Intramurals allow soccer play during winter season

Although Woodlawn Field is locked up for the winter, several students across campus have found a way to continue playing their favorite outdoor sport. \nCoed intramural indoor soccer is currently underway at the Student Recreational Sports Center. Seventy teams registered to play, according to the RecSports Web site. \nEach team plays with four players and a goalie, with regular season play being organized as a three-game round-robin. \nLess than two years ago, during the summer of 2005, RecSports installed the indoor arena for soccer in multi-purpose gym two at the SRSC. It has since become a popular room in the SRSC during informal play hours and has opened up an opportunity to improve the playing field of a sport already offered in the intramural roster. In the past, the gyms of the SRSC offered indoor soccer, though it was difficult to play. \n“It was not ideal for soccer because there were bleachers in there,” said Eric Kammeyer, graduate assistant for intramurals, said in an e-mail. “There was no barrier for out of play other than the lines on the floor.” \nKammeyer said that although the current dasher boards aren’t “the most impressive system,” it was the best option for a room that wasn’t initially designed for such play. \nSophomore Scott Hubiak has been playing intramural indoor soccer for the last two years. He plays for the Division II team El Conquistadors. An avid soccer player all his life, Hubiak enjoys intramural indoor soccer for many reasons.\n“I like getting to play for competition,” he said. “Just getting exercise and getting to play again.”\nHis teammate, sophomore Christina Jelski, also played in high school and finds indoor soccer to be a great physical challenge as well as a fun social atmosphere.\n“I like that you can hang out with your friends,” Jelski said. “It’s really relaxed but you kind of get to compete. It’s a good mix of both.”\nAlthough Hubiak and Jelski both enjoy playing indoor soccer intramurals, they agree that outdoor soccer is more fun.\n“I like outdoor soccer because it’s a bigger field.” Hubiak said.\nEven though the indoor arena isn’t nearly as large as Woodlawn Field, participants still get a workout running to defend an opponent or scramble to get a loose ball. Playing the ball off the Plexiglas also creates an added challenge. \nWoodlawn Field is set to reopen on March 19, and many of these players will find themselves playing pickup games with friends or competitive games with RecSport’s outdoor soccer intramural league, which begins after spring break. In the meantime, these soccer fanatics will have to make do with the indoor conditions.\n“It’s a lot different playing indoors,” Jelski said. “But it’s still fun.”