Intramurals adjust due to greater interest

By Maggie Thach
The Collegian

Last semester, the intramurals department signed up 73 teams for the basketball season. They had to turn away at least six teams, due to shortage of court time and officials.

“Last year, we ran out of room for men’s teams and the way the women’s league was growing,” said Edson Barrantes, an intramurals official. “The girls didn’t want to do co-ed, just women’s league.”

So, along with flag football, volleyball, soccer, ping pong and racquetball, co-ed basketball has been added to the fall line-up. Sign-ups for women’s flag football are also new.

Intramurals official E.J. Edmerson thinks the change will hike up participation numbers.

“Volleyball turns out a lot of women,” Edmerson said. “Hopefully, we can get that volleyball crowd onto the basketball court.”

Bart Ballard, who has been heading the progarm for five years, is starting an interest list for tennis and a chess club.

“We’re looking to make the program reach out to more people,” Ballard said. “The bottom line is the program is for Fresno State students.”

The intramurals department is expecting participation numbers to increase with the completion of the student recreation center in December.

“I think it’s going nowhere but up,” Edmerson said. “It’s a statement to how good of a job Bart has done with the facilities and money available. I think we’re just building so much of an interest.”