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By BetsySears

Th e 1995-96 intramural sports yearwasdefinitelyexcitingand fullofchange.As fallbeganwithflag footballand tennis, thewinterledto basketball,indoorsoccer(anew sport thisyear), and floorhockey. Spring then forced its way through,and so didSoftball.

New thisyear was the number of co-ed sportsthatwere offered. Jeff Smyth,directorofintramuralsports, noticed the female interest in intramuralswas dwindling.

He responded quickly by adding more co-ed sportswith theintention of getting males to recruit more femalestoplay.Theideaworked.This year,therewas a25percent increase infemale athletes.

JulieAinsley said, "It was good to be able to get together with other Christians and play ball. W e were there to have fun,cheer each other on, and come together asa team."

Last summer,theStudent LifeOffice,Student Government Associationand Liberty University Athletic Associationteamed up tomake some physical changes to the intramural program. The result: theintramural Justin Hey watches as a high pitchzooms acrossthe plate.

fields were reseeded and an irrigation system wasinstalled.

Because of the growing number of injuriesfrom gravel and rocks inthe fields,these changeswerenecessary.Thanks to the improvements, no major injuriesoccurred on any of the fields this year.

Softball participant Faith Cranford said: "Intramurals were a fun and exciting way for all students to participate athleticallyhereatschool. I've always loved playing softball and intramurals allowed me toplaythegame I love."