Intramural
involvement serves as one of the main outlets for regular physical activity and
healthy competition on many campuses. This becomes increasingly more important
during the winter months because of the prevalence of varying degrees of
seasonal affective disorder. This
physical activity is shown to have emotional and academic benefits in addition
to the obvious physical ones.
Sports such as volleyball, basketball,
trench-ball, tennis, soccer, futsol and flag football are scheduled throughout
the academic year at UW La Crosse. Paid
employees of the Eagle Recreational Center referee them. For many, the incentive of a championship
t-shirt is enough to drive competition, leading to exciting shows of amateur
sporting. One UWL sophomore says,
“Everyone knows that you’re nobody unless you have a Rec. sports championship
shirt.”
The
competition is fun and friendship building, but there are hidden benefits too. The CDC says that regular physical activity
has a significant impact on mental health.
Regular exercise three to five times per week for between thirty and
sixty minutes is enough to reap these health benefits, studies have shown. It has been proven that this regular exercise
can keep one’s ability to learn, think and make judgments sharp as he or she
ages. Regular activity also reduces the
risk of depression and can even help the active person sleep better.
Intramural
sports play a key role in encouraging this sort of regular physical activity
and even standing in for it. A student
who just finished a basketball game said, “Wow, that was a heck of a game, and
I’m tired. ” Another student and
intramural volleyball participant sited his experience saying, “If it wasn’t
for intramurals, I might never have stepped foot in the REC.”
