Bosco is a senior English and secondary education double major and can be reached at haley.bosco@drake.edu
The intramurals staff is grateful and has been impressed with the progression of the 2011 fall season thus far. The teams are developed, the forfeits are decreasing and the smack talk is improving. One of my favorite parts of the program has always been watching the teams play with exceptional amounts of enthusiasm and seeing them go the extra mile for a free T-shirt. If you have been fortunate enough to find yourself on the intramurals field or court yet, you know firsthand how it feels to be in a heated competition that you feel will be the deciding factor in your rank for the playoffs – which every team makes.
With just a few more weeks left in the first round of sports, your team may be settling with your star lineup and setting your sights on making it to that championship game. So in light of hopefully giving you the chance to be part of that, “Do you believe in miracles?” or “Rudy being carried off the field” feeling, I would like to provide you with my personal repertoire of tips and hints to winning an intramurals championship.
Show up: No amount of skill can sufficiently make up for your team not being at the games. Remember that missing the first game or forfeiting two games is grounds for disqualification from the league. Also, the most effective way to form that cohesive unit is to play together as much as possible. To the captains: check your schedule a few days early and send out that mass text as soon as possible.
Use imleagues.com: This is the intramurals program’s pilot year with the online system. The website gives every teammate access to schedules, teams and standings. Make sure you are confirmed on your team’s page before the playoffs and continue to utilize the extra features that the program provides. For example, the “smack talk” function allows you to lightly intimidate your opponents without being penalized by officials. Scouting can also be done by checking the rosters of other teams and maybe finding players on Facebook to see if they seem athletic or not.
Don’t upset the officials: We are working on recruiting the professionally qualified NFL, MLS and NBA referees for our program, but for now, the brave and noble Drake students are doing great. We have extensive training sessions for each sport, and the learning will never cease. However, calls are still missed and inadvertent whistles are still blown. This should not leave you to justify calling out, “Hey ref, if you had one more eye, you’d be a Cyclops!” or, “Does your girlfriend know you’re screwing us right now?” A bad sportsmanship report goes a long way (in a bad direction), but good behavior might just get you 30 extra seconds from the supervisor to find that last teammate you need to play.
Bring fans: Promoting your team to friends and colleagues can help gather a crowd at big games and give you that extra boost you need in a tight competition. Remember to tell your fan club to keep it composed, clean and sober, as your team can be penalized from an excessively rowdy bunch. Nevertheless, signs, cheering, half time snacks and unified T-shirts are always encouraged.
Bring your Drake ID: I know you had it last week and the official is your roommate, but don’t come without it.
In addition to what will hopefully make you a champion, here are my picks for the games to watch this upcoming week of intramurals play:
Until next time, please play by the rules.
Flag football
competitive – FIJI vs. SigEp, Sunday at 4 p.m.
recreational – Beastmode vs. The Firm, Sunday at 3 p.m.
Outdoor soccer
competitive – Alpha Phi vs. Delta Gamma, Monday at 4:30 p.m.
recreational – SigEp B1 vs. SigEp B2 Bombers, Friday at 4:15 p.m.
Volleyball
competitive – Sets on the Court vs. Hit It N Quit It, Sunday at 7 p.m.
recreational – Alpha Kappa Psi vs. Sets on the Beach, Monday at 7:30 p.m.
