- By Joelle Zima
Intramural and club sports begin another spring season
Coastal Carolina University houses a large and thriving community of athletes in intramural and club sports.
If you’re new to collegiate recreational groups, it’s important to note the differences between the subgroups of intramural and club sports.
“Club sports tend to have a much higher financial and time commitment than intramural sports,” said Graduate Assistant of Intramural Sports Stratford Slate. “Club sports teams have practices multiple times a week, dues for roster members, and they may travel to other universities to compete in weekend tournaments… each intramural team is only scheduled to play one game a week and at the same time each week.”
This spring season of intramurals presents a diverse and exciting field of options. According to Coastal Carolina’s intramural information page, sports offered for Session 1 of the semester include basketball, dodgeball, and 4 on 4 flag football. Session 2, which is open for registration until March, offers softball, 2 v 2 beach volleyball, and indoor soccer. To register a team for Session 2 sports (or to register as a free agent), go to IMLeagues.com/Coastal.
Positions are open for full-time students to officiate games, in the intramural sports league, which is now searching for referees and officials. On-site training is required.
“We train all of our officials for our major sports from square one,” said Slater. “We start with the fundamentals and work our way up through more advanced rules or mechanics.”
Contact imsports@coastal.edu for more information on job positions.
For those who wish to participate in activities other than those offered in intramurals, you may be interested in club sports. This spring welcomes another semester of club cheer, club baseball, field hockey, rugby club, surf club, Quidditch club, and more. Each team is student-led and has personal schedules for practice times and games.
John Lovecchio, junior, of the men’s rugby club discusses the team dynamic for a new season.
“In the spring we restart the process. There are a lot of returning players, but also a lot of new players,” said Lovecchio. “Our coaches do a good job of getting our new guys up to speed with rugby since most rugby players haven't had high school experience and this is their first time learning the sport.”
Alex Rembe, senior, of the women’s rugby club recommends trying it out even if you have no experience.
“I would encourage anyone looking to join a team, whether they want to fill the void of not playing sports since high school, or just making friends!” said Rembe. “We teach everyone from scratch, so no experience is required. It is a great way to stay in shape and release stress that comes along with being in school.”
For more information on the club sports, visit IMLeagues.com/Coastal, or visit the “Club Sports” page online at Coastal Connections.
Matthew Hinrichs, a junior captain of one of the Intramural dodge ball teams at Coastal, shares the impact the sport has had on him.
“All the teams work hard to win, but at the end of the day we're just a group of people blowing off steam, running around a gym and making friends,” said Hinrichs. “I love the comradery that is built throughout the course of the season. I've met so many amazing and talented people.”
Games for Session 1 sports are starting soon, so join a Session 2 Intramural or Club Sport today: your team awaits!
