At the start of every school year, Seattle Pacific University students look forward to the revival of their favorite clubs and campus activities. One such program open for all students to enjoy and come together for is the intramural sports program.
Justice Dean, a senior exercise science major, is the head coordinator for the intramurals program at SPU. Dean’s goal is to return intramurals to its pre-COVID glory.
“My ideal goal was to make this a known thing around campus,” Dean said. “It seems like, after COVID-19, it fell off, because people started getting comfortable with staying in their own homes, and it became less social. I want to start that uphill again [and] I want to try to bring it back up [and] get as many people as possible. That was the whole idea going into planning things.”
Kevin Deschler, the assistant director of student involvement and leadership, was made head of the intramurals program at the start of the 2023-2024 school year. Deschler explains this year is about learning from what hurt the program last year.
“Last year…what I wanted was to offer what the people wanted. It’s hard to give everything to everyone, but that’s what I was trying and failing to do,” Deschler said. “What I learned in doing that is it’s not sustainable. More than that, it makes things a little bit unclear for folks who are trying to participate.”
The schedule for intramurals will look much different than in previous years. Basketball, volleyball and soccer used to be held throughout the week on alternating days and locations. This year, the schedule is more streamlined.
Only one sport will be offered throughout each quarter plus two scheduled tournaments for additional sports.
The intramural sport for the fall quarter is volleyball. Games will be hosted on Mondays and Fridays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays will be structured as tournaments, and Fridays will be open for general play.
Basketball will be the main sport for winter quarter, and soccer will be the main sport for spring quarter.
Deschler announced that the fall quarter’s tournaments will be for dodgeball and kickball. Tournaments for the winter and spring quarter are yet to be decided.
“Saturday, October 26, we will have an intramural kickball tournament. There won’t be any kind of a season leading up to it. Sign up with the team, and we’ll have one big bracket on that Saturday in Wallace Field, rain or shine,” Deschler said. “The last big thing this quarter is on Saturday, November 16. We’re going to have a dodgeball tournament. It’s going to be the exact same format.”
Hoping to create more consistent turnouts, Dean and Deschler designated concrete dates for intramurals.
“What we plan on doing this quarter, and what we’ve already done, is create more of a structure. Things are going to be on set dates [and] they’re not going to be changed,” Dean said.
Connor Marapao, a sophomore exercise science major serving as a referee with the intramurals program for a second year, believes this new schedule will encourage student involvement with intramurals more sustainably than last year’s setup.
“It has the chance to improve attendance,” Marapao said. “If it’s at a consistent time, then everybody will know, whereas last year, it was, ‘I know they sometimes set up, but I’m not too sure when.’ If people are more confident about what time it’s at, then it helps.”
Dean’s pet project for intramurals this year is to gain more involvement on the program’s Instagram page (intramuralsspu) and use it to nurture students’ excitement and involvement.
“[Last year] I would make little videos, like drone shots, and I plan on taking that to a further extent this year,” Dean said. “I want to get students super involved with it, [and] create this good feeling within the group to make the students who come feel more appreciated and bring that excitement.”
Intramurals is an opportunity for everyone to experience a hidden gem of SPU’s community. Whether they want to meet new people, find new experiences, or treat their inner competitive spirit, students can always expect a fun time from intramurals.
“Even if you have never played volleyball or any other sport in your life, I didn’t either, but I learned a lot coming to intramurals,” Marapao said. “At least try it out, see if you like it, and it’ll be a fun time.”
