Students are finally back on the intramural fields
NORMAN, Okla. (BVM) – Last year was filled with confusion, isolation and fear. Nearly everyone found themselves confined to lonely indoor experiences, those of which hardly featured sports due to the pandemic. When COVID-19 put a halt to activities as we know them, the effects were not realized until a much later date.
As the year continued, it became more evident that sports play an important role in our lives. Students on college campuses and others experienced a major disappointment due to the cancellation of nearly all intramural sports. These leagues are incredibly important for students to be able to take advantage of, offering benefits of friendships, fun and exercise.
“Intramurals allow students to escape from reality and the burden of school. I think that it goes unnoticed just how important it is for students to go outside and have fun with their friends,” avid intramural participant Daniel Steward said. “I was looking forward to playing flag football with my buddies, and it devastated me that I couldn’t do that. Also my dad had told me so many stories about how fun playing intramurals were, and the pandemic even made it more difficult to play something as simple as pickup basketball.”
“[It was] very upsetting because all those students had no chance to get competitive and have fun playing the sports they love due to the pandemic,” OU Intramural Officiating Supervisor Luke Goard said. “Students need intramurals to implore their well-being and blow off the steam of everyday frustration. I felt so lazy and bored without sports last year, and I’m just happy to be back out here having fun again.”
Intramurals are not just a way for students to enjoy college life, but they also help to improve motivation in the classroom. According to a study completed by Sarina Gleason of Futurity, freshman students who competed in intramural sports were almost 40 percent more likely to move onto sophomore year compared to students who didn’t participate. Furthermore, the study showed that active intramural players saw a higher overall grade point average than other students. Some may think sports can distract students from their work, but what is shown here and on campuses everywhere is that playing intramural sports are beneficial for the well-being of students.
The University of Oklahoma, which saw the cancellation of over 75% of its available intramural activities, offered other methods of fun for students in 2020 still looking to compete. These intramurals included competitions of online video games and heavily separated activities, but the typical team sports were not to be held until further notice.
“Although the online activities were nice, it is just not the same as being able to play with your friends in person. Students don’t get much exercise online,” Gourd said.
“I was so excited to find out that my school was going to hold intramurals this year, because they didn’t last year. After playing volleyball my whole life, it really sucked not getting to continue playing for fun in college with all of my new friends,” OU sophomore Kenzie Rucker said. “As a freshman cramped up in the tiny dorm rooms, I truly believe that my mental health was heavily affected by being inside so much. So the opportunity to get to be active again is something I don’t take for granted.”
An underappreciated aspect of intramural sports is having the chance to go watch your friends compete on the field too.
“Although I’m not much of a sports person myself, it is so fun to go watch intramural games again because so many people go. My favorite part is watching my uncoordinated friends play because it’s so funny,” OU junior Natalie Rosewell said. “It definitely brightens my mood going to intramural games.”
So many people are fascinated by sport even the ones not as involved felt an odd sense of absence last year.
“Moving forward, we don’t have all the answers for what will happen regarding the Coronavirus, but I know that all of these students are having the time of their lives out here on the field,” Gourd said. “I love playing co-ed softball because it’s so fun to play with softball and baseball players.”
As more and more people continue to place an importance on mental health, it’s becoming evident that sports are not only good for physical health. Making sure to go outside and be active isn’t just a suggestion, it’s something that everybody really needs to do. People thrive together in a way that can’t be replicated alone, and that fact is displayed nowhere better than in intramural sports.
