We are always telling prospective students about intramurals on campus. But what the heck is an intramural? We asked a current TU student to explain…

Hello, sports fans! My name is Sarah, and I am a sophomore Deaf Education major and Early Childhood Intervention minor from Arlington, Texas. And lucky for you, I’m your expert on TU intramurals (even though I’m still waiting to get Intramural Champion sweatshirt for myself…more on that later.)

But to be honest, I hadn’t heard the word “intramural” until my senior year of high school. So if you’re anything like I was, I’ll fill you in, newbie. Intramurals are sports you can play even when you are not on the collegiate team. They allow you to continue being the athlete you were all in high school by showing off your skills to your new college friends or let you learn and experience a sport for the first time in a fun environment.

We have all the classic sports—volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball, tennis, and flag football—but you also have the choice of golf, badminton, ultimate Frisbee, 8 ball pool, table tennis, dodgeball, bowling, and even putt putt! And for each sport, there are A, B, and C league for athletes of different skill levels: A for the near-collegiate player, down to C, perfect for the newbies or people who just want to have fun. Most sports have same-sex leagues, but co-ed teams are also available in many as well.

As for me, I grew up playing sports, and in my two years here at TU, I’ve tried to be on as many intramural teams as possible!! I’ve played flag football for the past two falls on my sorority team. In the past, our team wasn’t quite up to par, but this year, we asked a couple guys on the football team to be our coaches!! Not only did we go further than we ever had (the quarterfinals, whoo!), but I also made two athlete friends (just another perk of a small school, by the way)! This fall semester, I also played soccer with my sorority. Both these fall sports are super fun, and even though we were in the C league, it was still competitive!

I’ve also been on co-ed teams, which are just as fun, if not more! Last year, I joined a softball team with a group of my friends from my residence hall, Fisher South. I knew about half the players on the team, but by the end of it, I was friends with everyone! I played catcher most games because one thing I can do is catch pop flies! Hitting, on the other hand, is not my forte, but let’s not talk about that. We did pretty well, but I believe we lost pretty early in the playoffs. All I remember is having a blast! Here’s a picture of our team, Pitch Please.

This spring, I was asked to be on a 5 on 5 basketball team with a few of my girl friends and with some guy acquaintances. I’m not the best basketball player, but all my teammates are very encouraging. Now those guy acquaintances are my friends! We’re in the playoffs, and our last game is on Thursday! Here is my to-be championship team!!

I really want to win this time because when you win, you get an exclusive Intramural Champ sweatshirt! This year, they say, “If you’re not first, you’re last.” I can’t wait to get mine!! Wish me luck!