IM sports kick off year

Third-year law student Brent Beller (right) of the defending All-U champions, Louis' BBs, surveys the defense during a game Tuesday night at the CU Sports Complex.

By KEVIN KLAMAN
Sports Reporter

Dust off the old clubs, pull the racket out of the closet and clip on your flags.It’s time for another round of intramural sports. For many of the semi-athletes across campus, the best part of the school year has begun.

Teams started signing up for their respective fall sports on Aug. 29. Only a few years ago, the program was lucky to have 100 teams sign up to play in both semesters.

When this year’s sign-up day was finished, there were more than 100 flag football teams alone.

“We broke the century mark again this year,” said Bob Denney, director of IM sports.

The 101 men’s and women’s flag football teams also will face a new challenge this year — a slightly shortened field.

The turf replacement taking place on the baseball infield allows for only two football fields, one running north and south and the other running east and west.

The lack of space also required the field to be cut down by eight yards, four yards taken from each end zone.

“We kept the same playing field but had to cut the end zones a little shorter,” Denney said. “It shouldn’t be a problem [for players].”

A new soccer practice field and intramural playing field is now outside of Morrison Stadium on 20th Street, but it is not ready for any activities to take place on it.

Flag football is divided into men’s and women’s leagues. The men’s league is divided into an A league and a B league. From there, the leagues give way to divisions, which determine when a particular team will play its games.

There are 10 divisions in the men’s league, including one A division that came one team short of filling.

Every other division is filled to the max, with the B-9 division being added late after a number of teams formed a wait list on sign-up day. The women’s league has filled five divisions.

The fall season of intramurals also includes singles tennis, doubles volleyball, co-rec softball and a four-person golf scramble.

The next date to sign up for a team is Oct. 3 for volleyball, three-on-three basketball and dodge ball.