At 8:59 on a Monday night, Bean boots get traded for athletic shoes in the Gray Athletic Building. It’s time for the evening’s intramural soccer games: Page Poopers vs. Ballers FB, and FC Beercelona vs. Beta Cats.
While on this night the scheduled contests morph into one big pickup game, due to a low turnout, fun and exercise is had by all.
“Intramurals have been a large part of my time here at Bates,” says Avi Brach-Neufeld ’20 of Silver Spring, Md. “It’s a good way to get exercise and meet new people at the same time.”
“I played sports in high school, and made some of my fondest memories,” says Conor Fay ‘21 of Half Moon Bay, Calif. “When I got to Bates I didn’t feel like giving up that part of me entirely, so I got involved at a more relaxed level with intramurals.”
“It lets me forget about everything else and just have a good time,” says Anas Reda ’20 of Casablanca, Morocco. There’s competition, but even when a teammate falls short, there’s fun to be had, he says. “The best times are when people miss really easy opportunities. Everybody breaks into laughter.”
“No one lets their passion get in the way of having fun and showing good sportsmanship,” says Fay. “That’s a testament to the atmosphere that the guys we play with have created. At the end of the day we’re all just here to enjoy playing the game we love.”
