News
Tennessee Tech’s intramural sports season kicks off
Tennessee Tech University’s Student Recreation Center has kicked off the semester
with a new season of intramural sports, bringing the return of many traditional sports
and some new options for students.
Before having the Marc L Burnett fitness center, the university recreation team had offered many intramurals but were limited on the space indoors, so they hosted a lot of outdoor sports. With the new fitness center the team is including more indoor sports and tournaments this semester.
“We did not offer as many sports or leagues due to our limited space. So, with our new space we’re excited that we are already seeing more participation this year,” Spencer Ryan, coordinator of intramural sports said.
For the spring semester, students can form teams and participate in sports like indoor soccer, spikeball, badminton, sand volleyball, ultimate frisbee, chess, innertube water polo and a Super Mario Smash Bros. tournament.
“Intramurals is a free opportunity for Tech students and staff to participate in a multitude of sports leagues that we offer and facilitate through the student recreation center,” Ryan said. “To better explain how intramurals work here at Tech, it is for a student by the students. All of the officials, scorekeepers and field maintenance team are all made up of students that a currently enrolled at Tech.”
Registration for spring intramural sports started on Jan. 3 and ends on Apr. 13. Registration is required and can be completed online at FusionIM.
“Intramural sports allow students to have a space where they can come and let off steam from classes, projects, or other commitments they have made. Students get to learn teamwork and life lessons that they can take to their future workplace by playing and participating in intramural sports,” Ryan said.
As registration continues, Ryan says that participation has increased, and students have expressed their excitement for some of the new intramural sports options.
“We offer around 10 different sports a semester, and werotate sports every year to add some variety. So, each semester or year a student is here they get a good variety of sports and tournaments,” he said.
Some new intramural sports that have been added to the list the past two years are archery tag, log rolling, spikebuoy and more E-Sports tournaments.
“We try to get feedback from students on new sports and ask what they want to see. We don’t have enough space to offer every intramural sport out there, so we try to offer what the students want and that fit the culture going around,” he said.
Ryan is a Tech alumnus who participated in multiple intramurals during his time as a student and now has worked with intramurals for five years. He has plenty of in-game experience and knows the culture of intramural sports.
“I want to give students a space or outlet where they can go during the hard times of classes and stress and be the thing they look forward to,” he said.
To get involved in any of the intramural sports Tech has to offer, visit Tech’s intramural sports page https://www.tntech.edu/recreation/intramurals/index.php
