Bosco is a senior English and secondary education double major and can be contacted at [email protected]

Same rules, new sports and fresh T-shirts welcome the Spring Intramural season.

Drake intramurals would like to welcome all of our athletes and staff back to school and back onto the courts for our spring season. If the fall semester is any indication of the play in the next few months, we can all count on more exhilarating competition, glorified champions in fresh T-shirts and superfluous verbal obscenities.

In honor of the new season and as a reminder to get moving this semester, I would like to present a short preview of the leagues available for everyone to participate in for the start of 2012.

Basketball:

Here is your chance to relive your real glory days of high school basketball in our same-sex, 5-on-5 basketball leagues. The sport is already underway, and we’re back to regular scoring with guys officially out of the doghouse when it comes to blocking a girl. With over 30 teams signed up for the league and only four spots for ultimate victories, the competition is bound to provide excitement. If you are in need of convincing, the intramurals staff urges all sports fans — and human beings in general — to come watch a fan-favorite, FIJI-originated team called Duff. At my best attempt to describe the squad, I would say that Duff is Des Moines’ amateur version of the white Harlem Globetrotters playing blindfolded with roller skates on ice. Come see for yourself and feel free to make your own judgments whether or not the team actually possesses a stark amount of awful, creative skill.

Racquetball Doubles:

This is tournament-style play and entries are due by next Wednesday. The smaller leagues tend to receive less attention than the more mainstream sports, so depending on the amount of committed readers I have to this column, chances are you will make it pretty far in the tournament just by signing up.

Badminton Doubles:

Also tournament-style play, and entries are due by Feb. 7. The sport is harder than it looks, but you can make yourself seem pseudo-skilled if you know to call the birdie a shuttlecock as well.

Floor Hockey:

Entries are due by Feb. 8, but unless you started training three years ago, my predicted odds point towards many of the fraternity leagues dominating once again. The rules regarding using your personal hockey stick are a bit tricky, but I suggest one to heed my advice when I say that no matter what kind of stick you have, it is never a baseball bat. This league can be a lot of fun if you find some teammates that are able to have a good attitude when asked to potentially play at 11:15 p.m.

Tennis Doubles:

Entries are due by Feb. 15, and I typically do not see first timers coming to play this one. Tennis is also a tough sport for the amateur, but if you are one of the hockey players with baseball envy, you can maybe try this one out.

Indoor Soccer:

Entries are due by Feb. 29. Another popular league, and it is played on the full length of the Bell Center gym. We play with a “futsal” ball, which is much smaller and harder than a regular soccer ball. Rumor is that we may present a co-rec league this year. Stay tuned for results on the negotiations.

Softball:

Entries are due by Mar. 6, and with fortunes of a good-weathered spring, several games will be played starting right after Spring Break and up until Relays. The leagues are both co-rec and same-sex. Players are typically inspired by the commencement of Major League Baseball around this time and inevitably give softball more likability than would normally be seen throughout the rest of the year.

Once again, we welcome all sports fans back into the games and look forward to seeing all of you on the fields soon. Remember, the officials always have the final say, and no Drake ID, no play.

Until next time, please play by the rules.