| Intramural sports offer stress relief, chance
for fun
By Nisha McConnell, News Reporting Student Arkansas State University provides many intramural activities that benefit students and faculty. Intramurals Director Gary Albright said intramural games provide fun, fitness, interaction and stress relief. Dawnica Bishop, a freshman journalism major of Green Forest, said intramural events offer many benefits. "Intramural activities allow students and faculty to interact on a social basis that just can't be achieved within a classroom setting," Bishop said. ASU offers 35 free intramural competitions that range from flag football to archery and arm wrestling. Albright said the most popular events differ between team and individual sports. The most popular team sports include basketball, softball and flag football, Albright said. About 700 students participate in the team basketball competitions alone, he said. Albright said the most popular individual sports are racquetball, individual basketball competitions and golf. The intramural events take place throughout the scholastic year. They are available to any undergraduate student with at least nine hours, any graduate student with at least six hours and any full-time ASU employee. All team competitions require entry forms to be completed and submitted to the intramurals office by corresponding deadlines. Individual competitions require no advanced notice. Events such as archery, arm wrestling and basketball are held inside the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Complex, while field sports such as flag football take place on the intramural fields. Intramural games such as bowling and golf take place at the local bowling alley and different golf courses in Jonesboro. Team basketball competitions are presently being offered. Floor hockey, vollyball and racquetball tournaments started at the end of February. Interested students should contact Albright at 972-3109 in the intramurals office, located in the HPER Complex. |