Looking to get out of your dorm for a bit, get involved on campus and make friends, all while getting some exercise and having fun?

What better way to do that than by playing an intramural sport?

What Are Intramural Sports?

Intramurals (not inter-murals) are organized recreational clubs that are played within an area or institution, mainly colleges and universities.

Intramurals — which means “within walls" in Latin — are in-house sports, meaning teams within a college play teams within the same college. Intramurals offer students who want to play sports — but don’t want to deal with the competitiveness that varsity-level sports brings — opportunities to participate in an organized sports league with friends and fellow students.

Type of Sports College Intramurals Offer

This is what makes intramurals so fun and exciting.

Colleges offer a number of intramural sports. There are generally two types:

Usual sports: flag football, floor hockey, soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball, and so forth.

Non-traditional sports: These are the sports that you’ve probably only ever played in gym class, like badminton, Frisbee, kickball, Wiffle ball, dodgeball, darts, billiards, and lots more.

(Note: These are just a few of the options that some colleges may or may not offer. It is always best to check with the college or university you attend to ask about what intramural sports are offered.)

It’s also worth keeping in mind that if your university or college doesn’t offer the sport you want, you can still get the sport up and running if you gather enough people who are interested and follow procedures laid out by the college. So, theoretically, when it comes to the types of intramural sports you can play in college, the possibilities are almost endless.

Why You Should Play

Intramurals give you excuses to get out of your dorm and widen your social circle. And for commuters, it offers reasons to stay on campus after classes and get involved. Intermurals allow you to stay in shape while relieving some of the stress that academic life can bring. You get to meet people you otherwise might not have met and bond with them while those bouncy red balls are whizzing past you (if you play dodgeball, that is). And you get to have fun! Honestly, who doesn’t like fun?

Whether you live on campus or commute, college is an experience — not just an educational one. You get out of it what you put in. If you want to stay active, make some new friends, and get a fuller college experience, you should get up, get out there and sign up for an intramural sport.

Sources:

Alison at University Language (2009). Playing College Intramural Sports: It’s All About Fun! University Language. Retrieved from University Language.

McGrath, Jane. What are the pros of playing intramural sports? HowStuffWorks. Retrieved from HowStuffWorks.