IM basketball is hoopin’ for a good season

GRACE SCHUMACHER

Copy Editor

The intramural co-ed basketball season is currently underway, and students of all athletic backgrounds are set to battle for the coveted championship IM t-shirt. 

“IM sports gives people an avenue away from school at UMW,” said senior business administration major and IM coordinator Jonathan Sedmak. “It provides students an opportunity to have fun playing sports once or twice a week.” 

Sedmak said he is always excited for IM sport seasons and does his best to regulate them. He is especially enthusiastic about this year’s basketball season.

“Just show up and play,” said Sedmak, “It is supposed to be fun and not super intense.”

The list of teams include names like “Could’ve Gone D1,” “Nothing But Net,” “Big Baller Club” and “Mojo Jojo.”  “Monstars” are in the lead with a 3-0-0 record, though “The Specklers” are not far behind with a record of 3-1-0. 

IM basketball is one of the more popular intramural sports, in previous years attracting as many students as the popular IM flag football and soccer leagues. This year there are 57 students playing.

Despite its popularity amongst students, the number of participants has been fluctuating over the past couple of years. Since the touchdown of COVID-19 on UMW’s campus, Campus Recreation has experienced low levels of participation in intramural sports. 

“Since COVID, we have had a lot of trouble getting teams to sign up,” said senior biology major and Campus Recreation employee Jessica Mimms. “I think the issue stems from many of the underclassmen that came to UMW during Covid. We had to temporarily pause IM during the no-contact rule, so they do not know about IM sports.” 

This semester, the IM flag football season was canceled because of this issue. Despite these setbacks, Campus Recreation has gained a lot of new teams.

“This basketball season is looking very promising,” said Mimms. “The games have been very competitive thus far and Jonathan has been making sure all the refs are confident in the rules.” 

Structured as a four-week regular season, each team plays at least one game per week. Teams are scheduled for one weekend game and one game during the week, in order to have games spaced out to better fit students’ schedules.

“All games are played on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, each team playing 1-3 games a week,” said Sedmak. “IM gives me the ability to have fun in an organized sports setting. It gave me a break from school once a week. That’s what I want to give to the students of UMW that are a part of IM and Campus Rec.”

Sophomore marketing major Maggie Hatton is currently playing on the “Monstars” basketball team, which practices once a week, running through defensive drills, offensive plays and scrimmages. Though she came into the season not knowing most of the members of her team, Hatton is enjoying it and has her eye on the prize: the championship T-shirt. 

“That’s the only reason why I do it, I would say, is because I’m in it for the gear,” said Hatton jokingly. “I saw the shirt at the beginning of the season and I was like, “I want that.’” 

IM basketball, and all IM sports, are open to all students regardless of their experience or athletic ability. To register for a sport, students must first purchase the $25 or $15 Intramural Pass at campusrec.umw.edu or in person at the Fitness Center.

The IM pass grants students access to play unlimited intramural games for the duration of the semester. Students can sign up individually and be placed on a team, or with a group of people whom they choose to be their teammates.

“I have been working for Intramural sports at campus rec for four years and have grown to form relationships with the regular students that sign up every season,” said Mimms. “The environment is very friendly and everyone, no matter the skill level, can play and have a good time.”

Typically, indoor sports are played in the Goolrick Hall Main Gym and outdoor sports are played on the Campus Recreation turf field or beach volleyball court. 

Campus Recreation uses IMLeagues software which streamlines the application and allows for better communication with team participants. Students are able to create their own personal profiles online, complete with statistics for each season and summaries of their entire UMW intramural experience.

Playoffs will begin starting Oct. 24 with the final held in the Anderson Center roughly a week after.