1 minute read
Life Lessons through Intramural Sports
I now count myself among the number of “retired” intramural participants. I still might dabble in fantasy football, college pick ‘emor our intramural golf scramble, but the last intramural game that I played in was back in Spring 2011 when I was in grad school. So I’ve now been “retired” for longer than I ever played intramural sports. Even though it's been a while since I’ve played in a game, there are many things that I learned during my time as a participant that have carried over into other areas of my life.
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1. Show up (and show up early)– sometimes this is more than half the battle. It was a struggle sometimes to get a team together to show up on time and play in games, but reaching out and making sure that we were going to have enough people to avoid that dreaded forfeit fee was a priority for me.
2. Step outside of your comfort zone - I was horrible at floor hockey when I played it. But many guys on my team were awesome and it was fun to play a sport that I wasn't the best at to learn more about it and try to learn something new.
3. Make lasting connections - many of my memories from my college years are connected to playing or working with intramural sports. That was how I found my calling and my sense of belonging. No matter who you are, there are people like you here at SHSU. So go out and find them!
4. Manage your time - all of the research shows that physical activity increases your brainpower. So, as much as you would like to cram for that exam and pull an 8-hour marathon study session, taking a break to play an intramural game is a great way to relieve some stress and maximize your studying ability.
5. Be part of a team - we have lots of events that individuals can play in and we want you to do so! You can even earn points for your Bearkat Cup team by doing this. We also have a lot of team events and these are the ones that can prepare you for life after college, too. All of us are going to be working with others both while we are here and after we leave college, so get some practice in while you're here!
- Brian Weaver
