At 11 p.m. on any given day of the week, some UT students are just starting to have fun. At the Bob Martinez Sports Center, Intramural Sports turn the shyest student into a competitor, flinging Nerf balls at opponents in a grueling game of dodgeball or making diving saves to be the intramural hero of the night.
“SigEp Dodgeball,” “Panda Slayers,” “Sexy Pandaz,” “Balls in Your Face” and others compete to see which person on which dodgeball team is the last one standing. You can hear infamous movie quotes when someone pegs a guy on the other team like not being able to dodge a wrench or a ball. Basically, it’s pure immaturity in the gymnasium.
Volleyball teams have clever names like “Block Party,” “Spike-a-holics” and “Will Work for Sets” and work to see who is the king or queen of the court.
“Intramurals is an awesome way for any UT student, staff or faculty member to blow off steam while having fun and breaking a sweat,” says Jorden Nolan, a senior athletic training student and intramural supervisor/referee.
While teams are not playing, they can be seen sitting on the sidelines discussing strategy, or maybe scope out who the best looking person is on the co-ed team they play next. Either way, it can be a healthy social alternative to going out and partying. And while some students go out after, or even before, Nolan does not. “After a night of competition, you’re too wiped to go out drinking,” said Nolan. Intramural sports and competition bring out a side of people that you might not even want to take to the bar anyway.
Dodgeball and volleyball aren’t the only sports offered; volleyball, basketball, floor hockey, tennis, handball, soccer and more allow students to stay on campus at 10 p.m. (or later) and still have fun! The $20 deposit (that you get back at the end of the season as long as you don’t forfeit a game) per team for the season is a heck of a lot cheaper than trying to pick up a guy or girl at the bar for one outing. And you might spend more than that on a night you will hardly remember.