Gracie Hoidal stood in Royal Brougham Pavilion, dodge balls flying past her. Around her, students cheered their support for their favorite teams, some even acting as makeshift coaches, yelling instructions. The floor was speckled with sweat. Grunts and umphs came from students hit in the stomach, legs, arms, the occasional stray ball to the head.

And she loved every second of it.

“Dodgeball is definitely the most fun,” Hoidal says. “People get super intense. It’s a great stress relief from classes.”

Hoidal, a sophomore living in Emerson Hall, has worked for Seattle Pacific’s intramural program since winter quarter of her freshman year.

She has competed in volleyball and badminton, and has taken some yoga classes, but she notes how many people she has met as a result of competing and working with intramurals. For her, intramurals are a way to build friendships. “It’s a great way to get involved with people,” she says. “If you don’t have a set team you can easily meet new people.”

Last year, SPU had over 1,200 different students compete in intramurals, with a total of 683 different games played.

For intramural Director Adam Finch, it’s all about creating a great atmosphere for everyone involved. “For me it’s very simple — [It’s about] joy. That joy comes from Christ. Just creating communities and participating in a community with others is super important.”

Both Finch and Hoidal stress that you don’t have to be athletic or good at sports whatsoever in order to have a good time. There are leagues for all sports, at all skill levels, for all people.

Each quarter, students can choose from around 15 different intramurals — competitive or recreational — including:

• Basketball
• Dodgeball
• Soccer
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Spikeball
• Volleyball
• Flag Football
• Badminton
• Settlers of Catan
• Yoga
• Zumba

Get involved:

Learn more, and sign up for a team, at spu.edu/intramurals. More photos at facebook.com/spuintramurals.