By Alexa Schmidt, Staff Writer
It’s nine o’clock on a Wednesday night, and intramural outdoor soccer is just getting started. It may be late, but Gaelic Park is thriving with students eager to play competitive pick-up games and meet new people.
Intramural soccer takes place on Monday and Wednesday nights, while flag football is on Sunday and Thursday nights. Games start around 9:15 p.m., but most players show up early to get warmed up.
Intramurals are a way to become active and showcase your Jasper pride. Soccer has usually been played indoors, but due to the busy schedule in the Draddy Gymnasium, the sport moved to Gaelic Park. This may seem like an insignificant change, but the whole game transforms out on the field.
Inside of a gymnasium, the ball bounces off walls and is much more contained. It’s a faster game and players can use techniques so that the space is utilized. Outside, the space is more open and there’s more ground to cover.
Recreation Coordinator Ryan Corbett is the person who oversees the entire process. This is his first year at Manhattan College and he enjoys the excitement that students have about the intramural program.
“Intramurals are a great way to make friends. Everyone is having fun and that’s what it’s all about,” Corbett says.
The program uses IMLeagues as the website that organizes everything.
“Visit the website to sign up. Make a profile, add [your] name, number, MC ID number, address, cell phone number, and email address. After you make that profile, people are called captains and each team has a captain and that person will send invites. Right then you’re on the roster. There are about eight to ten players on each team. If there aren’t enough players on one team, two smaller teams get merged together. Then the leagues get set up and everyone looks forward to that. Anything you can think of about the intramural program is there.”
Two students involved in the intramural sport are freshman Sophia Creanza and junior Emma Delisio. They are both captains of their respective teams and have the same passion for what is considered “the beautiful game”.
“I knew I wanted to do a sport, so I decided to join intramural soccer with my friend. We were placed in a pre-existing team. That was pretty cool since we got to meet new people. As a commuter, the soccer team certainly connects me to others. I’m sure I’ve met more people at soccer games than the first few weeks of class. It’s definitely a community, especially since we all share a common interest in soccer.” Creanza said.
“I got involved with the soccer team because I posted something on Instagram asking if anyone wanted to make a team with me. A few hours later one of my friends texted me and told me about the team. I joined it right away because I don’t know many people. I transferred to Manhattan College last semester.” Delisio said.
Creanza feels that people who want to join should be prepared to get competitive.
“We work together. We’re a bunch of people who want to win. We play aggressively and work hard.”
Both Creanza and Delisio like the other unique aspect of the program.
“I don’t mind co-ed, I’ve been on a co-ed team in middle school and find that it works really well. In fact, I think most people can agree that it’s very motivating and helps us all develop better soccer skills,” Creanza said.
Delisio added, “My views on the co-ed aspect are very positive. I believe that if you are on the right team it is nothing but empowering. I actually played on a boy’s club team from fourth to fifth grade because my area didn’t have a girls team yet. When you’re younger it’s definitely harder to gain the guys trust. You mess up once and usually you won’t get the ball again. It’s all about proving you’re an asset for the team.”
The program is always looking for new members and encourages participation. The program always encourages new members to sign up for teams.