Along with class schedules, financial aid and new roommates, students new to FAMU will also have the University’s increasingly popular intramural program to look forward to this fall.
“We like to start our planning in the summer,” said Dionne Allen, assistant director of campus recreation.
“We work with incoming freshmen showing them the recreational side of being a Rattler.”
Marvin Green, director of campus recreation agreed.
“Our goal is to minimize stress and enhance student interaction outside the classroom,” Green said.
The fall 2004 events feature the return of volleyball, soccer and flag football.
A new addition to the scheduled sports this semester is the kickball league. This idea came about when Head Softball Coach Veronica Wiggins put up a fence to prevent intramural softball from being played at the Lady Rattler Softball Complex, a few years ago.
The kickball league will feature coed teams in hopes of ensuring participation, competitiveness and success. Games will be played on the softball field.
“I would say our biggest struggle is getting the participation of our women on campus to participate in intramural sports,” Allen said.
“The women of FAMU I don’t think fully understand the benefit of on-campus recreation.”
Welcoming Rattlers from all recreational backgrounds, the intramurals department is ready for another successful year.
“We offer clinics of instruction for interested students, offering history of the games, field set-up, rules and regulations, positions, drills, mechanics, and overall knowledge of game activities,” Allen said.
“We like to see students compete while representing their dorms, clubs or any campus activity.”
The volleyball leagues will be back in full swing for men and women. Promising to be even more competitive than ever with the games and clinics held in Gaither Gymnasium, starting in mid-September.
Intramural soccer competes as well, fielding both men’s and women’s teams with contributions from the soccer club.
“Our soccer intramurals play most of their games against teams from other schools,” Allen said.
Soccer intramural games are held on weekends for the convenience of students, at least until the arrival of lights on the intramural field, which are expected soon.
“There is an abundance of talent on the FAMU campus,” Allen and Green said.
“There are former high school athletes who don’t play at the collegiate level. Intramural sports is a great, proven alternative for them also.”
Reggie Hayes, Levy Brown and Jerome Wilson, are all former FAMU football players who made a name for themselves in the flag football leagues at FAMU.
“Be aware of the Levy rule.” Allen said.
A rule stating a player can only play for one team per league.
Kicking off in September, the flag football league receives the majority of the fall intramural participation.
In recent years there have been over 30 teams competing for titles and bragging rights in intramural competition. Some teams even take their show on the road.
“There have been teams right out of FAMU’s intramural backyard to go on and play not just statewide, but nationally, and even internationally.” Allen said.
The women of “Simply Marvelous” flag football team, in 2000, coached by Green, placed second nationally, with a record of 18-1, receiving an invitation to play in Cancun, Mexico.
“Some of our women athletes have even went on to play professionally,” boasts Green.
“Black Magic,” a men’s flag football club, achieved similar success in 1997, and in 2001.
“I would love to play college football, finding out about intramurals on campus sounds like something I would like to get into,” said Kenneth Strong, a freshman from Lakeland.
Green said there is one goal for his program: to build a bigger, better intramural program on campus.
“These games are played for fun; there are no losers,” Green said.
“The only losers are those who don’t participate.”
contact Troy Weatherspoon at troy1.weatherspoon@famu.edu.