Our school has a variety of sport teams, as well as club sports, that students can participate in. In order to have these teams, space is required for them to practice or play.

However, there have been times when sports clubs have had issues getting gym times.

Due to my experience as a three season Division I athlete throughout my high school career, and a participant in intramural sports at Mercyhurst, it is easy for me distinguish the differences and importance of both types of athletic play.

I do believe that the importance of school-sponsored sports having gym times is more important than the intramural sports teams. They compete, and by the nature of their division of play, are more intense and require many hours of practice.

Practicing is crucial for every sport to ensure that the athletes stay in shape, work together and improve their athletic abilities every day. If a team does not learn to work together, it won’t get very far in its season.

Though intramural sports are also competitive, they are not as competitive as the official sport teams. Intramurals are, from my experience, a way to have fun and stay active with people in a more laid-back and less time-consuming environment.

Although there are many differences between intramural sports and the University’s competing sports teams, there are also many similarities. They both teach many of the same lessons to the athletes participating in them. Activities such as these encourage school spirit and bring people together to show school pride.

Sportsmanship qualities are also crucial to participating in these activities. For example, though losing is not fun, it can teach so much.
Both official and intramural sports encourage participants to meet new people. They also teach people to improve their playing skills by practicing and becoming a better player through time.

With both, people can also learn good time management skills, punctuality and how to effectively work with others.

These lessons and experiences in both competitive school sports and intramural sports help to make athletes better people overall. It creates well-rounded individuals who learn to become their best selves by giving their all. Sadly, not having enough time in the gym will hinder those participating in those activities to learn and mature as individuals.

There’s so much that one can take from participating in sports besides the physical experience. If Mercyhurst has funds to possibly create more space for athletic play in the future, it would be very beneficial to both the intramural and University sports. Everyone deserves the experience to partake in athletic-related activities, no matter the level of play.