Are you looking to join a sports team on campus but don’t think you could dedicate the time or make it in any of Cal Poly’s intercollegiate sports?
If so, then ASI’s Intramural Sports Program may be the right fit for you.
“Intramural Sports is a great outlet for a social experience and physical activity,” said Greg Avakian, the intramural sports coordinator at Cal Poly. “It’s great for mental and physical well-being, and keeps you sane during the quarter. It’s competitive and fun and a good way to meet people.”
The purpose of the Intramural Sports Program is to offer a variety of structured leagues, sports, and tournaments in a safe environment. The program is open to all Cal Poly students, alumni, faculty and staff who are currently members of the Rec Center. A variety of sports are offered during each quarter.
Each team is self-coached and each sport is divided into divisions and gender leagues. Teams can consist of only men or women, or be co-recreational. Division I is highly competitive, Division II is moderately competitive and Division III is recreationally competitive.
“The program lets you keep playing sports with organization and a decent amount of competition,” said aerospace engineering senior Andre Ourthiague. “When you’re just playing with your friends for fun you don’t really care if you win or lose, but in intramural sports it’s nice to care when you play and being attached to whether you lose or win.”
Ourthiague has been active in intramural sports since his freshman year at Poly. He was involved in intramural softball, basketball and soccer. He played soccer and baseball in high school and wanted to keep playing sports. He said that he may have had a shot at Poly’s intercollegiate soccer, but couldn’t give the time commitment.
“It’s a great way to meet friends, great exercise, and a way to relieve stress from school,” said Cal Poly civil engineering alumnus Allen Lao in an e-mail interview. “It will create other avenues for people. People who want to create networks can easily connect with other players.”
Lao, 23, played with the MSG Unit basketball team for his last three years at Poly during the fall and spring quarters.
So how do you register for a team? The most convenient way is through the ASI Connect Web site at http://connect.asi.calpoly.edu, or at the Rec Center. Team registration begins on the first Thursday of every quarter. Already have a team composed? The team captain or manager can use the ASI Connect Web site to register his or her team.
During registration, the team captain provides their contact information and other information such as when they want to play and their team name. The rest of the team can register via the ASI Connect Web site, and the team captain adds players to their roster.
People who don’t have a team can participate by attending the free agent’s meeting at 6 p.m. on the Monday of the second week of the quarter at the Rec Center. At the meeting, “free agents” will be grouped into a team and registered. Participants can only play on one team per gender league per sport. For example, one could play on a men’s soccer team, a co-rec soccer team, and a men’s basketball team, but could not play on two men’s soccer teams – even if they are in two different divisions.
League sports offered this fall quarter are 5:5 basketball, dodgeball, flag football, 6:6 speed soccer, softball and volleyball. Tournament sports are a one-day event only, and offered in the fall are Mark Reuling volleyball, ultimate frisbee and racquetball.
The cost varies depending on the sport, and ranges from $100 to $150 per team in the leagues, and $5 to $40 for tournaments. Game days range from one to three games per week at the Rec Center.
Registration for fall quarter intramural sports will begin on Thursday, Sept. 20, and will close on Sunday, Sept. 23 for leagues, and registration for tournaments will remain open until two days prior to the scheduled event.
Starting Sept. 1, you could view the program information and schedule for fall quarter on the ASI Connect Web site. Game times will be posted during WOW.
More than 300 teams registered last spring quarter, which consists of more than 4,000 students, according to Avakian. Of the students, more than a 1,000 were women and about 3,000 were men, and the majority of the teams were co-ed. The most popular sports were softball, soccer and basketball.