Fall intramurals are in full swing as some CWU students take a break from studying to play organized sports.

There are many sports being offered right now, including football, basketball, soccer and volleyball.

Jordan Bishop, coordinator of intramural sports and special events, is excited about what the upcoming season has to offer.

Shirts are a prize for winning an intramural championship. It might not seem like an elaborate prize, but it does symbolize that you are a champion.

“There’s definitely a lot of people that are chasing those shirts,” Bishop said. “I think it’s really cool when a group of friends come together and experience some success.”

Bishop also said that it takes almost the entire summer to get the leagues ready for the fall season. He tasks include organizing game schedules, signing up referees and setting dates for registration.

According to intramural sports sign-up data, the freshman class is the largest participating class at CWU.

Gracie George is one of those freshmen participating for the first time and she is eager to see what CWU intramural volleyball is all about. George is also a Recreation Center employee, and fond of the recreational sports scene on campus.

“All of us [Recreation Center] employees put together a team,” George said. “We were trying to get our feet off the ground and involved.”

She is looking forward to the competition she’ll be facing because she sees a lot of former players out there showcasing some of their skills. With the combination of former players and those who are out competing for the first time, George believes the competition level evens out.

In intramural volleyball, the rules differ from the college rules that the official CWU volleyball team would play under. Instead of five sets, there are three. Each set goes up to 21 points, with a hard cap at 25. The 25 would be in case tie-breakers need to be decided by overtime.

On the soccer field, Chris Ulrich has big dreams. The 6 foot 3, 180 pound senior gathered some of his best buds to participate with one goal in mind, to win a championship.

“We’ve got a very strong team,” Ulrich said. “Some of my teammates came from select teams and some of us have soccer experience.”

There are many different formats of teams you can sign up for. There is women’s only, co-ed, recreational, open, competitive and elite.

Elite is a new category of competition this year in which the competition is at its highest level. What separates this level from the other categories is that statistics are recorded. Numbered jerseys are used, so stat-keepers can see who completed what play.

Every quarter, one sport will be featured at the elite level, starting with flag football this fall. In the winter, it will be basketball and in the spring it will be outdoor soccer.