How we really ought to improve our intramural league
Charlie Mitchell CONTRIBUTOR
Photo: U of T Intramurals.
Sports are one of the things that bring people together regardless of their difference. They have been a fundamental part of culture and society for thousands of years. The intramural program at St. Mike’s is a testament of how important sports are.
The intramural program begins every year during the first week of school. However, intramural representatives don’t have the information regarding intramurals until just four days before teams must be registered. Therefore, it is critical that St. Mike’s has a centralized way of communication regarding intramurals so that all of the necessary information can be conveyed quickly. Several students, especially first years, are just beginning to take in the university experience during that first week of classes. Many don’t even know about the intramural system yet.
Based on experience as an intramural rep, this combination of uninformed students and mandatory expedited team formations lead to dissatisfaction on many facets. Several potential athletes must be turned away because they did not know about the team in time to try out. On the other hand, many teams are dissatisfied because they can’t find enough interest to field a team, even though the real dilemma is the lack of communication. The only solution to this is to inform students before school starts about the program.
Since the deadline for sign-ups is out of St. Mike’s hands, we need to be proactive about informing our student body before the sign-up date. Additionally, there needs to be a central location where anybody can inquire about intramurals. It’s extremely inefficient and frustrating for a student to be directed toward a chain of three different emails before finding someone who is knowledgeable about the sport they are interested in. For example, if a student went to AC to inquire about St. Mike’s intramurals, they would receive Oriana Bertucci”s email. Upon emailing her, she would give them my email and then I would give them the team captain’s email. This is extremely convoluted and must be resolved by having one central location with captain information, sign-up deadlines, and try-out dates.
Sports are meant to be a fun way to socialize and compete with other students. This system would help to remove the bureaucracy and help achieve this goal for all those that participate.
Charlie Mitchell is a third-year USMC student. He is double majoring in Computer Science and Statistics, with a minor in Mathematics. He co-founded the American Culture Club and was an International Student Ambassador for USMC. He plays intramural basketball, has held officer positions in the Math Union, and been involved in the Count Me In program. This year, he is the Don of More House, and the Intramural Representative for USMC.
