Whether it’s building a community and establishing camaraderie, staying active, gaining a leadership position, or healing your mental state, intramural sports have something that every student can benefit from.
Six sports are offered in intramurals at Loyola. This includes basketball, flag football, and indoor soccer, which recently wrapped up, along with volleyball, outdoor soccer, and softball, which are getting underway post-fall break. The intramural league also hosts pop-up tournaments that happen throughout the semester. They have done pickleball, beach volleyball, and 3-on-3 pickup basketball tournaments.
Kailey Dunne ‘28 is the captain of a competitive intramural indoor soccer team. Dunne recognizes these benefits as a student and says that intramurals are a great use of free time.
“It’s a good balance, like it allows me time to hang out with my friends and do something I enjoy. I am not just doing schoolwork all the time, it’s a really good use of my free time, and it’s really fun. You are exercising and it’s a chance to relax, enjoy yourself. It’s low stress,” Dunne said.
Assistant Director of Sports Programs Tyler Zorn ‘22 manages intramural sports at Loyola. He describes the school’s program as one that is special and has something every student may enjoy.
“Intramural sports are a place for people to just play sports for fun. Anybody is able to participate in our intramural program as long as they’re a part of our Loyola community,” Zorn said.
Zorn believes that intramurals of any sort can help ease built-up tension from a student’s hefty academic workload.
“Coming out and being active is a great thing for physical and mental health. Maybe you had a long week, and then Friday afternoon, you have an intramural game. It’s just something to blow off some steam or decompress a bit,” Zorn said.
Beyond the physical and mental benefits, Zorn explained that intramurals can help advance students further in their professional careers.
“They get a chance to come out and learn a new skill but also gain a lot of life skills. Whether it’s conflict scenarios, injuries, dealing with brackets, making playoff schedules and things like that, you have to be able to make rapid adjustments on the fly,” Zorn said.
Zorn says that the main goal of intramurals is for students to have a good time and have some fun. He advises anyone considering intramurals to try it.
“Just come out and sign up. It’s no pressure. It’s not supposed to be super serious. It’s supposed to be laid back and just a fun time to hang out with your friends,” Zorn said.
Dunne plays soccer twice a week through her intramurals and said it is important to have a balance of school with stress-free extracurriculars.
“Just do it. There is nothing that can go wrong. It’s all fun, and if you lose, you make good memories,” Dunne said.
There are new activities and opportunities you can look out for if you are interested in intramurals. Zorn says in addition to a potential volleyball tournament, students can suggest what sports they want to see moving forward, and the suggestions will be taken into consideration.
“If the interest is there, and if the students want to see it, we’re always open to new suggestions,” Zorn said.
If you are interested in joining an intramural sport or learning more about intramurals, visit imleagues.com and log in with your Loyola credentials. You can also follow @loyola_intramurals on Instagram for more information and updates.
