For incoming freshmen looking to continue playing sports competitively, consider the University’s intramural program. Ranging from basketball to indoor triathlons, most every sport is covered in the program.

During the fall session of intramurals, two of the sports that will be prominent in the program will be softball and flag football. Both sports have men’s, women’s and co-recreational divisions. The leagues also feature the option of the Fraternity league for those who will be in Greek houses.

The softball leagues are 10-on-10 slow-pitch games, and number more than 100 teams. The games take place at the complex fields, by the intersection of Lincoln and Florida. The complex will have a renovation completed for the start of the 2007-08 school year that will feature new backstops and more bleachers. Intramural softball is the first game to have its sign-up date, August 27-28, at Campus Recreation Center-East. The league sign-ups are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

According to Charles Smith of the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, flag football is the most popular intramural on campus. Smith said that the league will typically feature up to 250 teams between the men’s, women’s and co-rec. leagues. Like softball, football features a five-week season with a championship tournament after the regular season. The sign-ups for flag football are September 4-5.

Although intramural soccer doesn’t have the large number of teams that softball and football have, it is still another popular choice on campus.

“It’s growing in numbers every year, and it is by far our fastest growing sport,” Smith said.

Soccer also has the men’s, women’s and co-rec. leagues to offer. It is standard 11-on-11 format, and has a five-week schedule with the championship tournament after the season. The sign-ups are on September 4-5.

Basketball and volleyball are two more intramural sports. The two sports are popular on campus and feature multiple divisions of play. Their sign-up dates are October 15-16 for both sports.

There are many other options that one can explore in the intramural field as well. There will be indoor triathlon, inline hockey and broomball, just to name a few. Most sign-up dates for these events and others are in October, but if you would like to play, check the Campus Recreation Web site for complete details.

If you do not have enough players to form a team, or cannot find a team, place yourself on the intramural free-agent list. Those on the free-agent list can be “called up” to a team that is in need of players, or just form a free-agent team.

The most important thing to remember when playing intramurals is to enjoy the game that you’ll be playing.

“After spending two years at the University, I have played in several intramural programs, each of which has been an incredible experience in itself,” Kyle Rocco, junior in Engineering, said. “The University offers a sport for everyone and the competition ranges from high school varsity level, to those who play the sport recreationally. It’s a great way to make friends and continue to play the sport that you love.”