In high school, sports are standardized for the most part. Students are offered athletic choices within their schools and occasionally within youth groups and outside leagues.

Football, volleyball, soccer, track and basketball tend to remain the common choices available at most government schools. Students at larger schools, classified in Kansas as 4A, 5A and 6A, are offered additional choices, but the principle remains the same.

High school students traverse their secondary education and are introduced to the most popular sports related to their region and the United States. Skilled athletes earn scholarships and the opportunity to continue their athletic career in college.

Within the file cabinet and a half of information distributed to high school seniors, any intramural sheet goes unnoticed. I'm not sure I even have a paper on intramural sports buried within all the information.

The players that opt not to continue their athletic career remain passionate for sports, attending games and watching "SportsCenter," yet many freshmen remain unfamiliar with intramural sports.

For the athlete of yesterday, intramural sports provide a method for former players to remain physically fit and active within the sporting community. K-State Recreation Services sponsors common sports that freshmen are acquainted with during high school, and new sports and activities that provide healthy competition across the campus.

A few sports offered include tennis, bowling, swimming and even a video game intramural club. In the spring, the selections change slightly when new options are added, including kickball and billiards.

Physical activity declines as students transition from high school to college. Time management skills typically suffer as freshmen become accustomed to campus life. Additionally, classes often demand increased study time. Add social interests into the mix, and college newcomers often neglect physical fitness.

Fortunately, intramural sports provide both an incentive and a means to remain physically active. While some teams are unable to practice regularly because of schedule conflicts, others such as Ultimate Frisbee teams, maintain a regular practice schedule.

Men's Fitness magazine, in collaboration with the Princeton Review, released a college ranking guide determined by fitness. Upon surveying thousands of students, the magazine determined the nation's "fittest and fattest" colleges. Of interest, at the number one spot for "fattest college" is the University of Lafayette, La., the Wildcat football team's opponent this Saturday.

The report fails to mention K-State on either list, which is both positive and negative. K-State students possess a variety of fitness options at their disposal. Intramural sports can remedy the problem for the non-competing athlete-at-heart who gradually gains weight studying and playing X-Box at night.

Freshmen students need not shed their athletic talents as they walk onto campus. While the organization of intramural sports differs from high school athletics, the fundamental concept remains the same: competition, fitness and fun.