From flag football to bowling, to tennis and basketball, intramural (IM) sports are a large part of Whitman life. Many Whitman students take part in IM sports, but most Whitties know little of the IM Committee who controls, regulates and ensures that every aspect of IM sports run smoothly.
“I have no idea who runs the IM Committee,” said first-year Max Lloyd, who has played IM soccer and football. “They run IM sports?”
The Committee consists of seniors, juniors and a sophomore, all of whom have been involved with IM sports since they began attending Whitman. Through the IM Committee, students are able to play IM flag football, dodgeball, soccer, tennis, basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, bowling and more.
“The IM Committee is student run; there are six people on the Committee every year. They send out forms, organize the sports, get field space, work with administration,” said senior Jeff Gayle, one of the leading figures on the Committee. Gayle has played nearly all of the IM sports available.
Gayle was drawn to the Committee by his love of sports. “I spend a lot of time around sports; I have been doing this since sophomore year, so it is just fun to organize the sports that I end up playing and trying to make them run as smoothly as possible,” said Gayle.
Students at Whitman involved with IMs often play numerous sports offered by the IM Committee.
“Over the course of the year, I would venture to guess at least half of the people, if not more, play a sport at some point. In football there is [sic] about 20 teams in both the guys and girls divisions,” said Gayle. “I like playing football; it’s a lot of fun. I enjoy playing with my team and against my friends.”
In IM Committee work, there are some problems that cannot be avoided.
“There are always little issues,” said junior IM Committee member Gus Friedman. “In the sports arena at Whitman, varsity athletics dominate the top, club sports make up the middle, IM sports makes due with what we get. So scheduling field space and gym space is always a challenge.”
Over the past few years, the IM Committee has been learning how to better use this space to provide a better experience for participating students. “We have been trying to recently move it towards being more stable. In past years [the Committee] was really casual and unorganized, and we are doing a better job of making it more organized so people don’t get upset.”
The Committee attempts to accommodate the needs and time obligations of the students. “We are doing what we can with what we are given to make it work as smoothly as possible,” said Friedman.
There are many goals the IM Committee strives to meet; nonetheless, their number one goal remains the same. “Our number one goal is that people have fun, and so we do our best when someone has a complaint to figure out what the proper resolution is,” said Gayle.
The Committee is considering adding more sports in the coming years.
“We are going to do mini-golf this year,” said Gayle.
Gayle encourages all Whitman students to participate in IMs.
“Try it; there are a lot of people who have not necessarily played the sport, and just want to hang out with their friends. I think it is just a fun way to do something with your friends,” said Gayle.
