The Martlet

If you were inspired this summer by the 60-second Nike promotional video “my better is better than your better” but failed to get to get out there and do some cardio, UVic’s Intramurals and Fitness programs may be your solution.

UVic intramurals offer a unique set of opportunities including dodge ball, field hockey and ball hockey. Over 1,200 teams have played through the system in 13 different team sports. The most popular include soccer, hockey and volleyball. In response to the popularity of soccer with students at UVic, an all-women’s league has been formed to meet the demand.

New to the program this year is 4-on-4 flag football after recommendations of adding a new league to the mix. Each sport is divided into different levels of competition depending on skill level, true seed, open, co-ed and gender. The divisions provide a competitive setting for athletes while providing a means for students to meet new people and to participate in  extracurricular activities.

True seed was brought in by the intramural department to ensure teams remained competitive against one another. The system places the top division teams against each other and allows weaker teams to remain competitive throughout round-robin play.

The open division applies mainly to the recreational leagues which are geared towards students interested in playing for enjoyment and may be trying a new sport. Competitive leagues apply to athletes who are average or above average in their sport.

The intramural department has also added tournaments for beach volleyball (regular and co-ed doubles), basketball and soccer. The tournaments encourage athletes outside of the program to compete, as they are separate from the leagues. Intramural co-ordinator Aaron Dejong encourages all athletes to participate. There are even incentives to get involved.

“There are quite a few prizes from sponsors this year,” said Dejong. All games will be played in the McKinnon Gym or in the Ian Stewart facilities. Sports still available are mainly individual sports including tennis, racquetball and badminton.

If playing sports isn’t for you, fitness classes could be a better fit for a busy schedule. UVic offers the classic fitness classes including pilates, yoga fit and strength training. Individually-focused classes can even see a growth to your core body strength, can increase blood to the brain and can build up your overall fitness.

New additions to the classes focus on strength training and muscle toning. Cardio Circuit combines body bar, resistance bands and weights for a steady workout. Latin Fitness fuses salsa, mambo and cha-cha providing an alternative way to work out.

Intramural league coordinator Kayla Pruss invites all students to participate in the programs, emphasizing that students don’t have to sign up for an entire semester to take part in classes.

“They are offering a 20 time drop in card for these [programs] which can be used in any of the classes,” said Pruss.

The card allows students to take different classes on their own time.These classes are still available to participants during the semester.

So whether you are looking for an alternative to your classes or looking to simply stay in shape, check out the UVic recreation guide.