On top of surviving classes, homework and studying, T-Birds must balance taking care of their physical health as well as their social life. In short, Southern Utah University students have a ton on their plate.
Intramural sports participants enjoy the opportunity of tackling both of these tasks at once. Not only do they get physical exercise playing a sport they’re interested in, they also get to socialize with others in a fun, low-pressure environment.
Unlike SUU Athletics, these sports are open to all students at any level of skill. The programs vary from one-day tournaments to multi-week leagues so that even students who have busy schedules can participate in some of the activities. Students can sign up individually or with their friends as a team on the SUU intramurals website page.
Some programs happen every semester and others happen only once per year. Pickleball, cornhole and outdoor volleyball are available year-round. Fall semester options include flag football and indoor volleyball, while the spring semester offers basketball, three versus three soccer and archery dodgeball.
Only one activity is exclusive to the summer semester, but the community received it so well that it will likely remain a staple for years to come. The summer Ironman encourages participants to individually track their progress throughout the summer in a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.
The new summer race, along with approximately doubled participation numbers in every sport, are in part thanks to Assistant Director of Recreation Jennifer Weaver. She has served as a facilitator of the intramural experience for just over a year.
Weaver, a graduate of SUU, ran for the university’s track and field team but didn’t have many chances to participate in other sports. Now, she dedicates herself to ensuring that all T-Birds have as many opportunities for recreational sporting as possible.
Although the program does have a reasonable number of athletes with experience in the sport they sign up for, they also receive plenty of players that are brand new. To keep people at a level of competition they are comfortable with, Weaver and her team divide the athletes into categories based on their abilities.
If teams or players are confident in their abilities and feel advanced, they can typically express that, and they will play other experienced teams. Meanwhile, if they’re just starting out or unsure of themselves, they can play casually with other beginners.
“We pattern our programs in levels so that we can make people feel comfortable. It’s a safe place to come and jump in,” said Weaver. “You don’t have to have athletic knowledge or experience. We welcome that and love that.”
This attitude of acceptance has propelled SUU to a substantial increase in intramural sports participants. Since Weaver arrived, the amount of students playing each sport has doubled.
A growing program also allows Weaver to employ more students to keep things running smoothly. Most of her student workers serve as referees, making sure games and matches are played fairly and scored properly.
“It’s one of the most fun jobs on campus, no doubt. They get to socialize and interact with all the other university students,” said Weaver. “We also allow our officials to play. So, if you’re a volleyball official, that doesn’t make it so you can’t play in the volleyball program. We work out a way where we cover for each other and make sure it rotates enough that officials can also participate.”
While the referees do a great job with each game they officiate, intramural supervisor Cole Richardson takes on the responsibility of overseeing all games, handling conflict resolution and inputting scores online.
Richardson played basketball in high school and wanted to stay involved with the sport, which piqued his interest in working with Weaver once he arrived in Cedar City for college. After trying it out in his first year, he fell in love with the atmosphere and decided to come back for the 2023-24 year. He shares Weaver’s passion for involving all T-Birds in the intramural experience.
“You just need to get out of your shell and play every sport. We have different calibers — like beginner, intermediate and expert — for almost every sport, so I wouldn’t worry about being too bad at the sport ‘cause everyone here is trying new things,” said Richardson. “Show up and do as much as you can, and you’ll have the best time of your life.”
Having seen the impact of the intramural experience firsthand, Richardson advocates for students to use intramural sports as an opportunity to take a break from school and recover.
“Our biggest motive is refilling your social battery. School drains so much out of you and your free time,” Richardson said. “You need to get exercise, and it’s hard to find time to get in the gym. Most of our sports are super interactive. Just showing up to get exercise in and remembering to be a kid every now and then helps with the mental mindset and your physical body for sure.”
Having done extensive research on recreational sports, Weaver believes intramurals can improve four different spheres of students’ lives: physical, mental, academic and social.
While it’s clear that getting exercise will help to improve the physical health of students, even if they’re only playing casually, some of the greatest benefits of participating are surprisingly intertwined with students’ mental health.
Weaver shared that having a fun activity to look forward to on a regular basis helps T-Birds to break up the monotony of college life and relieve the stress of being a student.
Even though participation in these sports may temporarily take away time students could spend studying, it correlates with long-term academic benefits.
“It’s proven that this raises the academic mind,” Weaver said. “Generally, in the studies, we’ve found kids who participate in intramurals actually perform better in academics.”
On top of all these benefits, the relaxed nature of intramural sports allows players and referees to socialize and bond with each other.
Alyssa Jensen both plays and officiates intramural volleyball. She’s learned that both experiences are very different and require different sets of skills, but one aspect remains the same no matter what.
“Being a part of intramurals, not only just with your team but with everybody that’s involved, you create these friendships,” Jensen said. “I’ve met so many people reffing and playing that now I see on campus and I have more connections.”
Meeting new people and forming close relationships is one of the core goals of SUU’s intramural sports program. By participating, students can better manage their stress and physical health, ultimately helping them be successful in multiple facets of their college lives.
Author: Kale Nelson
Photos: Chloe Copeland
eic@suunews.net
This article was originally published in the December 2023 edition of the University Journal.
