Intramural SportsThe word "intramural" is derived from the Latin words "intra" (within) and "mural" (walls). Intramural sports, then, are structured competitive/cooperative activities in the game form between teams/individuals within an agencies' boundaries. Intramural sports are generally limited to participation among the participants which an agency serves. Examples would include IU intramural sports (only IU students are eligible to play), Bloomington Parks and Recreation softball (citizens of the city of Bloomington), The Forum at Fishers Ice Hockey League (members of the Forum). Generally, eligibility requirements are restrictive due to the funding systems used to support intramural programs (tax bases, membership fees, student activity fees). Traditionally, intramural sports tend to be the "signature" program of recreational sports agencies. Generally, they are the starting point from which agencies develop their overall programs. This is due to the familiarity of sport participation, the high-profile nature of intramural sport programs, the large participation base, well-organized nature, highly structured,competitive/cooperative atmosphere, and the recognition of participants. In fact, historically, the term "intramural sports" was used to describe recreational sports programs at colleges and universities. By 1975, the popularity of other programs in the collegiate setting (instructional, informal, extramural, and club) and other cross-over program areas (fitness, outdoor recreation, aquatics) required the field to expand its terminology, and the term "recreational sports" was born.Around the turn of the 20th century, municipal and community recreation departments, churches,schools (elementary and secondary), industries and private clubs offered a variety of sport events.. These events, while not thought of as "intramural sports" are in fact meeting our definition of sport played "within the walls" of a particular setting. Intramural sport representsstructured sport participation, which requires design, delivery and leadership for its provision, and becomes a "catch-all" term which we can apply to any setting. A high quality intramural sports program encourages participation in voluntary and wholesome sport activities for everyone...the very definition of the "sport for all" concept!Program of EventsThe best intramural sports program reflects those activities which are best suited to the most participants. The best intramural sports programs generally exhibit these features:Needs, interests and preferences of participants are met by program offeringsDevelopment of program with participant input -- usually accomplished through an assessment of participation base through the use of surveys, participant meetings or reliance on advice of advisory boards.Balance of program offeringsBalanced offerings of the following types of intramural sports events/activities:Individual Sports: allow the individual to participate alone (ex: singles tennis)Dual Sports: require another partner to participate (ex: doubles badminton)Group Sports: allow various sized groups to participate (ex: team free throw shooting contest)Team Sports: specific number of players who play as a unit or organized team (ex. flag football)Meet Sports: organized competitions that include several events and are usually completed within a specified time, ranging from several hours to several days (ex. swim meet)Special Events: non-traditional events, not usually practiced by the participant; generally take elements of traditional sports and add "twist" or new ways of delivering the programs (ex. Spirit of Sport All-nighter)Co-Recreational Sports: balanced programming area that emphasizes fun, team spirit and socialinteraction with members of both gendersFlexibilityFactors affecting program selection, including age, number of events, gender, time factors, skill levels, climate and season, levels of competition, budget limitations, physical capacity, area and facility availability, safety, equipment restraints, number of participants, leadership and supervisors.When programming an intramural sports program the programmer needs to consider the possibilities of breaking the program down into smaller units of participation in order to provide the participant with the maximum amount of choice and in order to ensure the essentials of a well-balanced program. Units of participation are select groupings that categorize participants for intramural or extramural play. Examples of different units of participation include leagues broken down by gender, age groups, skill levels, housing units, organizations, physical characteristics, residential zones, etc.Example: University Intramural Basketball Program Leagues offered: Men, Women, Co-RecreationalSkill levels offered in each league: Competitive, Intermediate, CasualParticipants also choose: Greek Division, Off Campus Division, Residence Hall DivisionMay also choose: Divisions offered by day and time of participant's needTypical division of intramural basketball offered to participant:Men's Off Campus Intermediate playing games at 5:00pm on Wednesdays ORWomen's Greek Competitive playing games at 6:00pm on Thursdays ORCo-Rec Residence Hall Casual playing games at 2:00pm on SundaysSo....we have our leagues set up, our teams registered, and ready to play. Are WE, as programmers, ready to allow our teams to tip-it-up? NO! We have to consider developing policies and regulations to govern our league! Important....our policies and guidelines should be clearly stated and available to all participants before the event begins!Program Policies and RegulationsRulesSo, what rules are we going to play by? In our basketball league, listed above, could play byNCAA rules, NBA rules, National Federation (High School) rules, WNBA rules, or we could invent our own set of basketball rules, if we wanted to! Who decides this? Ultimately, as the recreational sports programmer, you do. But in order to truly exemplify the concept of a"participant lead, participant run" program (a concept that is consistent with recreational sports philosophy), you should allow your basketball players to have a say in what rules they play by. Making the decision at a captain's meeting would encourage opposing team captains to decide onthe rules they play (adding to the participant's scope of choice) but also encouragescooperation among the opposing captains on deciding on which rules to play by. So you and your program