Photo by Salomon Pineda .. .,. , . . Photo by Salomon Pineda Men's intram.urals introduces a change One of the many opportunities available to Harding students was participation in intramural athletics. This year the men's intramural program "went about as smoothly as it usually does, " graduate assistant Chad Joice said. "An outstanding number of people signed up to participate this year and that really helps our program a lot." Intramural athletics enabled students to participate in sportsln a friendly environment, engage in healthy competition and enjoy Christian fellowship. "It is just getting out and having fun and meeting different people and enjoying the competition but not getting too serious about it,"senior assistant Bobby Davis said. "You get to meet different people and play sports you do not usually play and try to get better at them, " senior Russell Hawkins said. "I survived the cross country run and I was happy about that. " Hawkins placed fourth in the run. Meeting new peop le and making new friends was definitely a part of intramural athletics. "There is a lot of participation and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves," junior Nick Boone said. "It gives students an opportunity to play with other people that they usually compete against in club sports," Joice said. "It builds re lationships and helps students make friends outside of their clubs." In general , the students maintained a pos itive attitude while competing. "It is a lot of fun and it is not too competitive," Boone said. "The attitudes I see out there are good, and most people have a handle on their tempers." Another opportunity that students had in the intramural program was the chance to compete for a jacket. In order to earn ajacket in men's intramurais, one had to acquire 2,000 points. "Points are given for participation, places and championships; and if you enter in all of the events and do fairly well in them, you can usually earn a jacket," Hawkins said. "It is time-consuming and you almost have to compete in every event, but really, all you have to do is be mediocre and go out and take the time to do it," said Boone, who received a jacket as a freshman. The intramural teams experienced one major change this year - in flag football , which changed from contact to noncontact to help prevent injuries. The athletes seemed to adjustquite well to the change. "At first , a lot of people did not think they would li ke it, but then everyoneadjusted," Davis said. 'The change was interesting and kind of rough at first, but as long as it eliminates some of the injuries, it is good," Hawkins said. Being involved in intramural athletics this year was all about fun. "The season has been very successful; it is just a lot of fun," Boone said. - Diane Grubbs "It [the intramural program] gives students an opportunity to play with other people that they usually compete against in club sports. It builds relationships and helps students make friends outside of their clubs. " - Chad Joice, intramural graduate assistant Junior Chadd O'Neil rares back to throw the ball over his opponent's headin hopes ofscoring atouchdown. O'Neil also competedin club football for Titans. M EN'S I NT RAMURALS 235 •
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