Lindsey Besecker
Sports Editor
Anyone looking to get involved in sports at Pepperdine should take a walk around campus to see that there are a number of opportunities to join a sports team or even a pick-up game here and there.
Intramural and club sports are starting their seasons soon with some new additions to the already-popular roster of sports. The rookie sport this fall is dodgeball.
“We want to reach more people,” said Matt Kalish, Intramural and Club Sports Coordinator. “We want to play something that is off-the-wall, a good activity. … Once we start really making a push for it, we will have a lot more people.”
Kalish and a few of the intramural staffers thought of adding dodgeball, which they originally wanted to call “warball,” as an intramural sport in the beginning of the summer, before anyone had seen previews for Ben Stiller’s summer comedy, “Dodgeball.”
“The reason we’ve probably pushed it as hard as we have is because of the movie,” Kalish said.
The old favorites are back as well. Flag football, volleyball and tennis complete the fall roster of intramural sports. There have been a few open gym sessions at Firestone Fieldhouse already this semester, and Kalish said there were 75 people at an open gym for volleyball on Monday.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to continue activities they’ve loved,” Kalish said. “That’s what this is all about. This is a fun time and that’s what we want to make it.”
Sophomore Trent Allen, the co-coordinator for flag football, said there are about eight teams so far, but there is also a “free agents” list of people who have not been placed on teams yet. Kalish said those people will either be placed on teams or will be made into another team.
“I myself am not the biggest sports buff in the world,” Allen said. “I still like going out there and encouraging people. … It’s a great way to get out there and meet people. Where else can you play on a nice field overlooking the beach?”
One of the goals of Campus Recreation, which handles the intramural and club sports, is to add one sport per semester.
The involvement in intramural sports is already high; last year, about 500 people participated in intramural basketball, and about 200 played intramural volleyball.
This year, volleyball has nearly 30 teams, dodgeball has 12 teams and tennis, which has both singles and doubles competition, has 50 people signed up to play.
“It’s great for students to play because it gives them an opportunity to play sports they enjoy without the commitment of a varsity sport,” Kalish said. “Students gain different things out of the programs. (Some) students enjoy the competition, some students enjoy the lack of competition.”
And that’s just intramural sports. Club sports have also become popular. Whereas intramural sports compete with teams within the university (intramural translates to “inside the wall”) club sports compete with other universities and are subject to rules from a governing body. For example, the club equestrian team follows rules governed by the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association.
Members of club teams are also subject to paying dues; however, dues vary from team to team. Intramural sports are free.
Club sports at Pepperdine include crew, equestrian, ice hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, rugby, men’s soccer, surfing, ultimate Frisbee and women’s water polo.
However, the teams will not be held to only those listed. Kalish said he is always looking for new ideas, including those that would make good weekend events.
Some of the proposals he has heard are boxing, wrestling, inner tube water polo and horseshoes.
“People want intramural everything,” Kalish said. “We can’t do every sport someone asks us to do, but the ones we can do, we try.”
For those who do not want to join a team, there are plenty of other opportunities around campus to be athletically active. The basketball court near the track is a popular spot for pick-up games, and the volleyball courts on Dorm Road are also used often.
The Weekend Events Board and Student Programming Board also plan athletic activities on campus.
Last year, the Weekend Events Board hosted the Black Student Union’s Three-on-Three Basketball tournament, which went on to win that semester’s competition for best weekend event, an award that included a $1,000 prize.
There was also a Volleyball After Volleyball event in the Fieldhouse, a Nerf basketball tournament and a Table Sports Triathlon, which included foosball, table tennis and pool.
“We’re looking to do more sports-related stuff,” said Justin Schneider, student activities coordinator. “One of the things I’ve noticed is the demand for these types of activities is pretty amazing.”
During summer school, the Programming Board offered ocean kayaking, hiking, beach volleyball and dodgeball. And for those who would rather watch than play, there have been Dodgers tickets giveaways.
Already this semester, there was a four-square court set up in the Sandbar at the “Diddy comes to Piddy” event.
“There was a line wrapped through the Sandbar long after the cookies and ice cream were gone,” Schneider said.
Schneider said he thinks a lot of people who played sports in high school are looking for a way to stay active, which leads to more participation in athletic events.
“A big part of it is students who work and go to school all day need a release,” he said. “They enjoy the Pepperdine people, and that’s who they want to spend their time with. … I can only hope that the desire for these types of events grows.”
Anyone interested in intramural and club sports can go to the campus recreation Web site at http://www.pepperdine.edu/campusrecreation/.
There is also a link to fill out a survey on intramural and club sports, which Kalish said helps him to understand what students want. The office can be reached at ext. 4490.
For more information on weekend events, visit http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/studentaffairs.
09-16-04