IM Sports Archives -

If you are a retired high school or even college athlete, like myself, you will find yourself itching to get back on the field or court and play sports again. Grove City has some of the best intramural sports out of any school in the country. The College offers almost every sport you can think of, and if the sport is not offered then you can get a group of people together to try and get it organized for the upcoming season. I have personally participated in football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball, and dodgeball. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in IM sports because there are two different seasons during the academic year. Also, another great thing about IM sports is that not everything is a physically demanding activity. There are also IM sports for Euchre, bowling, spikeball, and even a couple of video games. IM sports have become a very inclusive thing here on campus and allow all students to enjoy some friendly competition.

There are also Intrafraternal sports for those that are in fraternities. IF sports are just like IMs but on another level of competition. There is an IF cup that is awarded to the winning fraternity after the IF season, which lasts all year long. The sports that fraternities will play in the fall are football, basketball, and volleyball. This fall was pretty condensed so there might be more sports in the fall of 2022. Then, in the spring semester, there is softball, dodgeball, and soccer. The competition of IF sports is much greater than IM sports because you are playing for your fraternity and competing towards winning the IF cup at the end of the year.

Whether you are competing in IM sports, IF sports, or both you will have a great time and as a freshman, it is an amazing way to go out and make friends. I made a football and basketball team with some guys on my hall who I did not really know and we are still friends in our last semester of college.

Giving up your high school sport to solely pursue college academics can be a difficult and daunting task for a senior. Sports have an interesting way of grabbing our hearts and gripping tight until we completely fall in love with them. You start as a young kid, maybe because your parents forced you to, or you were sitting around the house bored. Whatever it is, the bonds and memories formed during the participation of that sport hold near and dear to your heart. However, God did not create every high school athlete to go on and play Division 1 or professional football, so like me, you go to college and those exciting sporting events become distant memories.

Going to college and deciding not to play soccer was a difficult decision for me. I constantly weighed the pros and cons of joining the Grove City Men’s Soccer team with my parents, coaches, and teammates. In the end, I decided that sticking to just academics and hanging up the soccer cleats was the best decision for me. This was truly a bummer because I had been playing soccer since I was 3 and felt that a part of me going to be lost. This could not have been further from the truth.

Within my first week at Grove City College, I had multiple friends, upperclassmen, and hall-mates excitedly describe and inform me about various intramural sports that happened on our campus! They explained to me that intramural sports, or IM’s, are a great way to continue playing your favorite sports competitively at a lesser than collegiate level, form new relationships with people, and take a study break from exams and homework. I was instantly intrigued and decided to form various IM teams myself. Everything I heard about IM’s was spot on. They were very competitive, made for a great study break, and helped me to make a ton of new friends. This was the perfect place for a washed-up high school athlete, like me, to go.

Grove City College proudly offers over 20 IM sports that any student can participate in. A few of these sports include but are not limited to soccer, football, basketball, ultimate Frisbee, spike-ball, softball, rocket league (e-sports), and tennis. Almost all of the IM sports offered have a men’s, women’s, and co-ed section. Within these sections, there are different leagues, such as A-League, B-League, and C-League to monitor the level of competition. Winning an IM championship means more than bragging rights over your fellow competition, as each member of the winning team receives a free t-shirt that you design. Grove City College has recently switched over to a fully functional website and app called IMLeagues, which allows for easy signups, game reminders, and stat recording availability. Participating in intramural sports has been one of my best college decisions, and I would highly recommend any incoming freshman looking for fun to give them a try.

Category: IM Sports

IM and IF Sports

Almost Pro: Intramural Sports