Intramural and recreational sports seem low-key at St. Michael's College however, stopping by the intramural office in Ross Sports Center, it becomes obvious that they play a large role in campus life.
Changes for the future
This spring, St. Michael’s is offering several intramural and recreational sports: co-ed volleyball, indoor soccer, basketball and floor hockey. Each semester, students can also sign up for aerobics classes including yoga, kickboxing and hip-hop.
All intramurals at St. Michael’s are free, however there is a fee to participate in the aerobics classes, says Marcel Choquette women's soccer coach and director of intramurals.
“It ends up being about $2.50 to $3.00 a class,” Choquette says. “This gives students the ability to be involved in
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Students rush down the court in a high intensity basketball game. (Photo by Abby Robitaille) |
these types of classes and not have to worry about getting transportation off-campus."
Student participation in intramurals has stayed consistent over the years, except for a recent decline in enrollment for the hip-hop class. It used to be one of the most popular classes offered but with the rise in participation in yoga and kickboxing, it has begun to decline, Choquette says
“Next year we are planning on not offering hip hop classes, but instead having yoga and kickboxing twice a week so more students can participate,” he says.
Over the years, spring softball has been one of the most popular intramural sports with students. This year however, it has not been decided whether or not it will be offered.
“We are currently exploring the possibility of bringing back softball this spring,” Choquette says. “Spring softball has always had many challenges around the logistics of it.”
Last year, students were faced with the possibility of softball not being offered as an intramural this spring because of people drinking while playing, junior Jed Ladd says.
Choquette declined further comment on the subject, however this year it is clearly stated in the spring intramural brochure that, "all recreational and intramural activities are substance-free activities."
Similar in size and recreation
Stonehill College, located in Easton, Mass., is a small Catholic liberal arts college similar to St. Michael’s. The college offers intramurals like that of St. Michael's.
“The intramurals we offer varies each year depending on what is most popular with the students,” says John Leahy, Stonehill’s director of intramural sports. “But an average of 20 to 25 different intramurals are offered each year.”
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A student warms up before the womens basketball intramurals. (Photo by Abby Robitaille) |
Approximately 1600 students take part in some sort of recreational sport at Stonehill says Derek Jenesky, Stonehill’s assistant director of intramural sports. Around 80 percent of the Stonehill student body participates in some sort of intramural, club, or recreational sport, or uses the college’s athletic facilities, he adds.
This spring, Stonehill is offering the same intramurals as St. Michael’s in addition to beach volleyball and arena flag football.
About 1500 to 1600 students participate in intramurals and recreational sports at St. Michael’s, Choquette says. This number does not include those who are involved in club sports or who use the college’s athletic facilities.
“The number of students who play intramurals or recreational sports can be a little deceiving,” says Choquette. “There are a lot of students who play multiple intramurals, so it is hard to give an exact number or percent.”
At Stonehill, the intramural sports offered each semester is dependent on the student body, Leahy says. The popularity of a sport determines whether or not it will be offered again the following semester.
“I am always exploring ways to try and offer more intramurals,” Choquette says. “On the flip side though, sometimes offering too much isn’t helpful. It all depends on how much kids want to be involved and can be involved.”
Competition is Key
Although a large number of St. Michael’s students do participate in intramural and recreational sports, some believe that there would be a larger population participating if there was a greater competitive element.
“There is not as much competition in intramurals as there should be,” Ladd says. “If it was more of a competitive atmosphere, they would be much more popular.”
Ladd has been involved in intramurals since his first semester as a first-year. He has played soccer, basketball,
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A student shoots while playing intramurals at the Tarrant Recreation Center. (Photo by Abby Robitaille) |
volleyball, and softball. Over time, he has noticed that there is a good representation of students from each class in each sport.
“Competition really is important,” says Brendan Wimberly, a sophomore at St. Michael’s. “When I played basketball, we were pretty good, and it got really competitive which kept it fun.”
At Stonehill intramurals are extremely popular with the entire student body, Stonehill sophomore Deirdre Watson says.
“Every time I go to the gym there is some kind of intramural game going on and a lot of people go to watch the games if they aren't playing,” Watson says.
According to Choquette, the attractiveness of intramurals to each class is hit or miss. It all has to do with students wanting to be athletically involved at some level.
Although the numbers seem to show that a large amount of the St. Michael’s student body partakes in intramural and recreational sports, many students believe changes need to be made.
“I would like students to know that we are always looking for new ideas and always open to talk to any individuals or groups,” Choquette says. “But it is important to recognize that programs can only be as good as the numbers of participants involved.”