Staff sports league build camaraderie, create professional ties
August 6, 2012
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Joe Pearson, chair of the Purdue Staff Golf League, stands in front of other members during one of the league's regular Monday golf sessions. The league is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. (Purdue University/Mark Simons) |
The members of Purdue's staff sports leagues -- which are operated independent of the University but are open only to employees, students, retirees or their spouses -- are able to do just that.
Members of the Purdue Staff Golf League, the Purdue Staff and Student Bowling League, and the Purdue Bowlermakers, each of which has been in existence for decades, say the leagues stay alive because participation offers myriad benefits.
"In our league, you get to meet people from other areas of campus, either because they're on your team or they're on competing teams," says Joe Pearson, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering and chairman of the Purdue Staff Golf League.
"There are many similar social benefits, but mostly we enjoy playing. We're quite serious about the game, but the competition is friendly."
In existence since 1943, the league is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Pearson says he thinks the league has remained popular because participants, many who have been involved for decades, build strong relationships with each other.
The golf league's season begins in May and ends in August. Typically, about 12 teams of eight players compete each Monday on Purdue's Ackerman Hills course. Seasons begin with a scramble-style event and end with a playoff; regular season play consists of a combination of match and stroke play.
Cash prizes are awarded each week and at the end of the season to the lowest net scoring players and teams.
More information about the golf league can be found at engineering.purdue.edu/~psgl. To inquire about joining, email Pearson at jtpearsonjr@yahoo.com.
The staff and student bowling league is another long-standing organization, says Robert Cox, computer support technician in the Office of Marketing and Media and the league's secretary/treasurer. The league has existed since 1938 and will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this upcoming season.
Its season is tied to the academic year, beginning in August and ending in May. The league typically consists of 18 to 20 teams of five people; league play takes place on Mondays at Arrowhead Bowl in Lafayette. Cash prizes are awarded to top teams at the end of each season.
"Working at Purdue provides a common thread for all our participants. It's a fun and unconventional way to get to know your colleagues better," Cox says.
More information about the staff and student bowling league can be found at www.media.purdue.edu/bowling or here. Cox says those interested in joining should email him at cox@purdue.edu. Emails should be received by Aug. 13 for early registration, but may also be received anytime afterward.
The Purdue Bowlermakers league is open to women with Purdue connections, such as employees, students, staff and faculty members, retirees, or relatives of any with such a classification. It's been in existence since the 1980s, says Barbara Gotham, who recently retired from Purdue's Energy Center. She is the league's secretary/treasurer.
The league's season begins in August and ends in April. Typically, the league consists of teams of three or four; anywhere from 15 to 40 total players participate. League play takes place on Wednesdays at the Union Rack and Roll in Purdue Memorial Union.
"It's a very fun league that lets us have great nights out with the girls," Gotham says. "But beyond that, it lets us build strong relationships that last well beyond when the final ball rolls down the lane each spring."
More information about the Purdue Bowlermakers can be found at yeomanclan.net/barb/bowling.html. To inquire about joining, email Gotham at barb@purdue.edu.
