November 5, 2009
Intramural sports draw those looking for fun, friends and competition
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The chance to compete in a beloved sport, to meet people on a new campus, to be active and de-stress during a hectic academic week.
There are many reasons why faculty, staff and graduate students decide to participate in the intramural sports offered through the Recreational Sports Center, but one aspect keeps them all there: It's fun.
"Graduate school can be pretty busy and stressful, so it's great to have this form of social support and something to do to relieve some stress and laugh a little bit," says J.D. DeFreese, graduate research assistant in the Department of Health and Kinesiology. "It's good exercise and it's fun — that's the main thing."
In his third year of participating in intramural sports at Purdue, DeFreese plays flag football as part of the HK Crushers and basketball as a member of the Lambert
Leapers. Both teams primarily consist of people from Health and Kinesiology.
Teammate Anna Piazza says that playing in intramurals gives her a chance to interact with people from different areas within Health and Kinesiology as well as those new to the department.
"For anyone who's new, it's an easy way to meet people and do something outside of school,"
she says. "It's tough coming to a new place, and having an outlet to be active and meet people is important."
Adam Barry, an assistant professor who joined the department in 2008, agrees. He has played for the Crushers and Leapers.
"I think the benefits to participating on the team are threefold," Barry says. "I get a good workout from doing something I enjoy, while exercising my competitive spirit. Also, as a new faculty member it gave me an opportunity to further integrate into the department."
Participation even fosters a sense of community with those who don't play. Humorous accounts of the teams' games are included in the Health and Kinesiology weekly newsletter, and faculty and staff come to watch the games, especially during playoff time.
In the spring, the players hold an end-of the-year banquet/roast. Faculty often attend, sometimes writing jokes or making a funny video to add to the festivities.
"We sort of include faculty members as our director of basketball operations or CEO of this or that," DeFreese says. "They play along. It's an exercise in getting a good laugh."
Rec Sports offers 35 different intramural sports throughout the year. Teams play within one of 11 divisions, which include leagues for graduate students, faculty and staff; residence halls; sororities and fraternities; cooperatives; men's and women's open; and Co-Rec, a co-ed option open to any member of Rec Sports. The number of divisions offered per sport is based on past interest.
Tyler Ford, assistant director of intramural sports, says the mix of players in some divisions leads to matchups between faculty and staff and students — a situation he encountered playing intramural softball as an undergraduate at Ball State.
"The faculty and students have fun and enjoy it," Ford says. "Students get to see faculty in a different environment, and it's like, Wow, I didn't know that side of the professor. It's pretty neat."
Bruce Applegate, associate professor of food science, hasn't played against one of his students, but they do know about his participation in flag football and come to see playoff games.
Applegate has participated in intramural football for more than 20 years, starting as an undergraduate at the University of Tennessee. He enjoys the sport and the rivalries, and hopes his teammates will remember the fun times for years to come.
"Last year my wife helped me make shirts for the team," he says. "Ten years from now, one of those kids who played with me is going to come across that shirt and think about me and playing, and they're going to smile."
David Williams, director of development for the College of Engineering, says he's impressed with the effort that goes into the Intramural Sports Program.
"It's not easy to schedule the games, coordinate the referees and prepare the fields," he says. "I know we are very appreciative of the students and staff members who make it possible for us to play."
This fall, Williams was part of a team new to intramural flag football, and he enjoyed playing
despite the team's losing its first two games by a combined score of 71-0.
"We have never done this before and didn't realize there would be so many more experienced teams," he says. "I definitely think the experience has fostered a lot of camaraderie. We know we're all in this together, and we also enjoy being around each other. We may not be overly talented, but I have great teammates."
How to get involved in intramural sports
The Recreational Sports Center offers intramural programs in sports including soccer, softball, basketball, sand volleyball, flag football and dodgeball.
Programs last between five and eight weeks, and some have a registration fee.
The intramural sports schedule can be found at www.purdue.edu/RecSports/programs/imdeadlines.html.
Faculty and staff members who are members of the Recreational Sports Center are eligible to participate in the Intramural Sports Program.
Members also are entitled to the full benefits of the Colby Fitness Center, pickup games of basketball, racquetball, squash, and use of the Boilermaker Aquatic Center.
For membership information, registration procedures, sport-specific rules, and the current season's intramural information, visit the Rec Sports Web site at www.purdue.edu/RecSports.
More information also is available on Facebook at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4151099874.
CAPTION: Steve Howell, a member of the HK Crushers, runs with the ball during a flag football game at the gold intramural fields. Howell has participated in intramural sports at Purdue for two years. Faculty, staff and graduate students can participate in the 35 different intramural sports offered through the Recreational Sports Center (photo by Andrew Hancock).