108WINTER STUDENT LIFE Tennis is introduced in fall 2021 as an intramural sport. SWINGIN Backhanding the ball, freshman Molly Speight plays during the intramural tennis tournament. Tennis was added to the list of intramural sports in fall 2021. Photo by: Kaitlyn Cutshall INTRAMURAL SPORTS WERE an outlet for students to come together to release energy and make friends through competition. In fall 2021, tennis was added to the assortment of sports available. With divisions including men’s and women’s doubles, mixed doubles, and men’s and women’s singles all available, students were excited about the opportunity. Unlike other intramural sports, tennis utilized a ladder style of competition through which players could challenge others ranked in an effort to move up, creating a more competitive environment. Sophomore Grant Moore, head of the Student Association athletics committee, appreciated the ladder system because it made scheduling matches easy but maintained the competitive flair for players. “I think the addition of intramural tennis was great,” Moore said. “I hope it makes a return next year.” In the past, intramural tennis was only played over weekend matches, so it was not a regular intramural sport. Changing the layout and creating more frequent matches added a new level of involvement to the sport which intrigued students. Freshman Molly Speight heard about the opportunity through a friend who then became her doubles partner. Having played tennis growing up, Speight appreciated the opportunity to play and experience the community of the sport again. While Speight thrived in the competitive and active aspects of the league, the social aspect was the most rewarding. “There are so many teams in the mixed doubles division, so it really opens the opportunity to meet so many people, especially for freshmen like me,” Speight said. Seniors Emily Nixon and Makenna Roehr heard their friends were signing up to play and decided to join them. Both were frequenters in club sports but tried their hand at intramural tennis as doubles partners. “[It’s] a fun way to get outside and be active,” Nixon said. From freshmen looking to make connections to seniors finding a new way to be active, tennis attracted new students to the intramural world, leaving many hoping to see tennis return in the years to come. WRITTEN BY HANNAH HACKWORTH Causing A Rac uet
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