Hoop-N-Splash, on Sept. 5, is the first of many events from the intramural department under Campus Recreation. This event, held at the FAMU Aquatic Complex, includes 3-on-3 basketball tournaments, wacky swim meets and a dive-in movie.
“Come and play,” the slogan of this fourth of the Campus Recreation department, invites all students, faculty and staff to do just that.
The intramural department has been in existence at FAMU since the mid-1980’s. Its purpose is to provide “extracurricular activities to the university community to minimize stress and to enhance student interaction outside the classroom,” said Marvin Green, director of intramural sports.
Many students get so caught up in trying to study, or getting the grade they forget to take time out for themselves, said Robert Carroll Jr., Campus Recreation Director. “We are trying to get the student body to realize education and a diploma is important, but the foundation is a good lifestyle and health.”
A report from www.surgeongeneral.gov shows that four years ago 14% of adolescents (age 12 to 19) in the United States were overweight. This has almost tripled in the past two decades. It sites the cause as a lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns or a combination of the two. The report said society has become very sedentary and television, computer and video games contribute to the inactivity.
The intramural sports department seeks to reverse these reports by not only engaging 33% of the student body in intramurals, but also by other programs’ campus recreation offers.
“We don’t want freshman to gain the ‘freshman 15,” Green said.
Aside from health, students can learn teamwork, how to deal with authority, how to work with teammates, teambuilding and camaraderie, Green added. Intramural sports also offer employment opportunities and chances to travel and win national competitions.
Sports played throughout the intramural season include, flag football, volleyball, basketball, kickball, soccer, baseball and tennis.
“Any and everybody who’s ever played anything should come out and join us,” Green said. “We do have something for everybody.”
Robyn K. Mizelle can be reached at rkmiz@hotmail.com