Fall has arrived. Students: do not lounge around in your dorm room feeling lazy and bored. Don your football helmets, warm up your dominant kicking foot, whip out those field hockey sticks, dust off that badminton birdie, and prepare to Dodge Balls. It's Intramural season at last!
Dormitories and fraternities, as well as groups of friends who want to get together and compete in a fun, yet competitive atmosphere, are encouraged to participate. Even faculty members and administrators are eligible to form teams. Most teams play about one game a week, and so far, most teams have played two games. Sports currently being contested are flag football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, badminton, field hockey, lacrosse, tennis, and dodgeball.
In order to hold tournaments and eventually declare a champion, a sport must have at least four teams signed up. Soccer, basketball, flag football, and volleyball have fulfilled those requirements.
Inspired by Ben Stiller's comedy "Dodgeball" (or maybe just middle-school nightmares), this new sport has hit the intramural circuit.
"Dodgeball will start as a sport allotted gym time," Cheryl Milligan, varsity softball coach and coordinator of intramurals, said. "But since they have enough people for a league, they will soon have official tournaments."
Another intramural that is gaining increased interest is softball. Most people tend to consider softball a spring sport and therefore are hesitant to sign up for it in the fall.
Fall actually might be a more conducive season for this sport, however.
"In the spring, weather is too bad for softball and the varsity team is using the field anyway," Milligan said. "The best time to sign up for softball is in the fall."
In case you missed fall softball signups, the first annual Brown and Bruised Fall Intramural Softball Classic will be held Saturday, Oct. 9. There is still time to sign up for this slow pitch tournament.
Even if a sport is unable to generate four teams, it can still be allotted gym time and have competitions. Field hockey, lacrosse and badminton have generated enough interest to earn time in the Cousens gym complex.
Field hockey will be held Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Gantcher Center. Lacrosse has gym time at 7:30 p.m. on Mondays in Carzo Cage. Badminton will be played as open hours with tournaments mixed in over the course of the season. Open hours are held on Sundays and Wednesdays from 8:30 to 10 p.m. in Jackson Gym.
Flag football is held on Sundays on Fletcher Field and on Tuesdays on the new turf field.
On Sept. 26, six games were held in the Grass League. The Apples beat the Odontoblasts 4-2, the Kings of Sowee slipped by The Shiites 11-8, and the Winthrop Convicts ousted Frat of the Future 6-3. Dyno-mite Dental defeated the Dun Nun Nunt in an unscored match, and T3 beat Zeta Psi by forfeit.
The Turf League has its first games Oct. 5. This league consists of Theta Chi, E-Men United, The Franchise, O-Zone, Pretty Ponies, and the Bombers.
Soccer, one of the most popular intramural sports at Tufts, has nine leagues signed up, each consisting of six to ten teams. The three Indoor leagues: Monday Night Indoor, Tuesday Night Indoor, and Wednesday Night Indoor have already had games.
Teams in the Monday Night Indoor League are the ol'Wren Boys & Co. FC International, Dem Apples, Jug A Wines, The Veterans, and (Bye).
Teams in the Tuesday Night Indoor League are Zeta Psi, Rufio, Extreme Team, Simon From England, Metcalf Mutilators, the Tuft Guys, Houston Hotshots, JEFCs, and FC International.
Teams in the Wednesday Night Indoor League are Everton FC, Burdlobster, OZone, Sig Ep, Bears, Suite Stuff, T. Awesome, Title, Dem Apples, Dearborn, and Schuster.
Basketball has started play in both its leagues, the Recreational League is held on Mondays, and the Competitive League is held on Wednesdays. On September 27, Recreational League results were posted. School Bus won by forfeit over Ozone, and Funktronics beat the JEFCs, also by forfeit. Zeta Psi clobbered the Coalition of Illin 39-19, Fletcher 2 beat Scottie 63-39, and Lisuk slipped by the InvASIAN 57-55.
Teams in the Competitive league, are Too Easy, New Castle United, O'Jays, SPF, Sig Ep, and Tufts Basketball.
