Tuesday, May 21, 1996
Intramurals provide competitive setting for UCLA studentsBy
Scott Yabroff
Daily Bruin Contributor
There is an infestation that emerges on campus virtually every
afternoon on the Intramural Field.
At noon, the IM field is serene, as a single person runs laps
and a duo plays catch. By 2 p.m., pockets of people form, some
playing, some stretching. By 4 p.m., the field is literally taken
over by a coup of students and staff wielding baseball bats,
footballs and soccer balls. Pauley Pavilion, Men’s Gym, and the
Wooden Center are routinely filled with basketballs and volleyballs
every night.
From flag football to handball to racquetball to innertube water
polo, nearly half of the UCLA student population participates in
intramural sports. UCLA Intramural Sports, a division of UCLA
Recreation, provides an opportunity for students to compete in a
variety of over 40 different sports, with male, female and co-ed
divisions and varied skill levels.
Only the incredibly gifted students can compete in an
intercollegiate sport for UCLA, so the majority have to find other
ways to satisfy their competitive drives. IMs provide one of the
few outlets for these drives.
"Everybody vents some competitiveness," said fourth-year
political science student Craig Valenzuela, the Student Coordinator
of Intramural Sports. "We’re all frustrated high school athletes to
some degree."
Indeed, to be able to jump from high school athletics and play
competitively for UCLA is a jump few can make. Some high school
students must choose between continuing their athletic careers at a
smaller college or placing academic priorities first and attending
UCLA. Many choose the latter, but never lose their competitive
drive.
"Most people come here for other reasons besides sports and it
gives them a chance to play something that they still love to do,"
said Jeremy Wildman, a first-year business economics student who
played IM softball and basketball.
Considering the level that many UCLA students played at in high
school, there is not too much of a step down in competition when
competing in IMs.
"The level of competition in soccer, especially in the A level,
is real tough," third-year geography major Waleed Mohammad said.
"There are some guys that could be playing at other schools, but
came here instead and just compete in IMs."
The social aspects of IMs are what draw many other students.
Being such a large campus, it is sometimes difficult for students
to get involved and find their niche. IMs can help students get
involved and meet people as they may have on a high school
team.
"In high school, it was a lot easier to make friends through the
team you were on," said second-year bio-chem student Sirous Wadia,
who is on a softball team with friends. "In IMs, you are meeting
people because you are on a team again.
"There’s a lot of camaraderie, a sense of belonging in IMs which
is lacking in many aspects of college life. That’s important to
me."
Blanca Gordo, a graduate student in urban planning, is thankful
for the opportunity to play IM softball.
"It gives me a chance to engage in students outside our field,"
Gordo explained. "There is a lot of polarization and this is a good
opportunity to socialize in a different way other than
academics."
Second-year students Stephanie Sotelo, a business economics
major, and Emily Kubasek, a pre-psychology major played volleyball
together this year.
"It’s a great way to bond with people on your floor or in your
house," Sotelo said.
"Playing with your friends is a lot of fun," Kubasek said. "When
you make a mistake, your teammates are there to back you up."
IMs can also provide a good relief from the everyday grind of
academia, and many students and well as faculty use IMs as a
relief. Political science professor Paul Frymer and several
graduate students played basketball together in the winter and are
playing softball this quarter.
"It’s a great stress reliever," Frymer said. "It takes my mind
off of work and gives a me a fun way to compete."
The overall benefits of IMs are what draws students to them. IM
sports involve the most students on campus and their effects can be
fairly long-lasting.
"Even if it’s only for an hour or two each week, it’s really
important to stay active," Valenzuela said. "You come to school for
more than academic reasons. You come here to socialize and to
learn. It shouldn’t be the focus of your life, but (competing in
IMs) is a peripheral experience here that I think is pretty
important."