By Britton Drown
Kansas State Collegian

    Will Schultz remembers the moment when his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, won the softball intramural championship last spring.
    He remembers the feeling of accomplishment and pride in his fraternity that hit him as the members of the team gathered in the center of the field to celebrate the victory.
    It was Schultz’s first experience as a member of an intramural softball team, and throughout the season he said he learned the benefits of what intramurals offer students at K-State. He grew closer to many members of his house and connected through something to which they could all relate ­— the competition that intramurals provide students.
    “Intramurals give students a way to compete and have competition,” said Schultz, sophomore in business finance. “And through competition is where you get the teamwork and the friends.”
    Registration forms for new teams are located in the front office of the Rec complex. Beginning Aug. 27, entries will be accepted for the first session of intramural sports, including team sports and individual single events.
    Schultz said he experienced the aspect of teamwork as a member of the Beta Theta Pi softball team. During the games, he said it was a time to show that his fellow fraternity members played as a team and used that teamwork to make it deep into the playoffs — eventually winning the championship.
    “Games are where the competition comes together,” Schultz said, “and everybody molds together because you are trying to win, because you want your house to look good.”
    Having seen the benefits of intramural sports since his undergraduate years at the University of Texas, Director of Intramurals Armando Espinoza said he believes strongly that intramurals help students manage the stress of academics and the many pressures students face in college.
    “With any recreational activity,” Espinoza said, “you always have that outlet — that stress reliever to get your mind away from the pressures of studying or your financial troubles or whatever it is that is bothering you in your life.”
    To help build teamwork and promote bonding throughout intramural sports, Espinoza encourages students to sign up on the free-agent board located in the Peters Recreation Complex. This board allows teams that are looking for players to fill their roster by contacting individuals who wish to join a team.
    “The free-agent board is beneficial to the university in that it provides an opportunity for someone that would not normally have participated in an organized form of recreation to participate,” Espinoza said.