By Keon Edington / Jambar Contributor
Youngstown State University’s intramural sports draws interest from students, as well as fraternities and sororities across campus with a wide variety of sports.
From flag football to soccer, IMLeagues is offered by the Andrews Recreation and Wellness Center.
Intramural sports are leagues created for students who want to get experience in an athletic environment and not be weighed down by the pressure of being a student athlete.
During the fall semester, pickleball is on Mondays, soccer is held Wednesdays, volleyball is held Thursdays and flag football is on Sundays at various YSU facilities.
Intramural sports are open to students of all experience levels. Sports such as basketball are offered in the spring semester.
Josiah Horst, coordinator of competitive sports at the Rec Center, said intramural sports differ from normal recreational sports because they cater to YSU students.
“The Recreation center is open to anybody. Intramural is just for YSU students, faculty and staff that want to participate.
“The main way to get involved is to create a team with a group of their friends, and register at [imleagues.com],” Horst said. “The team captain would go in and approve of all of their friends.”
If a student has an interest in starting a sports league that’s not already established, the process has a catch.
“We choose what sports we’re gonna run. It’s not like I wanna start this league and I’m gonna do it,” Horst said. “As long as there are students interested, I’m open to starting it.”
Greek Life is also involved in intramural sports, with fraternities and sororities participating in volleyball, Wiffle ball and flag football this semester.
Competition begins Oct. 22. According to Hunter Lynch, interfraternity council overseer of intramurals said it’s a good competitive experience.
“Each fraternity goes against each other in a tournament playing all sports,” Lynch said. “The scores are then ranked for the entire year and the winner gets the title of ‘Fraternity of the Year.’”
The Rec Center is looking to add ultimate frisbee, and is working with smaller leagues that don’t require a full team.
Hissiam Hassan, intramural overseer, said that while these sports are meant to have fun, athletes show a passion for winning.
“[In] flag football, there is a lot of competitiveness, really between the top teams,“ Hassan said. “They really like to trash talk one another. It gets real competitive out on the field.”
It costs $5 per sport to sign up, or $12 for a semester package with all sports. Students can visit imleauges.com to join a team or league.
