From soccer games in the digital world to drawing a bow like you’re Katniss Everdeen, the LSU UREC offers an intramural sport for everyone’s taste.
The UREC is hoping to reach a wider demographic of students this year as they introduce two new intramural sports this year, along with pushing two sports that started small last year.
“What we’re trying to do [is] cater to a population that may not typically play traditional sports,” said Kelsey Jones, the Intramural Sports Coordinator for the UREC.
Introduced in 2017, archery tag features six-on-six action in the typical “get hit and you’re out” principle found in dodgeball. Teams can hide behind numerous obstacles on the field to take cover from incoming fire.
“[It’s] very safe,” Jones said. “Everyone is wearing helmets that cover the entire face and the end of the arrows are like a marshmallow.”
Another sport introduced last year is Key Log Rolling. A log-shaped flotation device is placed in the water with fins attached to the ends that dictates the speed the log rolls at, while two opponents stand on the log facing opposite directions. Whoever is on the log must maintain their balance. Each player gets a turn standing on the log, and whoever keeps their balance the longest wins.
The most popular new intramural sport this semester is esports.
“Esports is something that’s blown up big time across campus recreation,” Jones said. “We’re staying away from the Fortnite-like games, and we’re really focusing on the sports games.”
The UREC will kick off their esports initiative with a tournament of EA Sports FIFA on Oct. 11. If the turnout is successful, they also plan to host a Madden NFL tournament towards the end of the semester.
Lastly, thanks to the enormous rock-climbing wall installed last year, the UREC is offering bouldering. Considered a league sport, bouldering features an intense five-week competition where teams of four to six players compete for the highest point total. Teams will spend two hours a week climbing, accumulating points based on the difficulty of the climb. At the end, there is one giant competition to see who goes home a champion.
Joining an intramural team, whether one of the new sports or not, can be very beneficial in your college experience.
“The camaraderie of a team, the healthy competition and getting out from studying to use your brain actively are all reasons to participate,” Jones said. “You guys are here to be students first and we’re always encouraging that, but it’s an opportunity to get away from the books for an hour.”
For students who may not be able to assemble their own team, the UREC offers the ability to sign up as a free agent and be placed on a team. The UREC wants to make sure everyone who wants to participate is able, which is why they are expanding the sports they offer.