{"683162":{"#nid":"683162","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Decompress from Challenges of Schoolwork with an Intramural Sport","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECanoe battleship. Innertube water polo. Kickball. Mario Kart 8. These are just a few of the intramural sports Georgia Tech offers all students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGrad school life is hard,\u201d said Georgia Tech graduate student Dawson Lane. \u201cEven though several grad students (myself included) don\u2019t want to take breaks from studying, it\u2019s necessary to be at your academic best. Being active and having fun is a great way to take a break, recharge, and meet new friends.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrom traditional options such as flag football, soccer, basketball, and softball to more niche sports like badminton, e-sports, or cricket, there is something for everyone. And according to Lane, \u201cCollege is a great time to try out a new sport, and you might find something you enjoy playing.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWho can join? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIntramural sports are open to anyone enrolled in at least six credit hours. Participants also need a Campus Recreation Center (CRC) membership, which is included in student fees, and must purchase a $20 Intramural Pass per semester (or $35 for the year\u2013offered for a limited time). The fee allows students to play in as few or as many sports as they like.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Shan Paracka, assistant director of competitive sports, no previous experience is required to participate. All skill levels are encouraged to join, from people who have never played to people who may have played competitively in college.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIntramurals are meant to be fun and lighthearted,\u201d said Paracka. \u201cIt\u2019s a place to disconnect from the challenges of school and other things happening in your life.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHow are teams formed?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIndividuals can form their own teams on the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mycrc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EIMLeagues registration website\u003C\/a\u003E and invite their friends to join. Some organizations create teams, or individuals can sign up as a \u201cfree agent\u201d and ask to join teams that may need a few more athletes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere is no set requirement for how to form a team,\u201d said Lane. \u201cSimply choosing to play with some people is enough.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll sports have open leagues, which anyone can play regardless of gender.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSome sports have women\u2019s leagues specifically designed for female teams, and others have co-rec teams where women and men play together,\u201d said Lane.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhat is the time commitment?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost sports require minimal time, usually one game per week for about five weeks, followed by playoffs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGames are held during weekday evenings and sometimes on weekends:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMonday\u2013Thursday: 5\u201310 p.m.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFriday: 3\u20136 p.m.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EOccasional Saturday\/Sunday games\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETeams typically don\u2019t practice, though some groups meet casually outside of games.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you think you are going to be bad at a sport, I can assure you that nobody is too bad to play with us,\u201d \u201cBefore I came to Tech, I won a championship in a sport that I\u2019m not good at, but my teammates were there to help me out.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EAre sports offered year-round?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEach sport lasts a few weeks during the fall and spring semesters. While there are currently no summer leagues, Lane says that could change in the future.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe sports come in phases, so there is always a continuous offering throughout the year,\u201d said Lane. \u201cIn addition, the sports change throughout the year. We start with flag football, volleyball, and soccer at various times in the fall, and transition to basketball, softball, football and soccer in the spring. There is always something fun to do in the program.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EReady to sign up?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVisit the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mycrc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECampus Recreation Center\u003C\/a\u003E website and login using your Georgia Tech SSO. Select \u201cIMLeagues,\u201d click on the banner, and you can see the sports available, when registration opens, and when they will be played.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe IMLeagues website is easy to use, and it will walk players through the registration process,\u201d said Lane.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECanoe battleship. Innertube water polo. Kickball. Mario Kart 8. These are just a few of the intramural sports Georgia Tech offers all students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Canoe battleship. Innertube water polo. Kickball. Mario Kart 8. These are just a few of the intramural sports Georgia Tech offers all students. "}],"uid":"36249","created_gmt":"2025-07-16 20:04:08","changed_gmt":"2025-07-22 15:26:28","author":"Sara Franc","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-07-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-07-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677444":{"id":"677444","type":"image","title":"Intramural Sports","body":null,"created":"1752696256","gmt_created":"2025-07-16 20:04:16","changed":"1752696256","gmt_changed":"2025-07-16 20:04:16","alt":"Students cheering at sporting event","file":{"fid":"261341","name":"25-R10410-P54-011.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/16\/25-R10410-P54-011.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/16\/25-R10410-P54-011.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":229555,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/16\/25-R10410-P54-011.jpg?itok=xYsbC8eZ"}}},"media_ids":["677444"],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1808","name":"graduate students"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sara.franc@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESara Franc\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECommunications Officer\u003Cbr\u003EOffice of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}