NW intramurals attempting new measures for teammates
by Roxanna Latifi, NW News Editor

   NW Campus has formed a new way to get students involved in intramural sports.
   Instead of the traditional assigned teams competing against one another, the NW intramural program will no longer break students up into different teams.
   Students are able to walk into the gym directly after class and form their own teams almost immediately.
   "We found this to be more effective than having set teams," Paul Shaver, intramural director, said.
   "As a student, the unexpected comes up in life. Students need the opportunity to form teams and play freely. It's much like the neighborhood concept of picking team members and getting right to play, " he said.
   The intramural sports are not limited to students. Shaver said faculty are encouraged to join the students as well as co-ed teams.
   Participants sign up at the check-out center from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., tell the receptionist if they are a beginner or intermediate and explain what times best fit into their schedules, The team is formed, and play begins.
   Winning teams of intramural sports receive T-shirts. During March, NW teams compete in volleyball and basketball.
   Faculty and students seem to favor volleyball more, according to Shaver.
   For April's intramural sport, Shaver plans on asking students to choose what they would like to participate in. The NW Campus' gym is set up with aerobic machines around the court, allowing students to get a double work out while waiting to form a team.
   Students have one month to practice their skills and get to know their teammates. Shaver sees this as an advantage over definite teams.
   "It's best to not assign teams. Not every student can come every time," he said. Steven Roberts, NW Campus student, appreciates the opportunity to play randomly. It has become a way for him to relieve stress from college life.
   "It helps me to keep active. After class I have the opportunity to relive stress, and it's entertaining," he said. Mike Walz, intramural assistant, helps with advertisements for the sporting events and recruits students to become players. Walz hopes to see TCC sports become a reality.
   "The more people who show up, the more interesting it becomes," he said. "TCCD doesn't have any official sporting teams, and if we get enough people, maybe we will one day." Walz also believes that TCC could benefit from having official sports.
   "It would be in TCC's benefit to have a team. The campuses are close to home and people like sports," he said.