By Kelly Morgan (Staff Writer)
Sophomore Josh Spivey kicks the ball toward third base while up to kick during intramural sports.
Be ready to kick, spike, and dodge the competition during this semester’s season of intramural sports.
Kickball began on Sept. 14 and ends with the championship game on Oct. 7.
Volleyball begins on Oct. 19 and ends with the championship game held on Nov. 4.
Dodge ball begins on Nov. 9 and ends with the championship game held on Dec. 2.
Amanda Kinkade, Coordinator of Intramural Sports, expects things to go very well.
“As a whole, well over 300 students [signed up],†Kinkade said. “Which is so exciting. Our list at the Involvement Fair was probably 150 strong. It’s very encouraging that there’s so much interest.”
The 2008-2009 school year was Kinkade’s first coordinating intramural sports. She started the season involving students in volleyball, indoor soccer and dodge ball.
Kinkade is no stranger to intramural sports.
“I participated in my younger years, in high school, in field hockey and powder puff football,†she said. “In college, I played two-hand-touch football. I was also the leader of an eight person crew – I was on the varsity team – I liked it a lot.”
Kinkade is busy managing the staff, meetings, coordinating the schedule for games, maintaining a budget, reserving facilities to play on, overseeing the games, and making sure the proper equipment is available.
Two senior student managers, John Clarke and Tim Burton, assist Kinkade. They write the rules for each sport, oversee each game, make the schedules, keep track of the sportsmanship scores — a point-system to rate the sportsmanship displayed by each team after every game — set up each game, and check IDs.
Senior Physical Education major John Clarke has high expectations from both players and officials.
“We expect officials to be as professional as possible and represent the intramural program in a positive way,†he said. “For the players, we expect them to be at their games on time and have their Wesley College ID with them. We also expect them to show good sportsmanship to each other and the officials.”
Student interest in intramural sports is higher this semester than last year.
“This year, we have the potential to break our participation records from last year with attendance, due to the large amount of first-year students,” said junior Tim Burton, a sports management student.
Last year, there were 14 teams in each league for dodge ball and indoor soccer. About 140 students participated.
“We expect that trend to continue with more and more students getting involved in each and every sport,” Clarke said.
There are currently 14 teams registered for kickball during September.
Kickball takes place at New Street Park, while volleyball and dodge ball will be held in Wesley West Gymnasium.
Flag football and indoor soccer will debut this year.
There also will be one-day tournaments.
“We are also taking part in different tournaments throughout the year, including ultimate Frisbee and basketball,†Burton said.
