Intramurals bouncing to a new home

By Rebecca Martin
The Collegian

Intramurals are moving over and out. That is to say, half of the Intramural sports at Fresno State are moving from being played in the North Gym and into the new Student Recreational Center.

Beginning with the Intramural basketball season, five sports will make a new home inside the Rec Center. The list includes basketball, volleyball, ping-pong, racquetball and badminton.

The move means Intramurals will have a home base in both the North Gym, its current home, and on the second floor of the Rec Center. Hopefully, according to Bart Ballard, Intramural Coordinator, the move will increase the popularity and participation of the program.

“The biggest thing for us is more people will know about it,” Ballard said. He hopes students going into the Rec Center to exercise will also see information about Intramurals, and sign-up.

Intramural basketball signups have already begun, officially initiating the Rec Center and its multiple, full-length courts as home. It is the most popular Intramural sport, Ballard said.

The move will mean some changes to the rules of the Intramural basketball league.

Since there are more full-size courts in the Rec Center compared to the North Gym, those playing basketball during Intramural games will have the opportunity to score three-point baskets whenever they wish during league games, Edson Barrantes, senior mass communication and journalism major, said.

Before players could only score such shots during play-off games, when games were played the more traditonal full court, as opposed to two half-courts.

In addition to being able to make more three-point shots, teams will have more options when choosing times to play.

The North Gym facilities are shared with both the Kinesiology Department activity classes and the Athletics department. Generally, Ballard said, Kinesiology uses the facilities from 6 p.m. to 12 p.m. Athletics takes over until 6 p.m., leaving time until 10 p.m. for Intramurals. The fact that Intramurals is no longer forced to share facilities is the most exciting part of the Rec Center, Ballard said.

Extended hours in the Rec Center compared to the North Gym will give the league more hours to play.
The wait for their own facility is a long time in the making.

”We’ve been trying to do this since 1999,” Ballard said. “It’s a place to call their own. Over here (the North Gym), it’s just a whole hodge-podge of things.”

Like in past years, sign-ups for Intramurals will continue inside the Intramural office in the North Gym. Next year the sign-ups are hoped to be moved to the Rec Center, Ballard said.

In case you haven't signed up for intramurals thus far, or would like information on future sports that are offered through the program, you can go to room 109 in the North Gym building located on the west sid of campus.

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