Campus Rec kicks off fall intramurals
Intramural sports are underway on campus at Utah State University, and this year, participants have a lot to look forward to.
Current fall intramurals include flag football, soccer and sand volleyball, with three-on-three basketball, six-on-six volleyball and futsal later in the semester.
Last year’s fall season consisted of a 4-week regular season, with every team being slotted into the playoffs. This year’s season will see five weeks of regular season, with only teams with a record of .500 or better making the playoffs.
Kayla Irlbeck, graduate assistant of competitive sports, said her favorite fall sport is flag football.
“Fall is football season, no one can argue that,” Irlbeck wrote in an email to The Utah Statesman. “Flag football is a great way for students to engage in men, women, co-rec or unified leagues.”
Irlbeck is also head of Unified Sports within Campus Recreation. Unified Sports at Utah State is a collaborative effort between Campus Rec and Special Olympics. In unified leagues, teams consist of an equal number of Special Olympic athletes and partners.
“Unified is a great opportunity for Special Olympics athletes and partners to engage in a fun and competitive atmosphere, and to participate in intramurals for free,” Irlbeck wrote. “We play every week at 6:15 PM on the Aggie Legacy Fields and you are welcome to just show up.”
Flag football is the most popular intramural sport on campus. In previous years, intramural flag football has been divided into men’s and co-rec leagues in addition to Unified, with the men’s side being divided into two subdivisions, men’s A and men’s B.
This year, Campus Rec decided to add a women’s league, something that has garnered interest in the past but never had enough traction to form a league. The two men’s leagues have also been combined into one single league, but co-rec has not been altered.
All intramural sports are played by an official set of rules defined by the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA). The men’s and women’s leagues are played by the same set of rules for standard seven-on-seven flag football.
Co-rec features a set of more interesting rules. It is played eight-on-eight, with each team consisting of four men and four women. A team may play down with four women and three men or vice versa, but may not play with five participants of one gender and three of the other.
To ensure inclusivity, co-rec’s unique rules go even further. Male participants can not rush past the line of scrimmage in co-rec games, they must pass the ball or else hand it to a female participant. If a play is run that only consists of male participants, the next play is considered “closed”. In order to “open” the play, a play must be run in which a female participant gains yardage.
Intramural soccer also consists of a men’s, women’s and co-rec league, though the rules are simpler than those of flag football.
Sand volleyball is played in a four-on-four format with women, co-rec and open divisions.
“As a player, I love playing sand volleyball,” wrote Bailey Adams, assistant director of intramurals and youth sports. “We didn’t have sand volleyball as an intramural sport where I went to school so getting to experience it here at USU has been fun.”
For those who seek a high level of competition, Adams assures participants that intramurals on campus will fill those needs.
“Intramural sports can get pretty competitive here at USU. Depending on the sport or league, there are some pretty high-level players participating in our leagues,” Adams wrote. “I would say basketball is our most competitive sport. The popularity of our men’s and women’s NCAA teams and the high level of high school basketball that’s played throughout the state tends to make our basketball leagues the most competitive.”
For those lucky enough to make the championship game, Campus Rec takes those games to the next level.
“We are very lucky to get to play championship games for flag football in Maverik Stadium and basketball championships in the Spectrum,” Irlbeck wrote. “All students are welcome to come support and watch these games and championship game schedules are posted on our Instagram @usucampusrec.”
Also new this year is the use of the FusionPlay app. In previous seasons, participants have had to log into Rec Portal for updates on their next contest, standings and roster management. With FusionPlay, all the information is in one place, something Irlbeck believes will improve the experience for students.
“The Fusion Play app allows teams to better communicate with both the Campus Rec staff and with their teams,” Irlbeck wrote. “There are features to RSVP to the games, view all game times in one spot and view divisional standings.”
Adams said getting involved in intramurals will benefit other aspects of student’s lives as well.
“Students’ physical health and wellness, emotional wellness, academic learning outcomes and social learning outcomes all greatly benefit from participation in intramural sports,” Adams wrote. “Students tend to enjoy their experience, improve competence in the activity they participate in and enhance their physical health and fitness levels. Intramurals are a low-stress, low-commitment way to stay physically active and make social connections.”
To get involved in intramurals, sign up at recportal.usu.edu or at the front desk in the ARC. Team registration for the current season has closed, but students can download the Fusion Play app to join an existing team or receive information about registration for the upcoming season.