Intramural sports have a special place in many college experiences, including mine. Our intramural program here at WSU offers so many opportunities for students and staff that can help them in different ways.

Some major benefits of playing intramural sports are stress relief, improvement of brain function and social skills, healing of emotional wounds, encouraging teamwork and improving relationships and connections to others.

For those new to WSU, intramural sports can make the transition to Pullman much easier. They are a great way to get to meet new people that have similar interests and quickly make new friends in the process.

Personally, intramurals are a way for me to get out the competitive spirit I have always had. After playing sports my whole life, I was eager to get back to playing when I first arrived here at WSU.

Intramurals are the perfect outlet for my competitiveness because they gave me the opportunity to play games once a week against other people from all different backgrounds at WSU.

I have met a lot of people through intramurals since it introduces you to an entire new group of people who have the same interest in sports. Not only are intramurals great for meeting new people, but they are a great escape from school.

We all know school can be stressful, especially if you are new to campus and it’s all new to you. Intramurals can be a way to get away from classes and homework by going to the field or court and playing with friends.

The atmosphere around intramurals is very loose and they are meant to just be a fun way to compete with people and have a good time, but they can also help enhance mental focus.

Exercising can improve the brain’s ability to process new information as well as retain information you learn in class. Intramurals are a much more enjoyable form of exercise than following an intense workout plan.

There are also many jobs created by intramurals such as sport-specific officials, lead officials and supervisors. These positions are for students interested in sports, as well as increasing their officiating skills, who want to interact with the players.

Intramurals can help people with different things, but most of all, they are a fun outlet from school that creates a competitive, enjoyable atmosphere.