By James Oliden, Sept. 7, 2021
After an almost two-year-long absence, intramural sports will resume on campus fall semester.
Beginning Sept. 27, students will be allowed to register for all available intramural leagues at CPP.
In early March of 2020, sports at CPP shut down, ending the season for all intramural leagues across the program.
The upcoming season will offer multiple sports for CPP students to join including volleyball, four vs. four football, seven vs. seven soccer, tennis, esports and virtual challenges like the Be Active Step Challenge.
While campus recreation leaders have been working hard to return a sense of normalcy to student life, nothing has been easy according to Associate Director of Campus Recreation Programs Kaycee Martin.
“We have spent a lot of time training the new staff to understand the new COVID regulations as the season comes closer,” Martin said.
This is due to most of the previous staff graduating over the last two years, according to Martin.
Despite the difficulties of resuming play amidst the pandemic, Agon Abazi, the competitive sports coordinator of Campus Recreation, is highly confident about the new season.
“After COVID shut everything down for us, we are excited to finally have intramurals back to spice up student life again,” said Abazi.
As both basketball and softball are spring sports, the return of these intramural teams are likely next semester.
Due to the heavy contact and indoor setting of sports like basketball, the BRIC’s courts remain closed this semester.
“No one knows where COVID-19 will stand in the next month,” said Abazi. “The strategy, for now, is to avoid sports with high levels of contact for everyone’s safety and health.”
Due to a recent policy change within the CPP Athletics Department, spectators will not be allowed to attend indoor sports contests, only applicable to volleyball for this season.
However, spectators will be permitted for outdoor activities.
Intramural volleyball teams will be playing in the BRIC courts while flag football, soccer and tennis will be played at the Bronco Commons, activity fields and tennis courts respectively.
Biology student Martin Catindig formed part of the intramural basketball league at CPP before his season ended abruptly two years ago. He plans to rejoin during the spring semester.
“As a majority of IM sports are going to involve close contact with others, COVID-19 obviously should be accounted for,” said Catindig. “With that being said, as long as there are regulations that will help reduce the risk of COVID-19 for anyone involved, there should not be a problem joining.”
Dealing with the risk of exposure to COVID-19, Martin expressed concern for the lack of registration in intramural teams this semester.
“It has been a big challenge to get students to know about intramural. Many students on campus are barely stepping foot at Cal Poly Pomona for the first time due to many second-year students starting school here online,” said Martin.
In an effort to encourage new students on campus to join the intramural leagues, Campus Recreation has waived the intramural all-access pass fee of $20 for the entire fall semester, allowing students to register for any intramural team of their choice for free.
Students may register to join a CPP intramural team no later than Sept. 27.
For more information regarding intramural sports leagues at CPP and how to join them, visit the ASI Campus Recreation website.
Featured image courtesy of Jason Charters.
