Cheering in the student section on Saturday nights in Tiger Stadium is not the only way students can take part in sporting events on campus this fall. The University Recreation Center is offering several intramural and club sports for the fall semester. The cost to participate in intramural sports is $5 for an individual sport and $50 for a team sport. Registration will be held at UREC and is limited to and treated on a first come, first serve basis. Any student or faculty member interested in becoming a team captain must fill out a registration form from UREC. Students can begin registering Sept. 11. A list of the intramural sports offered and registration dates can be found on the UREC Web site. Melissa Longino, UREC assistant director of marketing and public relations, said some sports are more popular than others, but they all usually have good participation. “Flag football, dodgeball and kickball are some of the most popular sports,” she said. “But all our sports have good participation.” Cory Commander, political science junior, played intramural flag football last year. Commander said he would recommend that students take part in the activities. “I had a blast playing flag football with all my friends,” he said. “Most people don’t know these things go on, so they don’t play. But it is definitely something I enjoy doing with my friends.” UREC is also hosting a number of sport clubs, or groups formed by individuals wanting to compete in a particular sport, throughout the fall semester. Melvin Hill, UREC coordinator of sports clubs, said there are several reasons students take part in club sports. “Most students get involved because they are able to practice and have available spacing for practices,” he said. “Others get involved because they want to continue to be able to play a sport that they have grown to love through high school or just because of the competitive nature of the sport.” There are 20 sport clubs across campus, which are divided into four different categories: field, martial arts, water and instructional. Longino said recent completion of construction at the UREC will aid several sport clubs. Hill said the expansions will give sport clubs much needed space. “The spacing of the renovations and other things of that nature just adds space and gives us a better feel for the areas in our department.”
—–Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]