While all of Westwood has lately been intrigued by the grit of now broken-jawed Kevin Prince, third-year mechanical engineering student Davey Brink has taken his fair share of snaps as well.
Granted, the latter may have never shared the same field nor the same spotlight as the former, but give him this: He has tried his hand at the soccer pitch as well as the hardwood court.
In fact, count Brink among the thousands of students who are actively involved in Intramural Sports, the program at UCLA that offers all students the opportunity to show off their athletic prowess year-round.
“Intramural Sports involves everyone,” said Adam Pruett, competitive sports coordinator. “Any students … alumni, faculty and staff with membership are eligible to play.”
And not only is the program readily accessible, the costs are minimal and affordable.
“Basically, depending on the sport, there is a certain fee,” Pruett said. “For instance, team sports are only $40, and individual or dual sports might be as low as $5 to $20.”
That there exists such diversity among the players speaks to the popularity of the program. In fact, IM Sports draws approximately 8,000 participants each year.
“It’s an outlet for students to play (sports) on a somewhat competitive level or just recreationally,” Pruett said. “It gives a chance for (participants) to be involved in a sport that they love or to try something new.”
Indeed, for second-year undeclared life sciences student Alexander Hua, IM sports offered a means to build camaraderie among his floor mates rather than to pursue competition.
“When (my floor) signed up for indoor soccer last year, we weren’t banking on winning first place,” Hua said. “It was really something we had a lot of fun with … and it was a good way to get to know my floor mates.”
As for Brink, a two-sport athlete in high school, what started off as a recreational pursuit has blossomed into a hobby to keep his competitive juices flowing.
“Indoor soccer was the first IM sport I played, and that was with my floor,” Brink said. “After that, I’ve also tried three-on-three basketball, Ultimate Frisbee and flag football.”
Naturally, however, the main concern that new students may have with IM sports is the issue of time commitment. After all, student-athletes are well known for having to miss classes because of a road trip in the middle of the week, not to mention the countless hours they must commit to practice sessions.
But according to Brink, that certainly isn’t the case when it comes to IM sports.
“A lot of times, people are weary that intramural sports is going to be a big time commitment, even though it isn’t,” Brink said. “It’s extremely little time consumption ““ maybe an hour per week.”
Besides, running and putting in some exercise on a regular basis may actually act as a healthy supplement to the hours spent studying.
“IMs are a good way to blow off steam and vent,” Hua said. “It helps to go kick the ball around as opposed to sulking in your room after you’ve had a hard midterm.”