Students play an intramural basketball game in the CU Recreation Center on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014 in Boulder. (Sarah Meisel/CU Independent)
From 3-on-3 basketball to inner tube water polo, the University of Colorado Recreation Center has a plethora of intramural sport options for students. The programs are not free, but come at a low cost. CU Independent sports editor Jordyn Siemens and staff writer Justin Guerriero debate which intramural leagues are too good to miss out on.
Jordyn Siemens: To heck with the basics. It’s all about broomball, broomball, broomball.
Entering college, I noticed that many who formed dorm rec teams often opted for flag football, basketball and volleyball. It’s natural — these are popular high school sports, understood by a larger array of students. My advice is to avoid the sports of your high school past and try something new. I tried broomball, and I don’t plan on looking back.
One reservation many have about the sport is the lack of traction. Broomball is played at the rec center’s ice arena, but no skates are involved. Players only have their tennis shoes, a helmet, hockey gloves and a ‘broom’. There’s no reason to fear, though, because the pace of a broomball game is dictated by the skill of the players. If you’re uncomfortable running around on a sheet of ice, the non-competitive leagues are a great place to get used to it.
Broomball is a co-ed intramural program that is only $90 per team. If you get enough friends together, five weeks of comical athleticism would come at a small fraction of that price. There are no complicated rules, and the ice rink is split into halves for games, so there is less ground to cover than on a basketball court or in a full-length pool.
Justin Guerriero: Dodge, duck, dip, dive…dodgeball is the way to do it.
I tip my cap to you, Jordyn, but broomball and Justin Guerriero don’t mix. I wouldn’t survive five seconds playing that sport! But I reckon I’d be able to hold my own playing some dodgeball. It starts in the spring and games are played at the Carlson Gymnasium right in front of the rec center. Costs are only $65 per team, which makes joining the team economical.
For all of you who think intramural dodgeball is a walk in the park, let me stop you right here. The game clock is set at 40 minutes, and teams play as many games as possible in that 40 minutes (one point is awarded per victory). There are no timeouts allowed during play, and there is a no mercy rule. A very thorough list of rules and regulations exists, covering points from appropriate dodgeball attire to personal conduct do’s and don’t’s. Teams are co-ed and capped at 16 people. Seven players take the court for a given game, and a ratio of five men to two women is required.
Need I say more? The point is, traditional dodgeball should not be overlooked in intramurals.
Siemens: Competitive nature is nice, but the true “rec” divisions are where it’s at.
This should be a short point, but intramurals are recreational for a reason. These programs exist as an alternative, team-oriented option to regular workouts at the rec center. Many leagues have competitive divisions to supplement general ones, but joining those is not for the faint-hearted.
We all know about “that person” when it comes to recreational athletics (and childhood P.E. classes). You know, the guy who contests every call made by your minimum-wage student referee, who gets a little more physically aggressive than anyone playing pickup basketball should be and who tends to over-coach your least athletic teammates. This personality tends to show up in competitive rec leagues — they’re athletic enough to play on a more talented team, but not good enough to play at the club or D1 level. Keep dreaming, you competitive spirit.
This girl is playing just for fun.
Also, if you decide to register for a more non-traditional sport, it is safe to assume that a vast majority of teams will have rosters full of beginners. In these cases, avoiding competitive leagues, at least for the first season of each semester, would be a smart move.
Guerriero: What’s wrong with a little competition?
Granted, intramurals are recreational, but that doesn’t mean students shouldn’t compete and try their best. If it costs money to play broomball, or dodgeball or whatever sport, then I say go out there and give it 110 percent.
Maybe I’m a tad biased. Truth be told, I was “that person” in gym class. Trying your best in gym sometimes meant yelling at the gym teacher or minimum-wage referee for not calling a foul. Comments such as, “Calm down, dude, this isn’t the World Championship” are shocking to an ultra-competitive personality. People who want to win win win have to try try try. So, if you’re like me, definitely check out the intramural sports — competitive or not — that CU offers, and play your heart out.
A full list of CU Intramural sports can be found here: http://dirwww.colorado.edu/rec-center/intramuralsports/schedules.html
Team deadlines for Fall 2014 have already passed, but there is still time to join a team as a free agent. For more information, or to let teams know you’re out there, visit the CU Intramural Free Agents Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/48881459083/). Registration for Spring 2014 seasons opens in January.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Jordyn Siemens at jordyn.siemens@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Justin Guerriero at justinguerrireo@hotmail.com.
