It’s 10:20pm and I’m headed to the football field. What was I thinking? I asked myself as I shivered in my shorts and hoodie. It’s too cold for this. I reached the football field to see my team standing in a huddle as the other team warmed up on the field kicking around a soccer ball. Great, I thought. It’s the guys I was hoping not to face on the soccer field.
soccer game with an eclectic group of freshmen, transfers, and all other classes. When we started playing I didn’t ever know most of the others on my team. That particular night we stood around in our circle discussing whether or not we should forfeit. As we waited for our other teammates to show up, we knew we would be up for a fight. We finally decided to start the game even though we were a person down with no subs facing a super competitive team. I’m so glad we decided to play!
Our team worked harder than ever, and (I at least) had more fun than ever! I don’t remember the final score anymore. It was somewhere around 7 to 3. We lost of course, but we played very well.
I’m not the kind of person who likes to get out and exercise, and last year I didn’t get involved with any of the team intramurals because I thought there would be super competitive people and I wouldn’t have any fun. This year a particular team’s captain approached me and asked me to join the team. I am very glad I did. It turns out that even the super competitive teams are still fun to play against, and they are really good sports about it. This was a refreshing surprise! What a great experience, I got to meet some new folks, get some exercise and have fun all at the same time.
Last year I also participated in intramural yoga. That was a fun no-pressure way to get exercise and learn more about yoga without taking it for a class. We could show up and participate whenever we wanted. There was a mix of individuals in the class from those who had taken it as a class and were more advanced to beginners (with pretty much zero flexibility) like me. Also a great experience. I’ll end with a list of other intramurals Bethel has hosted from time to time:
3-on-3 basketball
5-on-5 basketball
Badminton
Cardio-kickboxing
Fantasy football
Flag football
Foosball
Golf
Martial arts
Ping pong
Pool
Racquetball
Softball
Tennis
Ultimate Frisbee
Volleyball
Wiffleball
Yoga
What would you like to see on this list?