By Jonathan Hawkins
They gather on a relatively empty field or on a hardwood floor throughout the school year. They lace up their cleats or tighten up their sneakers.
Neither bad weather nor class schedules keep them from participating in intramural sports at Brigham Young University, and for good reason, too.
They play for the coveted Intramural Champ T-shirt: to be the elite at a school with one of the best intramural programs in the country. Most participants are former athletes from high school who play for the glory of sports.
Yet, many of them don''t realize the price they could pay if they don''t take precautions to protect themselves in the case of an injury. They play at their own risk.
Just this past fall, players had injuries ranging from bruised hands to broken ankles and legs. Others jammed their fingers or twisted their knees. While some injuries required only a bandage, others required surgery.
However, with the risk of injury so high, the intramural office has safeguards in place for students who participate in these activities. These safeguards are called, 'Rules.'
'Rules are implemented as a safety precaution,' said Phil Kelly, director of the intramural office. 'Rules are in place to try to prevent injuries.'
For example, in football, typically a full-contact sport, the intramural office has placed rules to limit the amount of contact, while still maintaining the integrity of the game. One rule states no contact is to be made by pass rushers on the offensive players to protect the quarterback.
Kelly said rules are not going to stop every accident, but many injuries are prevented because of these guidelines.
'In water polo, we require every team to have a male goalie,' Kelly said. 'We don''t want a male throwing a ball at 70 mph at a female goalie.'
Safety precautions are taken in every intramural sport on campus.
Coed basketball has a rule in place to prevent a man from rebounding in the key.
'This measure is to prevent a big guy from landing on a smaller girl,' Kelly said.
Rules in soccer have been changed, too. After an individual broke his leg, the intramural office decided to discontinue the privilege of slide tackling because people didn''t know how to do it properly and it often ends up hurting participants.
After an incident in a basketball game about six years ago, BYU placed padding on the walls behind every basket to prevent athletes from running into a concrete wall.
'BYU goes the extra mile to prevent injuries,' Kelly said. 'They are looking into purchasing a lightning detector to prevent lightning injuries in the spring and summer terms. There''s never been a lightning incident, but the risk is there.'
Not every accident is preventable, warned David Lawrence, claims manager in the Risk Management and Safety Department.
He recommends that everyone do warm-up exercises before their games begin to loosen their muscles and joints.
'Having proper footwear can prevent a lot of injuries, too,' he said.
Lawrence said the most common injuries happen when someone goes up in the air and comes down on their own or someone else''s foot wrong. It can happen in any sport, he said.
Lawrence also said a lot of injuries happen when two people collide. He suggests players watch where they''re going.
The percentage of serious injuries that happen are very small, considering the number of sports played and the number of people who participate in them.
'But, it''s a good reason to have your own insurance,' Lawrence said.
Insurance comes in handy with all of the dangers involved in playing intramural sports.
Intramural policy states under the heading of liability, 'All participants play at their own risks and must acquire their own insurance.'
BYU does not provide insurance coverage for any athlete who participates in the intramural program. Participants must have their own.
The intramural office also advises each injured participant to obtain a professional evaluation of his or her injury.
'We suggest they receive medical attention when they are injured,' Kelly said. 'Some people think it''s not serious when it really is, so they don''t get medical attention.'
Many participants will continue to play with an injury. Most often, they aggravate their injury or get reinjured. The intramural office encourages them to sit out.
'But, these are people who want to play,' Kelly said.
Because accidents do happen, the intramural office tries to follow up on as many as they can within the next few days. They take every precaution to ensure the safety of everyone who participates.
'We do the best we know how and the best we''ve been asked to do,' Kelly said.