SHANNON URTNOWSKI
Staff Writer
With the coming of a new school year, Campus Recreation has been working to bring new intramural sports programs to campus.
“Intramural programs provide a chance for students to participate in sports that they maybe have never tried, or they played previously, without having to compete in an NCAA sport,” said Matt Kalish, coordinator of intramural and club sports, through e-mail.
Pepperdine has an array of intramural sports programs, including flag football, volleyball, tennis and dodgeball in the fall, and basketball, soccer, beach volleyball and tennis in the spring.
Also, in the coming semester Campus Recreation will offer kickball, foosball and touch rugby. All interested students are asked to contact Campus Recreation for further information.
Partaking in intramural programs has many benefits, as it does not have the added pressure of club sports, according to Kalish. Practice time is flexible, as the individual teams work out a training schedule that each member is comfortable with. Also, teams select their own members, so friends are encouraged to get together and form their own group.
However, for those interested in joining a team, Campus Recreation is willing to find a fit. Campus Recreation also realizes that teams require ample space to practice and play, so the office allows all teams to use the Intramural Upper Field.
The field is available Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 10:00 p.m. Reservations can be made by either visiting the Campus Recreation Web site or by e-mailing intramural coordinator Matt Kalish. Campus Recreation requests that all reservations be made at least five days prior to the date of use.
The intramural sports coordinators are constantly on the lookout for exciting new sports and activities to add to their lineup, so if you ever have any suggestions, Campus Recreation would be delighted to hear them.
You can either visit the Campus Recreation Office or go online to www.pepperdine.edu/campusrecreation. Students do have the power to bring about change, proven by Intramural Coordinator Matt Kalish as he maintains, “beach volleyball is an example of a program that the students had requested, and we saw a way for us to fill that void.” If you can imagine it, it can be done, according to Kalish.
09-15-2005