Play for kicks or play to win

Samantha Cabeza, Staff Reporter

Registration has officially begun for intramural flag football, indoor soccer and archery tag for the fall quarter.

Scott Hastings

The deadline is approaching for indoor soccer and basketball on Oct. 15. For team sports, there is a team fee of $20 to be paid by one representative at the time of registration.

Each quarter has A season and B season with a starting and ending date for each. For fall quarter, team registration has closed for volleyball and flag football, but you still have the opportunity to join teams in the league.

Varsity sports are known for being competitive and being for students who are more experienced in their sport of choice. These teams usually compete with different schools.

Intramural Sports and Special Events Coordinator Shana Kessler defined intramural sports as organized play with no practice or set times and is open to anybody, no matter the skill level. Twenty teams are currently registered for the fall quarter. There are no tryouts for intramural sports.

“Intramural sports benefit those who are former varsity players who did not want to continue playing in college,” Kessler said. “Or they never have played the sport a day in their life and are looking to try it out.”

“We have introduced new divisions this quarter,” Kessler said. “Co-Rec, Open and Crimson League.”

Co-Rec Division is open to anybody regardless of skill set and gender. 

Intramural sports are played exclusively between teams here at CWU. They also offer a less competitive game that invites students to both watch and play without having to choose sides.

“An example for co-rec is that if you are playing flag football, there will be eight players instead of seven. There will be an equal amount of female-identifying players as there are male-identifying players,” Kessler said.

Open Division is for players who want to play based on interest in the sport, not on skill-level. Crimson League is for more experienced players who know the sport well.

Kessler began her work at CWU on Sept. 3 after working all around the country with different intramural sports clubs and organizations.

Kessler chose to work at CWU because it is one of the only schools to have the Student Union and the Recreation Center merged into one building with such a “unified front.” Kessler stated that CWU is one of the only college campuses in which both entities work together successfully. 

“It is such a unique set up and structure that I have always believed is important to the student experience,” Kessler said. “You can access activities, civic engagement, recreation and food all in one central location.”

 Court C and Court D in the recreation center are the primary locations. Outdoor sports are located at the outdoor sports complex.

CWU offers intramural staple sports like flag football and indoor soccer that are offered every year at all colleges that have the program.

Kessler said she loves it when students approach her with ideas to play sports that are not typically offered at every college. She also hopes that CWU will offer more unique sports in the near future, like inner tube water polo and battleship canoe swamping.

Mark Farmer, a flag football and archery tag player, was drawn to play intramural sports because they are almost like hobbies. Farmer is also an employee at the Recreation Center, which he said is an amazing place to work while attending CWU.

Farmer’s favorite part about playing intramural sports and working at the Recreation Center is that it keeps him active.

“I’m not trying to be a couch potato!” Farmer said.