This college fitness enthusiast plays several intramural sports throughout the year. Here’s his advice on why you should join or start an intramural ASAP.
The transition from high school to college is a time of many adjustments. On top of the rigorous academic work, freshmen have to adapt to a new environment filled with thousands of new faces while living away from the comfort of their home for the first time in their lives. The regimented high school schedule is a thing of the past. Unfortunately for many new college students, fitness and nutrition is a thing of the past as well. Thankfully, there is a fun and easy way to help keep in shape during this transition – intramural sports.
As a freshman in college, I knew I didn’t want to leave athletics behind me so I got a few friends together and joined a flag football team in the fall and a softball team in the spring. Intramural sports are athletic competitions that colleges put for students’ enjoyment, yet there are playoffs and championships for the school. It’s proven to be a very rewarding decision with a wide range of benefits.
Joining an intramural team keeps you active and helps ward-off the impending beer-belly many of your friends are bound to have by the time winter break rolls around.
You’re part of a team again. So what if a college didn’t recruit you to play your favorite sport? Leaving your high school team can be an emotional time. Many will hang up their cleats after that last game and never put them on again. This doesn’t have to be the case if you join an intramural team!
Intramurals are social bridges between new students. It’s difficult to part ways with the friends you grew up with. Joining an intramural team is a good way to break the ice and get to know many new people.
Joining a team relieves some of the stresses of being a college student. Let’s face it – college is sometimes overwhelming. It’s nice to be able to look forward to getting together with your team and blowing off some steam on the field.
It’s a blast. Some teams will take it way too seriously, while others just like to goof-around. Either way, it is guaranteed to be a ton of fun and that time on the field will likely be the source of many great college memories.
There is also another option that suits more experienced athletes. If you end up dominating throughout the season, or already know you’d like to participate in a more competitive atmosphere maybe it’s time to look into the school’s Club team for that particular sport. Club teams are in a way an extension of a high school varsity team. The players are skilled, there are cuts, and the team will travel to compete against nearby colleges on a higher level.
Sign up for intramural sports as soon as possible- roster spots may get capped-and you’ll be surprised, these games can get intense!
Ryan Casey is a senior Political Science major at Villanova University.
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