The University of Toronto's tri-campus intramural program is one of the biggest in Canada, with over 13,000 participants taking part in hundreds of games, in dozens of leagues and tournaments. On March 29, the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education hosted a banquet to round off another successful year and celebrate all the people, colleges and faculties who contributed to the program.
“This year, we learned a lot and grew a lot,” said Nick Snow, manager of intramurals. “We were able to implement a number of new initiatives to increase participation from some less represented groups. We started the Just for FUN League for women, expanded our popular fitness series, sold out the first-ever intramural triathlon, re-formatted the intramural handbook, held our first-ever t-shirt design contest, and vastly grew our social media presence, along with running our leagues and tournaments every night of the week and most every weekend.”
To demonstrate the scope of the program, Snow shared some numbers, including four Fun Friday events for over 200 students, 30 weekend tournaments for over 800 students, 766 teams in intramural leagues and 2000 league games, all running smoothly thanks to 150 hired staff, the majority of whom were students and recent graduates.
“This is a gigantic program, and one that would be absolutely impossible without the dedication and commitment from every person in this room,” said Snow addressing the participants of the program, staff and special guests, including UTM Director of Athletics Ken Duncliffe, Program Coordinator of UTSC Athletics Ron Crozier, and Manager of Hart House Athletics Tom Moss.
Executive Director of Athletics and Physical Activity Beth Ali said the intramural program, along with the University’s other Sport and Recreation activities, provides a significant boost to the U of T student experience.
“These programs contribute to community building and socialization, resulting in life long relationships and a sense of school pride. The positive impact on the student experience is also evident in scholastic prowess and overall well-being,” said Ali, referring to research that shows students who are physically active and part of an organized community tend to enjoy academic enhanced success, experience a reduction in stress and have an overall positive experience during their university years.
“Intramural sports have been such an integral part of my life this year,” said nursing student Michael Versteeg. “They allowed me and my friends to take some time away from our busy studies and enjoy some great athletic competitions.”
Third year KPE student Singyan Ng said it was encouraging to see the program unite such a diverse group of individuals, who all share a passion for athletics and physical activity. “It helped me gain valuable friendships with students in my faculty and other colleges within the university," she said.
Click HERE to see the full list of award recipients this year.