By Carlos Leano, Mar. 22, 2022
March 7 marked the beginning of ASI’s spring intramural season, which is bringing students back into the competitive nature they were longing for.
With the majority return of in-person classes, ASI Campus Recreation received a huge turnout for their intramural spring season competition. Nearly all of the student population is back on campus with many looking forward to what CPP has to offer. The learn-by-doing approach to classes, diverse clubs and annual events like the pumpkin festival, just to name a few. Another offering is intramural sports, which plays a prominent role in bringing students together.
“I remember last semester it was a lot more dead,” said electrical engineering student Sameer Sharma. “It was peaceful, but I didn’t feel like I was getting that college experience.”
Sharma is refreshed that things are starting to return to normal. He mentioned playing in intramurals to improve his skills, exercise and enjoy himself. Getting to meet new people and play on different teams are also what he’s looking forward to. Sharma is participating in co-rec volleyball and basketball, as well as chess.
The spring intramural season consists of men’s, women’s and co-recreational leagues. A variety of sports are being offered: basketball, volleyball, softball, 7vs.7 flag football, 7vs.7 soccer, swimming, bouldering and the step challenge. New additions that weren’t offered pre-pandemic include chess and “Valorant,” a first-person shooter that took over the esports scene in 2020.
Basketball is garnering the most interest from students. It wasn’t offered last semester, but in years past, it has always been a favorite among students. ASI graduate assistant Milton Cruz detailed the popularity of the sport at CPP.
“Bringing it back now, the demand really showed,” Cruz said. “All of our leagues are maxed out with teams and there’s still enough free agents to make more teams. This was the first time we had to consider a waitlist.”
“Valorant” and chess, new additions to the season, are attracting buzz from the esports community. Both sports were popularized during the pandemic when students were stuck at home. Prior to the pandemic, they were set up as one-day tournaments
However, ASI decided to create a league and continue with them because the demand was there. Cruz explained that a lot of students were continually asking for them to return.
Overall, the intramural spring season has already been more successful than in the fall. Last semester, the campus was in a hybrid mode of instruction. Most classes were still remote leaving a majority of students at home. With students coming back and positive COVID-19 cases declining, intramural activities are beginning to resurge.
Yasser Amer, civil engineering student, noted the differences between fall and spring intramurals.
“It’s way better,” Amer said. “We had it last semester and it wasn’t organized like it is now. They have lighting set up and different fields.”
Amer is participating in men’s soccer. He is a member of the club team and opted to play in intramurals as well.
Victor Flores, kinesiology student, echoed the sentiment.
“Last semester it was only 4vs.4 (football),” said Flores, who is participating in men’s football and considering registering for co-rec basketball. “Now, we can have more people on a team and play how we used to. I felt that we were held back a lot.”
Visit the ASI Campus Recreation website for more information regarding intramural sports.
Featured image by Carlos Leano.