Out of the plenitude of extracurricular opportunities offered at Lawrence, intramural sports remain a unique and important aspect of student life. For participants, intramurals (IMs) give every student the chance to be athletically engaged without the required commitment of varsity or club sports.
One of the key administrators of IMs at Lawrence is sophomore Jusuf Sarancic, who is currently one of the student intramural coordinators.
These student coordinators are responsible for managing schedules, helping in the referee hiring process, advertising competitions and registering teams. “We keep the events moving,” said Sarancic.
One of the reasons for the popularity of IMs is the wide variety of IM sports offered here on campus. These include flag football, basketball, volleyball, cross-country skiing, bowling, broomball and racquetball, among others.
“We draw from many different social groups across campus,” stated Sarancic. “That allows all kinds of people to interact together and share in their love of whatever [sport] are doing.”
Although IMs require less time-commitment than club or varsity sports, participating students often retain intensity and competitiveness. “We are also responsible for managing disputes between players,” said Sarancic. While these disputes are generally minor in nature, student coordinators play a key role in maintaining a fun atmosphere amid the fierce competition.
Administrators have several goals to increase involvement in IMs. “I really hope to increase the student participation,” said Sarancic. “In order to do that, I am trying to get better equipment. We are starting to achieve this goal as we get 2 new indoor soccer goals this summer.”
Along with that, several students have expressed interest in bringing back IM sports that have been phased out over time such as rugby, billiards, darts and cricket.
“The main objective of [IMs] is to allow people to come closer together as individuals,” stated Sarancic. “We just hope to expand our presence on campus in order to truly achieve that goal.”