November 30th Issue, Sports

Intramural sports bring out a diverse collection of teams

Posted by Statesman November 30, 2011 Leave a Comment BY LIZZ DOWNEY downe066@d.umn.edu Click, helmets on. Double knot, skates are tied. With a swift flick of the wrist a dented puck is passed from one teammate to the other. No its not D1 hockey players warming up for a big home series. This is a night at the RSOP, where intramural champions are made. Students involved in intramural sports at UMD take part one night a week for an hour in some of the most grueling and memorable games. For team ODouls, team Hot Chix Big Stix and a team made-up of Medical Students, they have participated year after year, battling for the title of intramural champion and the shot at bringing home a T-shirt. For newcomer team Pucks Unlimited, they missed playing hockey and thought they would give intramurals a shot. Pucks Unlimited This newbie team was formed on a foundation of pure love for the sport of hockey. Thinking back to the days when throwing on a pair of old hand-me-down skates and heading out to the neighborhood pond represents this young team very well. We grew up playing, Captain Adam Longberg said. It gives us a fun and stress-free environment that we love. The team wears red jerseys that are a nice change from their regular maroon jerseys that they wore when they used to play hockey together in Anoka, Minn. The core group of guys that originally made the team are all kids I grew up playing hockey with, Longberg said. We also have a few players that we met last year while living in the dorms. Their first game was scheduled over the hunting opener, as Longberg recalls. The group of boys were struggling to scrounge up enough players to be eligible to play. We only had six players, Longberg said. We had to strap up our star forward with goalie pads. We were all dead tired after the first shift and we ended up getting our butts handed to us but it was still a blast and just fun to be back on the ice. Their record as of Monday, Nov. 28 is 2-1-1.

This is our first year, so we havent won any championships but hopefully we will be able to answer Yes to that question in a few weeks. Hot Chix Big Stix This co-ed team, madeup of boys from Alpha Phi Omega and girls from Gamma Sigma Sigma, lead by Captain Brett Anderson. The team has been participating in intramurals for a year and a half and is long overdue for a championship win. Apparently our favorite thing to do is win every game all season and then lose the first round in the playoffs, Anderson said. This diverse team of all age ranges from freshmen to seniors has played softball as team Balls and Dolls and now broomball. We are the best broomball team in the nation, said teammate Nick Held. We are about to win today because that is all we do. The team is 4-1 going into the playoffs. They hope to overcome their bad luck in the first round so they can show off their notorious cellys A celly is when you do something really sweet like score a goal or make a really good play, Held said. Its short for celebration. When you score like eight goals in two games you really get to switch up your cellys. Some of their favorites include the Randy Moss, the Jared Allen, the Stick on Fire and the standard jumping into the boards. Med Students This is a team to look out for. They have experience in almost every intramural sport offered through RSOP and have used this to their advantage. Going into broomball playoffs, the Med Heads are undefeated. In their class of 60 students, many intramural teams have been organized. In the past they have participated in softball, flag football, volleyball, ice hockey and broomball. Their coach, second year medical student Kaitlyn Pelowski, feels with all their busy schedules that its nice to take an hour off each week to have some fun. Pelowski has participated on eight teams but this is her first time being captain. We even have two faculty members that play on our hockey team, Pelowski said. Its all medical students and faculty so thats really fun.

Team ODouls This team is full of seasoned veterans very familiar with the pressure of championship games. From tryouts to team bonding at the local pubs, intramurals are not taken lightly. The team participates in ice hockey and floor hockey where they have racked up championship trophies. This year has brought some changes for Team ODouls. Their rival in past seasons, Marv, aka Candon Honebrink, is now a player on their team. One of my favorite memories was playing Marv in the championship game and beating him, said Captain Joe Hughes. That and when Allen McBride sniped our own goalie to keep the game going so we didnt get the mercy rule. If a team is up by eight points, the game is over. In this case, ODouls was up by seven and wanted to keep playing, so McBride took the liberty of scoring on his own teammate. Hughes is said to be the enforcer. He is a defensive player that believes defense wins Championships. I dont see myself as a captain. I see myself more as an organized leader, Hughes said. Theres no I in team. I am captain only by default; otherwise we are a team that understands their individual roles. Before training, there is recruitment which is a yearround process. The team does evaluations of current players which usually results as Marv being in last place in every category. One of the evaluations read: Fasko: new assist coach of team ODouls. He has been a great asset to head Coach Hughes. Another said, He likes white chicken chili and yes it does affect his game. We have a combination of conditioning training at the RSOP and team bonding, Hughes said. We are trying to get sponsored by the Reef but we havent quite asked them yet. We dont like to get needy and greedy. Their team name was a lastminute choice by Zachary Fasking, aka Fasko the grave digger, when the boys were freshmen. It has stuck ever since. The name will be retired after this year, Hughes said. Whoever attempts to use it after us will have to pay large sums of money. The team is currently looking for new ODouls groupies to cheer on their 4-0 team. Their next game will be in the first round of playoffs. Dates and times are yet to be determined. Between game altering bringing the noise and post-game operation dorm storms this is a team that will go down in intramural history.