Intramural sports are back again this spring, offering students the chance to be active, build friendships and compete. Sports this quarter include a tennis league, a softball tournament, 6v6 outdoor volleyball, 7v7 flag football and 7v7 outdoor soccer. 

Matches have already begun for volleyball, football and soccer, though registration remains open for the tennis league until April 24, with matches starting April 29. The same goes for softball, which has registration open until May 15, before the one day tournament takes place May 18. 

As a senior who has participated in intramural sports religiously for the past four years, this article is written with both appreciation and sadness. With graduation on the horizon, I will eventually no longer have the convenience of collegiate intramurals. Instead… I will be forced to enter into men’s leagues at Life Time Fitness and pay to play Sunday night soccer.

Sharing a similar sentiment, Antonio Woo, a fourth-year economics major, has been participating in intramural sports every quarter since his sophomore year, and feels bittersweet competing in this final leg.

Playing both football and volleyball this spring, Woo has felt the high highs of lifting the intramural championship belt in multiple sports, but finds joy even when he is not winning. 

“I enjoy the camaraderie, I love being able to be out here and just have fun,” Woo said, adding that he has been able to play with a lot of the same teammates over the years. “I’ll miss the whole environment, especially the competitive spirit that it tries to emulate for both people who maybe played that sport in high school, as well as those who are there to try something new.” 

Intramural sports are open to all current Seattle University faculty, staff and students, including those who are part of the law school or other graduate programs.

In terms of skill levels, depending on registration numbers, some quarters University Recreation is able to offer different leagues to accommodate varying skill levels. However, it is important to note there is no prerequisite amount of ability or experience required for any intramural sport. 

Liam Snow, a fourth-year social work major, has been participating in intramural soccer since his sophomore year. Despite never winning a championship, he is always excited to get to play with both new and old friends.

“Our group has always been super excited to have new people on the team,” Snow said, referencing new roommates and befriended classmates. “We have a core group of people we know who are always going to be there, but over the years that has gradually expanded.”

You don’t have to have a group of friends in order to have fun playing intramurals. Becoming a “free agent” is an option when signing up on IMLeagues, the platform used to organize intramurals, and teams can choose to make their rosters open or closed to additional members. Snow’s team, for example, has had several free agents join and stay on their soccer team over multiple quarters. 

Reflecting on intramurals, Snow said that he only ever really gets frustrated when it comes to student referees—a factor of competitive sports that humanizes the game for both positive and negative outcomes. 

“There are the usual gripes about refs, sometimes it feels like they haven’t played soccer before” Snow mentioned. 

While there is training that student referees go through, they are by no means expected to be experts on the sport they are officiating. However, in my experience, the simple fact that games include referees can be beneficial for bringing order and seriousness. Even when they aren’t always making the “right” calls, student referees are model learners, and typically very good about talking with players, explaining their perspective.

Jacob Nakasone, a student referee and fourth-year diagnostic ultrasound major, described intramurals as an integral part of his college experience. 

Talking with me candidly, Nakasone joked, “No offense George, but you and I wouldn’t really know each other were it not for intramurals.”

Over the past three years, Nakasone, Snow, Woo and I have all played against and with each other, and ultimately gotten to know dozens of fellow students through intramural sports. 

To say I am remorseful to move on is an understatement. I view intramural sports as a can’t miss opportunity at Seattle U, and something that everyone deserves to experience.