“Ready, set, hike,” said the female quarterback as the intramural sports year began Sept. 7 with the women’s flag football clinic.
The clinic primarily catered to the women interested in flag football although there were the exceptional “Y” chromosomes that did make their presence known at the clinic.
Dionne Allen, intramural assistant, said that the number of women present at the clinic was disappointing, but the athleticism of the women there was great. As an overall review of the clinic, Allen said she was pleased.
The intramural sports program is a part of the campus recreation department of Student Activities.
Although there are several units that fall under campus recreation, Intramural Sports Director Robert Carroll Jr., considers intramural sports to be the backbone of the operation.
The purpose of intramural sports is to provide extracurricular activities to the university community, to minimize stress and to enhance student interaction outside of the classroom. Marvin Green Jr., director of intramural sports, described the program as “a reprieve from the daily hustle and bustle of the school day.”
“We offer relaxation, socialization and simply a good time,” he said.
Green said that intramural sports give students something to look forward to after classes. They also give students a chance to be a part of something special in that particular semester.
Intramural sports leagues go far beyond FAMU’s campus. Intramural sports are a part of the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association.
NIRSA offers national competition between colleges and universities in which FAMU have participated in since 1996. The two competitions frequented mostly by FAMU students are men’s and women’s flag football and men’s and women’s basketball.
The students have presented themselves worthy of participating in these competitions by becoming runners-up twice .
These accomplishments have granted the women’s flag football team, “Simply Marvelous,” trips to Cancun, Mexico to compete in the World Championships.
Thus, intramural sports aren’t just a medium to help FAMU students relax, but also to travel around the country and world.
“Every day you should look forward to something and recreation is the way,” Carroll said.
Students interested in participating in any intramural sports should visit the Intramural Office located in room 112 of the student union building to sign up or call 599-3785.