desirable playing times.”

The issue is so challenging in fact, that RecSports staff had no choice but to schedule dodgeball games during the Super Bowl game. Although the present situation is undesirable to say the least, the current season is still successful and there seems to be a hope for intramural seasons in the future.

“Despite the lack of sufficient facilities for the indoor sports, I would say the Spring sports so far are doing just as good as the Fall sports. This is only going to improve with the addition of the Wellness and Recreation Center,” junior biology major and RecSports player and staff member Bobby Dunn said.

Along with more opportunities for indoor intramural teams to get more desirable playing times, the new Wellness and Recreation Center, scheduled to open in 2012, will provide RecSports with the opportunity to add new sports to the line-up like indoor soccer and volleyball. Additionally, there will be more employment opportunities available to accommodate the larger range of games being played.

“We are looking to increase the number (of staff members) once the new Wellness Center opens up,” Rosenberger said.

Students not only get a lot out of playing the sports offered during the intramural season, but from working for RecSports as well.

“Working with intramurals is always a lot of fun. We have a great staff this year which makes going to work something you can look forward too,” junior Rhetoric major Lindsey Forester said.

As these exciting, current and upcoming innovations are being made for intramurals, some students may still be unsure about playing.

“To any students interested in intramurals I would tell them intramurals can be a fun thing to do with your friends and a way to meet new people. It doesn’t matter if you’re athletic or know anything about the sport,” Aaron said. “(Even) if you don’t know enough people to start a team, you can ask to join one. Don’t miss the chance to be involved in this great thing on campus because when you graduate the opportunity to play in right different sport leagues for cheap rates won’t come around too often.”

Posted by Brina Potvin on Feb 10 2011. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.