By Shane Trevor / Jambar Contributor
When Jacob Benner came to Youngstown State University, he missed playing soccer, but he wasn’t interested in the competitiveness of club sports.
Benner, freshman biology major, said he and his friends wanted to reconnect with their former high school sport, so they made an intramural team together.
“It just sounded like fun. I’ve gotten to play different teams, and there are some cool guys, cool girls on these teams. It’s also an opportunity to meet new people,” Benner said.
Benner and his teammates make up one of the 10 teams in the 7v7 intramural soccer league on campus. Benner said the atmosphere of the matches in the Watson and Tressel Training Site are a mix of excitement and competition.
“It’s a good balance. Me and my friends come out here, we’ll have fun and we’ll take games seriously,” Benner said.
Beyond team sports, intramurals also offer students smaller tournament opportunities that require just a handful of people.
Josiah Horst, competitive sports and youth programs coordinator at YSU, said there is something for everybody with intramurals, even if students aren’t part of a large team sport.
“Just because you don’t have a team for flag football, you can still get involved in something that’s singles or doubles,” Horst said.
Some upcoming tournaments only require a few or two players, such as badminton, pickleball, esports, rock climbing and cornhole.
“We have such a wide range of things that are all meant to be a lower level of competition so that it is open to truly anyone,” Horst said.
Horst said YSU’s wide range of intramurals are meant to appeal to as many students as possible and minimize entry barriers for students looking to get involved with activities on campus.
“That’s what intramurals are supposed to be. They’re supposed to be fun, they’re supposed to be engaging for people of all skill levels,” Horst said.
Intramurals can bring students together from all walks of life, including international students.
Bilal Hafeez, from Pakistan, is studying dietetics in his second year at YSU and helps officiate the intramural soccer matches.
Hafeez said being a referee for soccer has allowed him to meet new people that he shares a common interest with.
“Being an international student, I get to know a lot of people, a lot of new sports,” Hafeez said.
Hafeez said being around the facility has piqued his interest in flag football and now, he plans on playing next season.
“I had zero knowledge of flag football until I got to do some practice, now I love it,” Hafeez said.
Hafeez is passionate about his new pastime and encourages others to try intramurals.
“Just go for it, it’s fun. You’ll love it and you’ll be more fit,” Hafeez said.
Students interested in intramural sports can visit YSU’s page at imleagues.com.
