My Experience with TU Intramurals- A Personal Touch

As I come to the end of my third year here at Tiffin University, I realize that my involvment in Tiffin Universities Intramural program has been little to none. As I think about this, I come to question why this is. As a freshman, I did have a lot more free time and actually participated in some of the intramurals but this did not last long. Eventually, the schoolwork and the fact that I was a member of the Track and Field program at TU began to limit my availability and my will to participate. As I grew older, my free time decreased and their was difficulty in trying to participate with RA meetings, B.U.S. meetings, and a number of different things on campus. Even though I was unable to participate, I still made time to come spectate when possible and still had the urge to want to compete with my fellow friends and peers. I had wished that the time slot for Intramurals could changed but for now, it is the best possible time for the largest amount of people. I may not be able to partake in the games and sports but I will continue to watch and see how it grows, changes, and improves in the near future. Maybe I will once again be able to participate in Intramurals before I depart from Tiffin Univeristy.

Intramurals Coming to an End

As we near the end of the school year, the Tiffin University Intramurals program is coming to an end. Unfortunately, the end of the year special of Mat Ball did not have a big a turn out as expected. Their were a good amount of teams that initially signed up and participated but as the mat ball season reached the end of the school year, less and less teams showed up. In the eyes of spectators, not many showed up from the beginning. As the program went on, less spectators showed up as well. One can assume a number of things to why this occurred. It could be the fact that finals were approaching. It could be that there were other conflicts such as student government events and organization events. It could also be that it was not entertaining enough for students. In the end, I would not call this a complete failure, but I would consider this a lose. I believe that the Intramural team should evaluate this years mat ball and try to change it up next year before calling it quits all together. Possibly move it to another time of year, change up the rules, or change the atmosphere. Any of these suggestions could work along with many others. The intramural program should take this experience and implement it into next years plan.

The OU Experience

As a Tiffin University athlete, I am presented with a great number of opportunities to visit a number of different universities and colleges around the state of Ohio, the region, as well as the nation. In the previous weekend, our Tiffin University Track and Field team traveled to the All-Ohio Track and Field Meet in Athens, Ohio. Each year, different universities around the state are given the opportunity to host this prestigious meet and in the year of 2010, Ohio University was given that opportunity. Teams from all over the state of Ohio showed up to compete against their rival teams of the state. Competition was huge between both Division I and Division II athletes and teams. With all these teams bringing in family, friends, and spectators, this is a great opportunity for the university to promote itself and for local business to promote themselves as well. The university, not only had their logo in the normal places such as the turf field, the baseball and softball diamonds, the scoreboard, and all typical places, they also did something that I have not seen in the two previous years I have attended the All-Ohio Track Meet. Ohio University placed their Ohio logo on the awards and certificates. All winners received a t-shirt and a drawstring bag that not only was black and Ohio green, but had the word Ohio on the front exactly as the Ohio University logo is. Along with OU's sponsorship of the meet, subway provided food for the coaches and local chip companies provided chips. These sponsorships were obviously agreed upon to get their image out there for potential consumers. With all the food provided for the coaches, OU had water that had an OU label on them to further promote the school and the track and field program. Over the weekend, these sponsorships began to stick out which in the end, is the main goal.

New Intramural at Tiffin University!!

As of this week, the Tiffin Intramural staff has introduced a new intramural sport for the students. That new sport is Mat Ball. Mat ball is something similar to kick ball but with a twist. It varies depending on who runs the game but the rules are something similar to the following attachment.

National Intramural Recreational Sports Association

The National Intramural Recreational Sports Association is the leading resource for professional and student development, education, and research in collegiate recreational sports. The NIRSA was formed in 1950 by Dr. William Wasson. He convened a meeting of 22 African American men and women from several Historically Black Colleges and Universities at Dillard University, which is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Today the NIRSA now includes nearing 4,000 professional students and associate members throughout the United States, Canada, and other nations worldwide. The organization serves millions of students who regularly partake in recreational sports programs on a number of college campuses. The National Intramural Recreational Sports Association members are highly engaged in many areas of campus life at theses colleges and universities including, student leadership. development, personnel management, wellness and fitness programs, intramural sports, club sports, recreation facility operations, outdoor recreation, informal recreation, and aquatic programs.

According to the website, the mission statement of the NIRSA is to provide for the education and development of professional and student members to foster quality recreational programs, facilities, and services for diverse populations. The NIRSA demonstrates its commitment to excellence by utilizing resources that promote ethical and healthy lifestyle choices.

The vision statement states that the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association is committed to be recognized internationally as the leader in recreation within higher education, dedicated to excellence in student and professional development, education, research and standards. NIRSA"s commitment , creativity and strategic partnerships are consistently demonstrated through outstanding programs, facilities, and services.

Another thing that I am sure many are unaware of is that the NIRSA has plenty of other opportunities available. The NIRSA gives out scholarships and awards. Not only can one participate in intramurals and get involved, physically active, and have fun, one can also gain money for school through intramurals. They also provide ways and opportunities to get involved, career opportunities, leadership opportunities and much more. I suggest that if Tiffin University is not already a member of the NIRSA, that they become one soon, for there are many positive things to come from this organization.

Visit the NIRSA Blog at http://nirsa-nccs.blogspot.com/

Sponsorships and TU Intramurals

When you think of Tiffin University Intramurals and Sponsorships, it would not appear that the programs has any form of sponsorship. In actuality, there really are no sponsors for Tiffin Universities Intramurals other than Tiffin University itself. Tiffin University takes out an allotted amount each year in order to cover the expenses of the intramural program for example, new equipment, repairs for old equipment, and wages to those who work in Intramurals. The money comes directly out of the Club and Recreation Sports budget. I think that this has limited the possibilities that the Tiffin University Intramurals has. I think that if the program gained some sponsorships, the program could grow tremendously. I think having an athletic sponsor, for example Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour, would definitely create a larger participant base. By having the school, club sports, and intramurals all linked with a big time producer of athletic apparel and gear would hit the student population more effectively. I also think that students would be more likely to play for an award, i.e. t-shirt, that is Nike or Adidas, therefore creating a larger desire to participate and win. On the other hand, the use of local sponsorship would also help on both sides. For the TU Intramurals program, having the local businesses provide any momentary amount will help. On the side of the businesses, it get there name out there to a large segment of their target market.Since the colleges here in Tiffin make up a large amount of the purchasers and spenders in this town, it is clear that this is a good thing. For example, if Marco's Pizza or DPs bar decided to give Tiffin University Intramurals some money if they place there logos on the back of the Intramural champion t-shirts, the marketing for the company is simple, not very expensive, and effective. Sponsorships are a win-win strategy with the local businesses. I suggest the Tiffin University Intramurals programs looks into building some sponsorships with major corporations and/or local businesses.

The Staff of TU Intramurals

The Tiffin University Intramurals program is headed by Darby Roggow who is a professor and head coach for the men's and women's golf teams here at Tiffin University. Although Darby Roggow is in overall control of the program, he has very little to do with the actual running of intramurals. The person who actual deals with intramurals in more detail is Gregory Dunn who is the graduate assistant for Club and Recreation Sports. Intramurals is one duty that is typically given to the graduate assistant of Club and Recreation Sports. Below the graduate assistant are the employees. These position typically are filled by undergraduate students and consist of refereeing the competitions. On the day that intramurals actually takes place, the student employees, referees, have most of the control other than explaining the rules and assigning who plays who. The graduate assistant and director of club and recreation sports usually sit back and let the students be students unless an emergency occurs or they are absolutely needed. The referees tend to do this job for the enjoyment rather than the pay since the pay is not the significant but the benefits from a job like this could be rewarding in the end.

So you may wonder how does one come across these positions. In order to get the graduate assistant position, one must first complete undergrad, then apply for graduate school and the position. It is helpful if the applicant has some knowledge in the field that the graduate assistant position is in. In order to be hired as a referee, it is essential to make some connections with the director and graduate assistant of club and recreation sports. These two will make sure that you go through the right channels to be considered for the positions. The number of spots open varies per year and those who receive the job typically do not hold any other position on campus. These are just some tips to getting that intramurals position that is highly demanded on campus.