Intramural Sports beat the COVID blues

Intramurals give students fun outlet during challenging times

UW-Whitewater+sophomore+Mia+Lubahn+sets+the+ball+during+an+intramural+volleyball+playoff%0Amatch+at+the+Kachel+Fieldhouse+in+November+2020.

Dane Sheehan

UW-Whitewater sophomore Mia Lubahn sets the ball during an intramural volleyball playoff match at the Kachel Fieldhouse in November 2020.

Matt Ellis, Arts and Rec Editor

Intramurals allow students on campus to play and compete in games they love. While fall semester games were scaled back to just badminton, volleyball, bag toss and basketball shooting competitions, the spring semester almost triples the number of offerings.

While competing in intramurals includes a level of risk, the staff continues to do all they can to keep players and workers safe this spring semester. In a normal year, basketball and flag football are popular intramural events amongst students, but events with less contact now take center field. 

Pulling games that are deemed too much of a risk are just a few of the multiple modifications made to keep participants safe, like sanitizing equipment. And of course, students must wear masks and stay socially distanced. 

“We perform a risk assessment. If something is a medium to high risk, we don’t move forward with those activities,” said Intramural Sports and Club Sports assistant director Matt Schneider. 

Using what they learned from the fall semester, the future of intramural sports during the pandemic seems to be in good hands. However, with new updates being provided each day concerning COVID-19, the intramural staff must be prepared at all times. In fact, students participating in intramurals are made aware that their seasons may get cancelled at any point. With that, students can expect an expanded roster of games on deck this spring.

“Intramurals will be offering badminton, bag toss, billiards, bowling, horse, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, kickball, volleyball tournament, and IM Sports trivia,” said Intramural Sports and Club Sports supervisor Jada Kondrakiewicz. 

A main goal of Intramural Sports this spring is to give students a safe way to have fun during these tough times. With so few opportunities to be active in a safe way, intramurals remain committed to serving students while keeping them safe. 

“I think intramurals can be done safely for the second semester. We have already worked hard to make sure the proper precautions are being put in place for our competitors to participate in some of their favorite sports,” said intramurals student coordinator Jaden Wendt. 

As students come back to campus, Intramural Sports aims to be an outlet for safe fun at UW-Whitewater. For more information about sign-ups and events visit https://www.uww.edu/rec-sports/intramural-sports#general