Despite playing on the women’s club basketball team for four years, I never got involved in intramural sports at Hopkins—until now! When one of the girls on the club team invited me to play, I knew it’d be a fun addition to my senior year.
Although they sound similar, club sports and intramurals are slightly different. Club sports usually require tryouts. There are organized practices throughout the week, and some games require travel. Usually, people on these teams are experienced in the sport they play. Intramurals are a lot more low-key. Practices aren’t required, and all games are held on campus. Skill levels range from beginners to more experienced players.
There are a few different sports to choose from when it comes to intramurals at Hopkins: basketball (3-on-3 and 5-on-5), flag football, soccer (indoor and outdoor), volleyball, and wallyball. Not surprisingly, I was recruited for co-ed 5-on-5 basketball. The overall atmosphere was very relaxed. There weren’t any required team practices, and people of all different skill levels participated. The time commitment wasn’t anything crazy—just one game a week—and, of course, you also got to pick a team name (we were the “GOATs”).
The teams vary a lot. There are friends, frats, sororities, and random people thrown together. Our club team split into two for intramurals. One group was almost entirely grad students and the other was mainly undergrads. This ended up being really fun because we were all super invested and wanted to come in first.
All of our games were played in the Rec Center and were pretty lively events. People would stay after their games so they could check out the other teams and cheer on their friends. Some players worked for the Rec Center, so they’d switch off between playing and refereeing throughout the night. After one of our games, I randomly found myself teaching two grad students from Italy how to spin the ball on their finger. Needless to say, if you’re looking to connect with people, intramurals are a great way to do it.
Unfortunately, my team lost the championship game by one point and came in second. I wasn’t able to make it to the game, so I can only assume that we would’ve won had I been there (can you tell I’m still coping with the loss?). Overall, I highly recommend participating in intramural sports during your time at Hopkins. The environment is easygoing, all skill levels are welcome, and it attracts a lot of fun people. The games strike the perfect balance between playing hard and having fun. While everyone wanted to win, it was clear we were all there to enjoy ourselves. My only regret is not joining sooner.
For me, intramurals were also a great way to spend more time with my club basketball friends before graduating. During our last game of the season, we had a senior sendoff. That’s when it finally hit me—this chapter is coming to a close. Although we still have some fun events planned, like scrimmages and March Madness brackets, I’ll take any extra moments I can get. Who knows? Maybe I’ll try a different intramural sport before I graduate. I’ve heard good things about soccer—so we’ll see!
