Even with the high temperatures, students gathered at St. Patrick’s Field to participate in flag football, one of Loyola’s most popular intramural sports.

For the fans, the University Sports Complex boasts a variety of programs for this fall in hopes of getting students more involved on campus.

Juan Marshall, A’09, a participant in club sports and team captain of the Loyola University Athletics and Wellness Swipers flag football team, expressed enthusiasm for this year’s season.

Even after four years of participating in intramural sports, said he believes that every year is a new experience.

“It’s always a new group of people with a love of sports coming together in the true spirit of competition,” Marshall said.

And competition is certainly weighing on the minds of the LUAW Swipers, as Marshall predicted them to be this year’s Intramural State Champions.

Marshall will also be participating in several other club sports this year, including volleyball, basketball and table tennis.

Like Marshall, unofficial team captain Vikhar Samad, a finance junior, is also looking forward to competing this year.

“Personally, I look forward to competing every year. Even if you aren’t involved in collegiate sports, students still have the opportunity to come out and get involved. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my weekend,” Samad said.

Samad has participated in intramural sports for the past three years. Despite student involvement and excitement, the program still faces challenges.

For the past eight years, Intramural Sports Coordinator Zachery Bracey has tried to make a series of programs available to all students. Still, Bracey said there is room for concern.

“Every year there are different challenges, including Loyola’s lack of on-campus field space for outdoor activities,” Bracey said.

Along with flag football, the sports complex has only incorporated three other outdoor sports, which include soccer, ultimate Frisbee and mini-golf.

However, there are a series of other outdoor programs that could be implemented in the future, such as 4v4 flag football, bocce tournament, softball tournaments and kickball tournaments.

Despite the possibility for new programs, Bracey can still foresee some future difficulties with the new additions.

“It would be difficult to add another outdoor activity at an off-campus location, so I am trying to be creative and offer a few tournaments in the Res Quad when possible. I strive to create the best possible intramural program for students to come out and have fun,” Bracey said.  

Mark Robinson can be reached at [email protected]