Intramural Sports offer opportunities for students, faculty and staff to run, kick, shoot, dive and dodge at the Well this fall semester.

Participants can sign up either with a team or as an individual at an average of $5 per person for a certain time slot, and based on availability. All sports play two games per week, except indoor soccer, which is once per week.

The program offers six- to 10-week conventional leagues, two- to three-week mini-leagues, one-day tournaments and a four-day basketball tournament.

Indoor soccer leagues run for 10 weeks. The six-week leagues, which have already started, include flag football, tennis and volleyball.

Mini-leagues include three-week wiffleball and dodgeball leagues and five-on-five basketball for two weeks.

Intramural Coordinator Sean Basso said the mini-leagues are set up like large tournaments. The first halves are played round-robin style with every team playing each other once in their pool and the second halves are bracket-style single elimination games.

One-day tournaments this semester include Xtreme Dodgeball on Oct. 21, a speed climbing challenge Nov. 19 and bowling Dec. 3.

A three-on-three basketball tournament runs four days over two weekends.

Basso says Intramural Sports are a great way to meet people. Teams are constructed entirely of people who didn’t know each other going in, who come back the next year and compete with the same team.

“We are fostering whole entire friendships and relationships out of playing Intramural Sports,” Basso said.

Jeff Downey, student supervisor for intramurals, said it benefits students who participated in sports in high school. They get to compete in sports again in an organized way.

“We give them the opportunity to play a sport on a level that’s a little more than just recreation,” Downey said. “We give them the scoreboards. We have officials out there wearing their stripes. It makes them feel like they’re actually playing for something, instead of just playing a pick-up game.”

Downey said intramurals offers a great deal for the cost to students.

“You go outside of here, and there (are) leagues that cost like $300,” Downey said. “We offer well-structured and grand leagues. We keep stats, we post stats, we have an all-star game and league leaders that other leagues wouldn’t do.”

Downey said the program is run by students, which has advantages.

“We put (ourselves) on the line for them, so it’s a little more personal than going to another league where the people that are officiating and that are running it really don’t care that much about the participant,” Downey said.

Basso said 70 percent of people who sign up for intramurals at Sacramento State have played organized sports in the past five to 10 years.

“I wouldn’t say it’s an intimidating atmosphere to play in,” Basso said. “It’s just that the organized structure of it is intimidating to someone who hasn’t played before.”

Although the Well offers recreational leagues, Basso said they have not generated much interest and have been hard to fill.

Intramural basketball player Ron Jackson said participants take it seriously.

“The competition is really pretty good, it’s pretty equal,” Jackson said. “Once you get to the higher rounds of the playoffs, there (are) tons of good teams, tons of big teams. I think it’s definitely winnable. There’s not just one team that dominates, (and) so that’s why I like it.”

Jackson’s team is made of guys he was also friends with, striving toward a common goal.

“We’re definitely trying to win the championship. We come and practice. It gives us a purpose and a reason to be here every day,” Jackson said.

Games are entirely officiated by students, and are held to a high standard Basso said.

“This is a job and you’re held to that standard, but you come from a sporting background, that’s why you’re wearing the stripes,” Basso said.

Basso encourages students to try out intramurals.

“Come out, see what it’s about,” Basso said. “There’s no pressure involved, there (are) not practices, there (are) no coaches, no fans. If you’ve never shot a basketball, I think you would fit into intramurals because there are a whole lot of people who have shot a basketball that don’t really know how. There should be no pressure involved. Come out play with us, and you’re going to have a good time.”

Teams that come out on top of their prospective leagues win a ring and a T-shirt.

Signup information, schedules and lists of rules and regulations are available at thewell.csus.edu.

Katie McMillin can be reached at [email protected].