The end of a season: fall intramurals

C/O PeakPX

Though fall intramurals are coming to an end, winter intramurals are right around the corner. 

It was a crisp November night. The stakes were high and the tension was thick. It was the finals for softball intramurals — the Egg Whites were competing against the Egg Yolks. 

Jinnie Yang is a first-year student and a member of the Egg Whites intramural softball team. When asked if she expected to win, she responded with resounding confidence. 

“Oh yes, definitely,” said Yang.

Such is the beauty of intramural sports — the fun names, the friendly competition and simply knowing that anything can happen. However, it is also a great opportunity to bond with teammates and build relationships with friends. 

“We were able to do some physical activity together and really bond as a team. We really formed this support and encouragement for each other which is not something you usually get in an academic setting,” said Yang.

As such, intramurals are a more relaxed opportunity to play sports. Amos Yu is a fourth-year McMaster student who has been playing intramurals since he was in his first year. 

“In high school, I was never big on sports, but when I came to university, this fellowship that I joined was running these intramural programs where basically we just sign up for a team as a fellowship. And I had played a tiny bit of ultimate [frisbee] in high school which is why I joined ultimate in first year as part of the fellowship,” explained Yu.

In addition, intramural sports are a great reason to get active and exercise which also helps our academic lives. In a study done at the University of British Columbia, researchers found that regular aerobic exercise appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning.

While fall intramurals are quickly coming to an end, sign-ups for winter intramurals are open until Nov. 24 with leagues beginning on Jan. 17.

For those curious about intramural sports, the winter season is a great chance to get involved in them. Vanessa Ho is a third-year student who plans on playing volleyball intramurals this winter season. 

“I’m looking forward to a lot of team bonding. I think volleyball is a very team bonding sport and it requires a lot of teamwork. A lot of my housemates are on the same team as me so I’m really excited to play with them and to just get to see them more outside the house,” said Ho.

Sports offered include indoor ultimate frisbee, badminton, spikeball, dodgeball, ice hockey, floorball, innertube water polo, volleyball, basketball and indoor soccer. Non-physical sports include NBA picks, NHL picks, fantasy basketball and hockey. 

There are a few different leagues including men’s, women’s, open and corec, with two different play styles: PlayFun and PlayCompetitive. The different play styles are based on different reasons for playing intramurals. PlayFun is for those who want to play without being too competitive. PlayCompetitive expects teammates and opponents to play competitively. Both feature a regular season and playoffs.

If interested in playing as a team or as a free agent, head over to the IMLeagues website to register.