Winter intramural sports leagues and special events provide students an opportunity to stay active while engaging in the community. These sports leagues and events offer different types of play for all students, according to graduate assistant for sports and special programs Sam Rodenberg.

“If you want to play competitively, you are able to do so, but if you just want to have fun and get away from your school work, you’re able to do so as well, in an environment that is open and welcoming,” Rodenberg said.

Recreational Sports hosts five different winter leagues—basketball, wiffle ball, team billiards, bowling and water polo. Each sport offers a co-rec league where men and women play together, along with separate men’s and women’s league. Each league contains a competitive A league, and a less competitive and more social B league.

All leagues have been popular in the past, according to Sports and Special Programs Manager Joe Shaffer.

“We had around 12 thousand students participate in all of our intramural sports across our leagues last year, so sports fill up fast,” Schaffer said.

Leagues have proven to be popular because they allow students to take a break from academic activities and offers them the chance to get to know their local community, according to program manager for sports and special programs Laura Noble.

“I’ve met so many people through just playing against them in intramural sports term after term, and then the next year maybe they will be on my team,” Noble said.

Not only do intramural sports provide entertainment, they can also allow students to stay healthy and even help students stay true to their New Year’s resolutions, according to Noble.

“One hour of basketball is so much more fun than just running on the treadmill, and will help you to stay fit and healthy,” Noble said.

Although actual league play begins week four and lasts through dead week, registration for all sports besides basketball is now open and runs through Tuesday, Jan. 19. Basketball league signups begin this Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. and run through Jan. 19 as well.

Each individual league requires only one hour of commitment per week, according to Rodenberg.

“The time commitment you put in is small, but how much fun you get out of it is enormous,” Rodenberg said.

If students cannot pledge to weekly league play, they are encouraged to participate in special events, according to Noble.

“Special events are throughout the term,” Noble said. “It’s an opportunity for the student who has a full schedule and can’t commit every week to just come one weekend to play.”

Through both special events and leagues, Recreational Sports is aiming to provide an environment of inclusivity, according to Rodenberg.

“We’re trying to be more adaptive with the sports we do offer, which is why we have goalball and wheelchair basketball,” Rodenberg said. “You don’t have to be in a wheelchair to play wheelchair basketball so that everyone has the ability to play if they wish. We’re trying to engage the whole community.”

This environment of inclusivity extends to all participants, regardless of sport, according to Rodenberg.

“These leagues are about respect and treating each other equally while participating,” “This is something we highly value and tell our teams right off the bat,” Rodenberg said.

This level of respect and sportsmanship is especially expected of team managers, who are in charge of their team, according to Noble.

“We hold the managers of the team with that high level of responsibility,” Noble said. “We give them all the tools they need to make sure their teams are successful, so we expect them to be talking to the teams to make sure they are following the expectation level.”

Managers are able to sign up their teams in Dixon Recreation Center by filling out the forms with their desired team members and paying the league fee.

For students who don’t have a team but still wish to play, they can be involved in the free agent roundup.