Lane Johnson

Johnson’s Journal

I was a college football player in the spring of 2023. Now, I’m just a student in college looking to keep my competitive edge. Casper College intramural sports allow me to do just that, but there are also a few problems with the structure of the programs. I’ll share my experience and suggestions.

The school offers basketball and volleyball, so I always feel like I have something to look forward to and keep my love for sports alive. Being from Casper, I was invited to join a team with my friends from high school and have loved every moment of it. I am able to keep my competitiveness without the fear of being yelled at by a coach or punished for doing something wrong. 

Intramural sports at CC are a great way to meet new people and get together with friends to play organized sports. Each sport is refereed by students, and players are expected to call their own fouls on the basketball court. Such practice promotes good sportsmanship and brings the joy of playing sports to weeknights. I have met many new people and enjoy the sports I love while building relationships. Though these sports are very fun, there are a few problems. 

There is a lack of organization when it comes to scheduling games, and there is not a clear place to find the game schedule. The schedule can be found online under student activities on CC’s website, but it isn’t promoted or well-known unless you are actively looking for it. The next problem is the lack of rules for coed. 

I found that when we played coed basketball, there were very few girls who played. I believe that this is because of the lack of rules on the matter. Some may argue that there aren’t any girls who want to play, but I believe this is because they are often forced to play against a team that consists of all guys. This structure takes away some of the fun for female athletes and draws less interest from the female student body. If there was a rule stating that each team must always have one female player on the court, then there may be a greater interest among the student population and bring more teams to the table. 

There were only five teams that played during the basketball season and many instances occurred when the other team did not show up to the game. 

If there were more teams, the season could be longer and teams could play different groups of people. The change could also allow for new friendships to be formed. 

Overall, intramural sports are a great way to have fun and meet new people, though there are a few problems. I highly recommend looking into playing these sports and for the chance to compete in something. It is always a joy to win the championship and it would be even better if there were more teams to play against.