Intramural Sports

by Randy Clark

In college it is very easy to get wrapped up in academics, and completely ignore the human body’s need for physical activity. It is not uncommon, for college students to gain weight and get out of shape, especially during their freshman year when they are still trying to figure out a healthy schedule. Hence the reason, the term the “freshman fifteen”, which refers to the fifteen pounds that college freshman supposedly gain, is so commonly recognized. Luckily, Purdue offers a number of different facilities and options to its students to help them stay physically active. For example, Purdue just recently built the Co-rec, a huge gym equipped with basketball courts, racquetball courts, two indoor tracks, an indoor soccer rink, and many other useful arenas. Fittingly, one of best options that Purdue offers for staying physically active often takes place in the Co-rec. That option is intramural sports. In high school, a large portion of the student body was involved in some sort of sport. But as students usually realize playing on a varsity team in college requires an obscene amount of time commitment, and many students are not willing to make that commitment because they would rather explore other extracurricular activities. Fortunately, intramural sports exist as the less time consuming alternative. Intramural sports are a way to play organized games with friends at varying levels of competitiveness and get involved in the Purdue community. In fact, nearly 18,000 students participate in intramural sports every year. This is partly due to the fact that they are very easy to sign up for, only requiring every person on a team to agree to the terms and conditions. And there is a sport for everyone.  Purdue offers over 21 different intramural sports in both the spring and the fall. So get off the couch and get involved in Purdue community, while staying healthy.