Intramural participation has grown by over 44% since 2008.

The third block of intramurals start this week and  numbers for the spring blocks are expected to be the biggest Campus Recreation has seen with 700 to 800 individuals estimated to join.

Numbers have been increasing every year.

In the fall of 2008, 390 individuals participated. In the spring of 2009 the numbers grew to 432 participants. In the fall 2009 semester there were 562 individuals playing.

The University of Wisconsin - Superior Campus Recreation tries getting more people to join by mixing up the sports that are featured and listening to the to what the majority of participants want.

Each semester is divided into two blocks and each block is approximately six weeks in length, four weeks of league play and one or two weeks of tournament play.

The sports for this block include 5 on 5 basketball, broomball, bowling, kickball and dodgeball. The two sports that usually draw the biggest numbers are basketball and volleyball.

Intramurals offer team sports and individual events that let participants vie for the coveted Intramural Championship t-shirt.

Costs for having a team changes by sport and by block.

Andrew Suralski, Mass Communications Major from Winter, WI, has participated in basketball, volleyball, and Ultimate Frisbee. For him, choosing to participate in intramural sports was easy.

“I played basketball all through high school, so it’s natural for me to play it here at UWS. I was talked into playing the other two,” said Suralski

Many individuals participate in more than one sport.

 For Suralski, intramurals are more than just a game.

“Intramurals are a great way to play organized sports that you otherwise wouldn’t get a chance to participate in. It’s also a great way to meet new people and make good friends,” he said.

 “Intramurals are a good thing to have on campus because it keeps people active and busy with participating in the sports and also job opportunities,” said Jesse Schultz from Campus Recreation.

Intramurals can also be a great teaching tool. The referees go through training before they get out and officiate. This not only teaches the referees a new skill but also shows how difficult a referee’s job is to officiate.

People that are eligible to play are UWS students and staff along with Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College students that purchase a HWC membership and Lake Superior College stundents that live in the dorms that have a HWC membership.