Intramural season heats up

The winter semester may be a pain for many, but it holds a certain significance for first year students. First years no longer feel the insecurity of not knowing anyone in their class. With that being said, it also leaves no possible excuse as to why first years cannot put a team together for winter intramurals! Given the weather, the majority of winter intramurals are held indoors in the J building gymnasiums. I am going to outline what the Athletics Department has in store for second semester.

The winter semester hosts several co-ed intramurals which have proven to be quite popular. Co-ed volleyball is always a hit since most of us have played the sport at one point or another. You will often see programs battling it out for supremacy such as the police foundations program going up against the paramedic program. It gets even more heated when you have police foundation second years fighting it out against the first years. Nobody likes losing to their "younger brother" but it often happens and makes for a competitive time and a good laugh. Three-onthree co-ed basketball is another option for hoop enthusiasts out there. Guys will often scout for the tallest girl in their class in order to dominate the opposition.

Given that Fanshawe College is a very multicultural school, intramural men's and women's indoor soccer is always popular amongst the different ethnic communities. It's not out of the ordinary to have a Portuguese team duking it out against a group of Italians. Nothing beats a World Cup vibe to add to the already competitive soccer atmosphere.

Then we have the mother of all intramural sports which is intramural hockey. Given that hockey is our nation's pride, it should be no surprise that this intramural is by far the most popular. Expect anywhere between 60 to 70 teams fighting for the top spot. Being able to say you were at the top of 60 plus teams is a hefty bragging right, so don't expect an easy ride through the playoffs if your team makes it! We didn't forget about the skaters either — there are also men's and women's ice hockey intramurals hosted at nearby facilities. Teams will battle it out in typical fashion but there is an extra incentive to really show off your talents. The Athletic Department selects Fanshawe All-Star squads to compete in several extramural tournaments against other colleges. Considering most colleges don't have varsity hockey as an official sport, these extramural hockey events are the closest thing we have to finding out who rules "OCAA hockey." Fighting for your team of classmates to win intramurals is cool, but reigning supreme over other colleges while representing Fanshawe is even cooler.

I should remind everyone sign-ups for our winter squash league will be coming to an end this week. So if you are interested, be sure to head by the Fitness Centre to sign up in the skill division that suits your abilities. Oh, and I almost forgot to warn all of you — my co-ed volleyball team is unstoppable so bring your best.