NC State intramural sports allow students to participate in unique sports throughout the year ranging from football and soccer to wallyball and cricket.
“I think every year we have 20-25 different sports that we offer,” said Hayden Lundahl, NC State University Recreation sports program assistant. “That includes special events like wiffle ball and badminton and even our chess tournament.”
The NC State intramural sports programs include all the usual sports like football, basketball and soccer, but also has video game tournaments, solo sports tournaments and various competitions such as bubble soccer and real-life Mario Kart racing.
Each intramural sport has different sections students can participate in, including men’s, women’s, co-rec, fraternity and graduate/alumni sections. For men’s and co-rec sections, teams can choose to play in the competitive league, which include competitions and playoffs, or the recreational league that is just for student enjoyment.
“Basketball is number one, and then flag football in the fall specifically,” Lundahl said, “but basketball is definitely our most sought-after sport.”
Lundahl herself used to play intramural sports as well, playing volleyball and basketball.
“I think my favorite thing was going from playing sports all throughout middle school and high school, still having the availability to play and then opportunities to play different sports that I had never played competitively,” Lundahl said.
Each league sport has various time slots that teams can sign up to play in every week. Every team is made up by the individual players on the team. Intramural teams allow participants to pick teammates to compete for the Intramural Champions T-shirts awarded to the winners of every league, tournament and competition.
“Intramurals are a fun way to be on a team with your friends and compete for that T-shirt,” said Max Myers, a third-year studying sport management, who has played intramural basketball every year at NC State.
Others, like Nathan Han, a second-year studying environmental science, enjoy the competition and the memories the competition provides.
“I’m a competitive person,” Han said. “I love the competition involved with intramural sports. I can connect with my friends who love to play sports, and we can take all the stress out on the field. Miller Fields is one of my favorite places on campus.”
University Recreation works to maintain sportsmanship by limiting playoff entry to teams that have maintained a certain sportsmanship rating (a 3.0 on a 1-4 scale) to ensure that teams are respectful to their opponents and the officials.
According to Lundahl, University Recreation officials are trained in a specific sport through a process that includes a rules clinic, court/field clinics and scrimmage practices in order to fully immerse the officials in the rules of the game.
Lundahl also said University Recreation officials sometimes get a bad reputation around campus.
“We know that our officials get kind of a bad rep around sports programs,” Lundahl said.
At the end of the day, players recognize the officials are just doing their job.
“We know [the officials] do a great job and that, more often than not, we’re just mad that a play didn’t go our way,” said Casey Miller, a second-year studying business management.
Intramurals at NC State take place on campus. Every outdoor sport takes place at Miller Fields, Method Fields or the tennis courts. Indoor sports take place inside Carmichael Gymnasium.
Students can find out more information on the NC State intramural sports website and register for a team on NC State’s IMLeagues website.
A player from the Chi Psi intramural basketball team shoots a free throw during a game against Delta Kappa Epsilon in Carmichael Gymnasium on Tuesday. Basketball, cricket, ultimate frisbee and volleyball are some of the intramural sports offered to all students and faculty at NC State.
