Bosco is a senior English and secondary education double major and can be contacted at [email protected].
With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I want to utilize the few words I have each week to express the reasons for Drake University’s ubiquitous love for the intramurals program. The list goes on and on, but I have managed to round out the love into five definitive categories. So here you go, the top five reasons why Drake intramurals is what it is.
The staff
Behind every table, every blown whistle and every scheduled game stands a strong, authoritative, good-looking intramural staffer. For every season, the staff puts in extra hours of training and hard work to allow you, the athlete, to have fun. To each player who has ever had a complaint over an arguable call, we would like to let you know that Drake intramurals is not an exclusive bunch. If you ever believe you can do a better job, please come join the family. We would love to have you. This may be the proper time to also give a shout out to the faces behind the scenes. The man responsible for giving you a spot to play even though you didn’t come to the meeting, or don’t really have anyone on your team yet, is Intramural Coordinator Matt Gasser, often seen overlooking all management on game night. And if you are ever lucky enough to spot Intramural Director Lisa Murphy, I suggest getting an autograph.
The entertainment
Most officials and supervisors would not come back year after year if not for the overwhelming amount of laughs and energy each season brings. For every minor altercation or aggravated fan, there is at least one player tripping over himself or team uniforms ridiculous enough to change the play of the game. The belief behind intramurals is that it should provide authentic and enjoyable competition. At the end of the day, the only tangible reward is a cotton T-shirt. Any other honor you walk away with is personal compensation. The fact that everyone still plays hard, and typically with good spirits, shows a genuine love for the intramural sports.
The T-shirts
Let’s face it. Wearing an intramurals champion shirt on campus really says something about you. It means you still work out at least once a week, you have at least four other friends on campus (not counting if you won it from playing in the poker tournament) and you were, at one point, better than another Drake student at something. The shirts are comfortable, cheeky and a great top to wear to another intramural game to show how good you really are.
The rules
If it weren’t for the rules, we would have punches thrown, professional athletes competing and brave captains playing solo because the rest of the team didn’t show up. As much as most players bicker over seemingly petty rules, intramurals would not run as smoothly and as consistently without them. If we wait an extra 20 minutes for your last player to show up, we would have to do the same for the team that plays you the next time. From previous experience, we do not tend to see the same type of generosity you previously asked for. The rules keep us from allowing our friends, or even an intramural staffer, to play without Drake IDs and from allowing hockey sticks to be used as baseball bats and goals to be used as chin-up bars. In review, if we didn’t have the rules, the well-educated minds of Drake University would easily just make their own.
You
Even when the intramurals program is forced to begrudgingly fill out sportsmanship reports, our love for you, the athlete, will never fade. Without you, we would not have one of the, per-bias, greatest programs on campus.
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to appreciate everything Drake intramurals has to offer. And for those who loathe and condemn the Hallmark holiday, we are fortunately here all year long.
Until next time, please play by the rules.
