A new semester is underway at the University of Memphis, which means a new season of intramural sports at the Campus Recreation Center.
Intramural sports kick off the spring 2015 semester on Jan. 29.
The recreation center will offer 10 different sports this semester including basketball, outdoor soccer, sand volleyball and softball.
Nathan Jordan, a junior from Oregon, loves to play intramurals for the competition and new friends.
“Intramural sports are the perfect way to play competitively while in college,” Jordan said. “I think it’s cool that intramural teams have allowed me to have random little connections with people who I otherwise would not have known.”
There are both team and individual sports offered throughout the semester. Individual sports offered in the spring are racquetball, tennis, table tennis and golf. Doubles for each of those sports are offered in the fall. Team sports for the spring include basketball, soccer, sand volleyball, ultimate frisbee, corn toss and softball. They offer five different types of leagues to join: coed, fraternity, sorority, independent men’s, and independent women’s. Leagues are open to any student, faculty, or staff at the U of M. All sports are free to play, except golf. Several weeks of games and matches lead up to the playoffs and championship game in each sport. The individual or team that wins their league gets an “I am a champion” t-shirt.
“Some people play just to get the free t-shirt,” Jon Duncan said, who is the coordinator of intramurals and club sports at the U of M.
Participation varies from semester to semester. There are usually between 3500 to 4000 people involved each semester, according to Duncan.
“Last semester we had 10 more teams for indoor soccer than in previous years,” Duncan said.
The recreation center has been offering intramural sports since the 1970s. The goal for the intramurals is to have opportunities for students to participate in competitive play while in school. Intramurals are also a great way to be active without the bore of a treadmill or stationary bike.
Jessica Joyner, a junior business marketing major, has only played intramurals for one semester but she loved being able to work out without it feeling like exercise.
“I am working on my goal to lose weight and intramurals are a great opportunity to do a different kind of workout,” Joyner said. “I also love having the common goal with my friends to win the league. It motivates me to stay active knowing other people will count on me to help us win games.”
The recreation center has made improvements to make it easier to sign up and have access to team schedules. Students must sign up online through IMLeagues to join a team. They can then download the REC*IT app which will have the schedules of all the games.
