As an extremely competitive person involved in sports my whole life, I can say firsthand that I, personally, do not like doing activities I am not good at. I believe you play to win, and I always stuck to what I was good at and never branched out. But how do you get good at something you have never done? By trying something new. According to sports research, constantly introducing new and different strategies for physical activity and life skills can allow individuals to have more ‘tools’ in their toolbox to handle general life stressors. When it comes to Intramurals, trying a new sport that you have never done before could be just the thing you need this year!

Areas of Increased Interest

Two of the sports that we offer have seen a huge increase in numbers and overall interest because students have decided to get their hall on a team and try them out. The first sport is broomball. Have you ever even heard of what broomball is? It is essentially ice hockey but with a ball instead of a puck and you wear regular closed-toed shoes instead of skates! Trying not to slip while getting the ball into the opposing goal is a learning curve, but one that many students have found to be the highlight of their semesters! We offer over 26 men’s teams and 22 women’s teams in the league, but they can fill up fast and you do not want to miss out on playing with your friends! The other sport we offer that many students tried for the first time last year was our women’s flag football tournament! Where else are you going to get this opportunity? Last Spring, 16 teams registered for this tournament compared to the previous years of an average of 3. I received feedback from the girls who competed, and they raved about how fun it was to do something different and to play a sport they did not have the opportunity to in high school.

Strength in Numbers

Trying something new, especially a sport you have never played before, can be daunting and maybe cause you to back out. We encourage you to reach out to the people on your hall, invite friends from your classes to be on your team, or even be bold enough to join as a free agent! However, there is strength in numbers. Sharing these experiences with others will help you create lifetime memories to look back on. One day you may even say to your friend, “Hey, remember when we played broomball in college, and we couldn’t stop wiping out the first game?”. I am not sure you will have the opportunity to play some of these sports in an organized way after your time at Liberty, so the time is now! Don’t be afraid to try something new!

Upcoming Tournaments

We have the perfect upcoming tournaments for you to try something you might never have done before! If you have been to a game room, the pool table could look challenging, but you might have a knack for the intricate sport! Beginner’s luck is a thing, and you just might have it. Our billiards tournament is next month, so head on over to the game room and practice your skills! Do you remember the days playing wiffleball in the backyard with your parents or siblings? Backyard sports do not have to stay in our fond childhood memories anymore because we also have our wiffleball tournament next month! And finally, if you can make a 3-pointer, we want to see you compete in our 3-point contest to wrap up the school year in December! Visit our website to learn more about Intramural Sports & to register for these upcoming tournaments!