Intramural sports provide release from everyday schoolwork

Intramural+sports+give+students+a+place+to+enjoy+their+favorite+sports+without+the+responsibilities+of+athletics.

Lia Cantarero

Intramural sports give students a place to enjoy their favorite sports without the responsibilities of athletics.

Students at Northwestern State University of Louisiana are not excited for the excruciating hours of schoolwork they are supposed to partake in to be successful in college. Most students find purpose in being involved in extracurricular activities that promote a sense of reward for listening to boring lectures all day. But this is college, and not everyone can easily make an athletic team.

Intramural sports give students a place to enjoy their favorite sports without the responsibilities of athletics.

Demon intramurals can be as easy as a one-day tournament. Past events have included doubles pickleball, cornhole and singles badminton tournaments.

Intramural sports take the pressure off of your life and give students a chance to reminisce on an old loved sport they used to partake in.

The purpose of Demon Intramurals, as highlighted in their NSU website, is “to provide exercise, recreation and fun to our participants in a relaxed, yet structured environment.”

For major intramural sports like volleyball, flag football, basketball and softball, students have to be a part of an organization that partakes in intramurals.

One organization that competes is the Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Their intramural coordinators, Ethan Pennfield, sophomore secondary education major, and Macey Moss, sophomore elementary education major, talked about their process of intramural practices.

“I usually tell my players to come to the BCM about an hour before our games, so that we can talk about whatever we need to and then we can have a short practice before we go to the game,” said Pennfield.

As a previous player, Moss is fond of the fellowship created with other members.

Linzi Lampert, freshman health and exercise science major, says that it brings her back to her high school athletic years.

“I played sports in high school, so intramurals have allowed me to keep that same competitive spirit and I have gotten to play with some of my best friends,” Lampert said.

Greek organizations also partake in intramurals. Addison Duet, a sophomore biology major with a biomedical concentration, has played intramurals in NSU’s Phi Mu sorority chapter since her freshman year.

Addison said she participated in volleyball and flag football and feels that it adds to campus life by giving students the opportunity to do something they love outside of school.

“You don’t have to be good and you really don’t have to know what you’re doing,” Lampert said. This is a great opportunity for NSU students to have fun and become involved.

The BCM welcomes anyone interested in intramurals to be a part of their team as long as you attend at least one BCM event a week. No religious affiliation is needed.

For additional information on participating in one-day tournaments, students can access the 2021 fall schedule here.