Gracie Hoidal stood in Royal Brougham Pavilion, dodge balls flying past her. Around her, students cheered their support for their favorite teams, some even acting as makeshift coaches, yelling instructions. The floor was speckled with sweat. Grunts and umphs came from students hit in the stomach, legs, arms, the occasional stray ball to the head.
And she loved every second of it.
鈥淒odgeball is definitely the most fun,鈥� Gracie says. 鈥淧eople get super intense. It鈥檚 a great stress relief from classes.鈥�
Gracie, a sophomore living in Emerson Hall, has worked for since winter quarter of her freshman year.
She has competed in volleyball and badminton, and has taken some yoga classes, but she notes how many 涩里番 she has met as a result of competing and working with intramurals. For her, intramurals are a way to build friendships. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great way to get involved with 涩里番,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have a set team you can easily meet new 涩里番.鈥�
Last year, SPU had over 1,200 different students compete in intramurals, with a total of 683 different games played.
For Intramural Director Adam Finch, it鈥檚 all about creating a great atmosphere for everyone involved. 鈥淔or me it鈥檚 very simple 鈥� [It鈥檚 about] joy. That joy comes from Christ. Just creating communities and participating in a community with others is super important.鈥�
Both Adam and Gracie stress that you don鈥檛 have to be athletic or good at sports whatsoever in order to have a good time. There are leagues for all sports, at all skill levels, for all 涩里番.
Each quarter, students can choose from around 15 different intramurals 鈥� competitive or recreational 鈥� including:
- Basketball
- Dodgeball
- Soccer
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Spikeball
- Volleyball
- Flag Football
- Badminton
- Settlers of Catan
- Yoga
- Zumba