Thursday, September 29, 2011

Round one of intramurals running smoothly

By Matt Wagner
Cardinal Staff

Intramural athletics have begun at Saint Mary’s University, and with heavy enrollment between all four of the sports, the level of competition has risen.

With the first session consisting of sand volleyball, flag football, basketball, and ultimate Frisbee, there is plenty to keep intramural participants occupied, with games occurring one to two times per week.

“Our team participated in a sand volleyball tournament during Welcome Week and did pretty well, so I figured we would sign up for the first session of intramural volleyball and see how it goes,” said freshman Jake Holzer, captain of French Toast Mafia. “The competition is a little bit more intense than I had thought it would be, but we are still a strong contender.”

Returning upperclassmen seem confident in their playing abilities, not only due to their familiarity with the sport, but also with knowledge of their fellow upperclassmen opponents. Many are convinced that a championship t-shirt is in their future during this intramural season, especially SMU sophomore Matt Traxler, who is leading the team Kick Some Ace.

“Of course we are going to go undefeated. We have yet to lose a game,” said Traxler.

His teammate, SMU sophomore Ryan Menden, added to Traxler’s comment: “There is some fierce competition this session, but I think we will come out on top.”

While the players involved may reveal their competitive side every once in a while, the coordinators and referees have noticed a sense of sportsmanship and character displayed by the intramural athletes.

“It never seems to get too competitive,” said SMU sophomore Denard Covington. “Everyone seems to be having fun and playing nicely; I haven’t seen anything too crazy so far.”

The first session of intramural sports will soon come to a close, with winning teams of each sport being crowned champions. And although many teams will fall to what may be heartbreaking losses, the competitiveness of intramural sports at SMU will continue through the upcoming sessions.

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