Swim meet back after 7-year break

After a seven year hiatus, intramural swimming returns to competition Saturday at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.\nAnyone may attend the swim meet, which begins at 5:30 p.m. At least 50 students are expected to compete in a variety of individual and relay events. This will be the first intramural swim meet since 1997.\n"The meet was losing interest back when we still did it," Intramural Graduate Assistant Shauna Robbins said. "So we decided to drop it and add other sports that might generate more participation."\nThe swim meet was brought back this year after a group of students recommended it to the Intramural Sports Council. The ISC and the intramural sports staff agreed the event should be added to this year's calendar. \n"It's something different and something that hasn't been around for a long time," Associate Director of Recreational Sports Josh Downing said. "Students expressed interest, we agreed that could be managed and would fit in this year's calendar."\nParticipants in the swim meet include former competitive swimmers, triathletes and people who have taken swimming lessons at the Student Recreational Sports Center. Despite the presence of accomplished swimmers, event organizers expect a friendly contest.\n"Since you don't find a lot of students swimming competitively, it will definitely be a laid-back atmosphere," Downing said.\nSenior Takeshi Momose has taught swimming lessons at the SRSC for two years but hasn't swum competitively since high school. He signed up for the intramural event just to test himself.\n"I haven't participated in a swim meet since ninth grade, and I just want to know how fast I can swim now," Momose said.\nFor those interested in more than the pleasure of swimming, prizes will be given to first and second place winners in each event, for best overall female and male swimmers and for winners of games in-between events.\n"Our very popular intramural championship shirts will be given to individual event winners and the overall winners will be receiving a Recreational Sports package with all kinds of neat stuff," Downing said.\nAside from personal achievement and prizes, there are many other reasons students are encouraged to participate in intramural competition. \n"It gives them a chance to be active, make friends and get involved in a sport that they love," Robbins said.\nStudents have until 11 p.m. Wednesday to sign up at the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, or the Student Recreational Sports Center, Room 115. The cost is $5 per person. Participants may swim in up to three of the 12 events offered at the meet. \nIntramural swimming is expected to continue next year if the event is successful and an adequate number of students wish to participate. \n"It's not one of our popular sports because it's new, but it could become one," Downing said.\nWhile swimming is the last intramural sport offered this month, there are several opportunities for students coming up, such as soccer, whiffleball, ultimate frisbee, tennis doubles and dodgeball, each of which begin registration March 9. \n"Intramural sports give students the opportunity to try out different sports in a recreational setting," Assistant Director for Aquatics Annie Eakin said.\n-- Contact staff writer Jacob Surface at lsurface@indiana.edu.