With less than a minute to go on the clock the underdogs are seven points behind, and they are within striking distance of a touchdown. The ball is hiked; the quarterback scrambles for what seems like twenty seconds, then he launches the ball to the far corner of the end zone. The tight end jumps up, reaches and closes his fingers around the seams to pull down the touchdown to bring his team within reach.
Now all they need is one point to tie the game, two to win. Frazzled but thrilled, the team sets up for a two-point conversion. Same play as before, opposite corner. But the pass is off the mark, and the Deadhouse are sent home, losing the championship game by one point to the X-Varsity, 13-12 last Tuesday.
All for a shirt.
No title, no awards, no uniform. Just a T-shirt for a trophy, and a lot of heart on the field. That’s all there is in Georgetown’s Flag Football Intramural League.
But don’t joke around – it’s not just any T-shirt. After two months of league play, the Intramural League Tournament’s divisional championship games decide who walks home with the coveted article. “It means a lot,” says Brian Golper (COL ’06) of the Men’s A League championship X-Varsity team – this no a typical shirt.
Less than a week earlier, the coed division championship was decided by an even closer game on Wednesday, November 9. The Gamecocks squeezed by the Credit Union in an overtime match that went down to the wire.
It was a story of extra points, as the Gamecocks dodged around the grasping hands of the Credit Union, holding onto their flags to score the conversion, while the Credit Union notched the touchdown on its chance but came up empty on the conversion. The title slipped away, 20-19.
But the real story of either game, of the entire season even, is not the flag football.
“[Intramurals are] a kind of avenue to play with your fellow classmates,” Golper says. “I haven’t found that there are so many things that you really bond with your fellow classmates; it’s kind of a way outside of something. You really bond.”
Fall on the Hilltop provides the chance to get outside, and the opportunity to be active is a draw for many campus students. This year, over 500 students chose to don a grungy mesh penny and strap flag belts around their waists once a week to participate in Georgetown’s flag football program.
“I think it’s fun to get out of the library and do something athletic. I think that’s great,” says Tim aloy (SFS ’07) of the Coed League champion Gamecocks. “It doesn’t happen enough.”
Maloy’s teammate Cathy Richter (MSB ’07) adds that everybody she knows who is involved in the program loves it.
For other students, the community-building aspect of the program is a big draw. Golper’s X-Varsity team, for one, plays intramurals because “we like to get our workout in.” Comprised mainly of former varsity football players, the team, according to Golper, was formed to have fun and maintain the friendships they had already established.
Other teams are formed by freshman floormates or campus groups, like the Credit Union team, and the friendship and camaraderie that intramural sports offer are a key part of the experience.
“I look forward to football season coming into school,” says Ankit Bishnoi (MSB ’06), CEO of the Georgetown University Alumni Student Federal Credit Union and member of the Credit Union team. “It builds a lot of team chemistry.”
Bishnoi, who has played intramurals since his freshman year, says they have added a lot to his college experience. “I guess the best thing about it is I walk around campus and see the kid that beat us freshman year, and I’m like `Hi, what’s up?'” he says.
“It really was a fun experience,” says Tom Quinn (SFS ’07), of the coed team Notorious. “Every game was really close, competitive.”
Georgetown offers nine intramural sports with full seasons, as well as tournament events like kickball and dodgeball. In addition, the program also plays hos to one-day events like last Thursday’s Turkey Trot, and a four-person scramble golf competition in the spring.
The 21 total sports offered throughout the course of the year attract about 2000 total participants, according to Assistant Director of Intramural Sports Michael Vincent.
“Our goal is to reach as many undergraduates and graduates as we possibly can,” he says. “We try to offer a wide range of activities to try and appeal to the most number of people.”
To aid in this, university sports are usually divided into at least five categories: men, women, coed, freshmen and graduate/faculty/staff.
Vincent also mentioned that the Intramural Office can accommodate requests from resident advisors or campus groups to arrange special events, like a weekend dodgeball tournament or a Saturday morning three-on-three basketball competition.
A $10 fee makes students eligible for unlimited intramural competition throughout the academic year. Registration can be done at the Intramural Office on the first floor of Yates Field House.
“It’s definitely something fun to reminisce about,” Maloy says. “It’s something that I’ll remember when I’m an alumni.”
