Drake University intramural sports are a great way for both student-athletes and full-time students to get involved on campus and in athletics. There are 23 options offered throughout the year, from a free throw competition to pickleball. The only requirement for being on an intramural team is that you must attend Drake. Even faculty and professors can participate, but student-athletes cannot participate in the intramural sport that is the same as their NCAA sport.
For fraternities and sororities, intramurals are a great way to enahnce brotherhood and sisterhood among members. Second-year pharmacy student Jared Frost, a member of the Phi Delta Chi pharmacy fraternity, said how important it is to play intramurals to create positive relationships between members.
“My fraternity participates because it’s a fun way to promote brotherhood,” Frost said. “Intramurals keep us in shape, and are a great way to de-stress before pharmacy tests, which come almost every day.”
Frost also commented on the importance of having a place to participate in sports after a high school career full of team-based athletics.
“I play in intramurals to stay in shape and fuel my competitive nature,” Frost said. “I was a three-sport athlete in high school, so I’ve always been a competitive person, and the competition in intramurals is usually pretty decent.”
Senior Alpha Phi member Sarah VanLandegen said that playing volleyball with her sorority sisters is one of her weekly highlights.
“It’s so fun to get together with my closest friends and play other sororities in a sport I love,” VanLandegen said. “I miss the camaraderie that comes along with a team sport, so it’s great to get that feeling back again in college where I don’t play a varsity sport.”
Junior Katelyn Jamison has participated in 3-on-3 volleyball, co-recreational volleyball, women’s volleyball, co-recreational basketball, women’s basketball, indoor soccer and floor hockey at Drake, and has had a great experience.
“Intramurals are a great way to stay active and involved on campus,” she said. “They are important because they allow students to participate in fun activities without a huge time commitment, and they are a great way to meet new people.”
The intramural program is facilitated by Matt Gasser, and all games take place in the Bell Center or at the intramural fields, which are a few blocks north of campus. Both Frost and Jamison praised the organization of the programs.
“The system is organized well,” Jamison said. “There have been some complaints about the referees, of course. Other than that, I like the system.”
In the fall sports postseasons, Jamison will participate in women’s competitive volleyball and Frost in recreational and co-recreational volleyball, and outdoor soccer.
“The best part of intramurals is getting everyone on the team pumped before and during the game,” Frost said. “Everyone knows that Phi Delta Chi is a dominant force in the Drake intramural leagues, and we plan to keep it that way.”
Playoffs continue after fall break, so stop by and support your Drake intramural teams as they aim for campus victory!
