By James Harris
Floor hockey, basketball and wallyball are just some of the intramural sports beginning for thousands of BYU students this semester.
Intramural sports are a large part of the experience BYU has to offer, and there are many taking advantage of that opportunity.
Last year there were approximately 11,000 participants in intramural sports, including students and others who live in a BYU ward.
This year there are an estimated 3,960 participants in men''s intramural basketball alone.
There is large participation in the intramural sports at BYU in part because there are many different options for students.
In addition to the sports already mentioned, some other sports available this semester are aerobics, indoor tennis, racquetball, flag football, table tennis and a slam-dunk contest.
With all the different options available to students, they often have different reasons why they play.
'The real reason (I play an intramural sport) is because I love sports,' said Zach Largey, a student from Provo majoring in English. 'Intramural sports seem like a good way to get exercise.'
Other students participate in intramural sports because of the convenience of the program.
'It''s easier to fit an intramural schedule than a league schedule,' said Erick Lacko, a student from Denver majoring in accounting and Russian. 'There''s not much else you can do.'
Some students play because they enjoy the specific experience the program gives.
'I play because there is some good competition on campus, and it is always fun to play some semi-organized ball,' said Greg Nef, a junior majoring in computer science.
Some students have unconventional reasons for playing.
'I played basketball because I wanted to get the t-shirt,' said Scott Bodily, a student from Centerville, Davis County, referring to the t-shirt students get if they win an intramural tournament.
Many of the schedules for intramural sports this semester have already sold out, but there are some sports that will have schedules go on sale next month.
Two of those are flag football and tennis, which are normally very popular.
Students can find out what sports are available by contacting the Intramural Activities Office in the Richards Building, Room 112A.