The McMaster Intramurals annual sports calendar has been released, detailing opportunities to partake in multiple indoor and outdoor sports for all students
On Aug 23, the McMaster Intramurals account (led by Athletics and Recreation), released the annual intramurals sports schedule that is available to students for the upcoming year. For the fall and winter terms, there will be a total of 21 and 17 sports available respectively.
Intramurals are an opportunity for non-varsity athletes to partake in activities throughout the week on campus. They are open to McMaster students and alumni who wish to get active throughout the year.
For the fall semester, students will have the opportunity to register from Sep 4. to Sep. 18. for the activities they wish to partake in. While individuals are encouraged to register for as many activities as they wish, there are some rules in place to ensure a fair chance is provided to all participants.
Participants will only be able to take part in one gendered league (open, men’s or women’s) and a co-ed league per sport, meaning that one can only join a maximum of two teams per sport.
Most of the sports in the fall will have a mixture of PlayFun and PlayComp opportunities. PlayFun leagues are built for all participants, but the focus of these leagues is on the fun of the sport and teamwork, rather than competition with other groups. Experienced players are expected to support beginners throughout the league, which would promote a less competitive edge to the sport.
PlayFun leagues are built for all participants, but the focus of these leagues is on the fun of the sport and teamwork, rather than competition with other groups
PlayComp on the other hand has more competitive games that often results in a quicker and more intense league than PlayFun, yet always respectful. Teams are expected to have a good understanding of the rules and be ambitious.
Whilst most of the sports in the fall will have a mixture of PlayFun and PlayComp opportunities, there are sports that will have nights for students to learn the sport called the Learn To Play Night. These are scheduled to be provided for flag football, soccer, ultimate frisbee, H20-Polo, H20-Basketball, Volleyball, and Floorball.
For the winter, all of the sports will be indoor, including some of those sports held outside in the fall. Students can register for the winter semester sports from November, specifically Nov. 11-24.
One thing that stands out compared to the previous years is the steep price increase for activities such as soccer and a general price increase for almost all other sports.
In particular, soccer 11-a-side open registration went up from $165 for the 2023-2024 year, to $225 for the current year, a spike of 36 per cent. While an annual slight uptick in price is normal, it remains unknown as to why such a large rise has occurred, making the activity the most expensive one.
Other sports that saw noticeable price changes include Flag Football, Volleyball and Floorball, with various subcategories, such as co-ed and open, increasing by up to 25 per cent.
To get involved with intramurals this year, students can sign up through the IMLeagues app or website, where they can access all the details. If students have an invite from an existing team, they can join if they first completing a quiz. They can also create their own team within a league of their choice and start inviting their friends or other students that are eligible (McMaster students or alumni) for intramurals.
To get involved with intramurals this year, students can sign up through the IMLeagues app or website, where they can access all the details.
Additionally, students have the opportunity to sign up as agents. There they can describe their skills and give a brief description of themselves, which will provide team captains with information to choose them for their team.
For more information about the upcoming intramurals program, students can reach out to McMaster Intramurals on Instagram or visit their home page.
If it felt like there were millions of new raptors fans this past summer, that’s because there probably were. There’s nothing quite like the first National basketball asociation championship in Canadian history to bring people together, one of the great powers of athletics. Whether it’s playing sports or watching the Toronto Raptors dominate the Golden State Warriors, sports have a habit of uniting people together over a common interest. This sense of inclusivity is also why intramurals play a big role in the off-campus community here at McMaster.
When you live off-campus, it can be hard to feel like you have a home at Mac. School can be a place associated with academic stress and not much else. This is why the society of off-campus students runs intramurals every week. Intramurals can be a great way to get to know more people who are also in a similar situations. Here’s what the president of the society of off-campus students, Jeremy Sewnauth, had to say about SOCS and intramurals.
“Sports are a universal thing that everyone can bond over whether you’re talking about it or playing it,” Sewnauth said. “At intramurals, we end up doing so many different sports, this term we’re running soccer, water polo and frisbee and those were the sports that the members of the society voted for.” Sewnauth said.
Taking part in the PlayFun division is a great way to get involved in sport through a relatively non-competitive environment, where no one takes things too seriously and everyone is just looking to have some fun. There’s no need to have extensive knowledge in the sport or know every detail about the rules. PlayFun is a casual level of sport where students can meet one another.
“You don’t have to have any experience, you don’t have to know how to play any sports, if it’s something you’re interested in or you just want to kill some time, you can just pop in and play. If you don’t know how to play it everyone that’s there is willing and able to teach you how to play,” Sewnauth mentioned.
Playing sports chosen by SOCS members themselves makes it likely that people will come out, as they are going to be playing the sports they voted for. This type of engagement with everyone in the club is part of why SOCS is so successful.
“Every single weekend we’ll have a full squad come out for soccer, frisbee and water polo which gives you the opportunity to bond with people. A lot of people after games end up hanging out and every time I’ve met so many people,” added Sewnauth.
SOCS aims to offer off-campus students a way to feel connected and provide a home at McMaster. They offer multiple ways of trying to do that but, sports and intramurals are definitely one of the best ways to accomplish their goal.
“A lot of the times you’ll see groups of people, like a floor in residence or something they’ll put together a team or that same group of students that were all friends before. In later years they’ll keep doing these intramural teams every year. We try to create something similar where we’re creating a community among sports,” said Sewnauth.
Being an off-campus student can often feel lonely but it doesn’t have to be. Intramurals are a great way to connect with other students. You can get a SOCS membership in the basement of the student centre and they’ll be more than happy to help you sign up for their intramural team.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
