Intramurals: Benefits of Being Involved

Intramurals are a large part of student life for many at Concord University. Director of Intramurals Chris Smallwood, who has done extensive research on Intramurals programs for both his master thesis and to improve the program at Concord, outlines the benefits of being involved for students.

    1. Why do you think that the program is important for the University to have?  

Vast amounts of peer reviewed empirical evidence has shown repeatedly for many years that organized recreation programs on college campuses such as intramural sports enhances the overall college experience and health of students by encouraging social integration along with physical activity and the development of healthier behaviors and lifestyles, says Smallwood. Programs such as intramurals that encourage physical activity are needed in areas with high rates of mortality, poor social indicators, and economic deprivation such as the Southern Appalachian region.

    Intramurals helps attract students to attend the institution. Recent studies have shown that campus recreation programs such as intramurals, and campus recreation facilities such as our fitness center and track, play a significant role in a student’s decision of which college or university they will choose to attend as well as their decision to continue to attend the college of their choice. For instance, Scott Forrester (2014), in his nationwide NIRSA study on college recreation in which over 33,000 students responded from over 1500 colleges and universities, found that 67 percent of respondents reported that campus recreation programs such as intramurals influenced their decision to continue attending their chosen college or university. Forrester also found that 68 percent of students reported that campus recreation facilities influenced their decision to attend their college or university of choice and 62 percent reported that campus recreation programs influenced their decision of which college or university to attend. Colleges and Universities that have paid close attention to these studies, and therefore have chosen to invest more in and enhance their recreation programs and facilities, have experienced significant measurable increases in enrollment and student retention rates as a result.

    Intramurals plays an important role in student academic success. Several empirical studies that utilized college one-card systems to track student participation in programs such as intramurals, along with analysis of data contained in the student record system, have shown that those college students that participated in organized recreation programs such as intramurals on average tended to have higher grade point averages, earned more credits per semester, stayed in school longer, and had higher graduation rates than those that did not. 

    Intramurals plays an important role in the development of many factors that influence whether or not a student will choose to continue attending their chosen institution. Nationwide peer reviewed studies, including a recent study conducted at Concord University, have shown that students who participate in organized recreation programs such as intramurals are more academically and socially integrated as well as engaged with the institution. Many researchers have theorized that higher levels of integration into the social and academic life of an institution leads to greater commitment to the institution, and with greater commitment and integration comes a greater likelihood that the student will be retained. Researchers have shown that students that participate in programs such as intramurals tend to adjust better to the stressors of attending college and therefore score much lower on variables associated with poor adjustment to college life and poor student persistence that result in low grades and eventual departure from the college or university. Variables such as institutional commitment, degree commitment, academic motivation, collegiate stress, scholastic conscientiousness, academic efficacy, and social integration have all been found to be directly related to student persistence and whether or not the student will decide to return to college. Students that participate in intramurals and use recreation facilities on college campuses tend to score higher on these variables mainly due to a developed “sense of belonging” that motivates them to be more engaged with the institution and provides them with an enhanced ability to better cope with the stressors of college life. 

    Smallwood’s also noted that intramurals provides a non-formal venue for students to interact with faculty and staff and get to know them as human beings outside of their authoritative roles. This also contributes to the development of social integration and a “sense of belonging” that affects whether or not a student will choose to return to the institution the following year or instead drop out or transfer to another institution.

    All of those things are benefits or important for the University, but what about the benefits for individual students? When asked about the benefits from participating in intramurals for both physical and mental health, Smallwood stated that There are many health benefits. 

    The research he has gathered include the following benefits for students who do choose to participate in Intramurals:

    2. Are there benefits to participating in intramurals either general health or mental health?

    The majority of CU students come from areas in WV that have some of the highest health disparities and health risks in the state...Mercer, and many of the surrounding counties, rank very high in rates of overweight/obesity, lack of physical activity, high rates of smoking, high rates of hypertension, poverty and low socio-economic status, poor access to healthy food, poor access to health care, and poor education/knowledge concerning personal health,” Smallwood states. These factors “contribute significantly to higher mortality rates due to diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. It is part of the mission of the University to serve the local community, and one very effective way of doing so is to provide programs to enhance the health and well-being of the students that hail from the local community and surrounding area.

    It helps encourage and increase physical activity on campus which can contribute significantly to better overall physical health for the campus community. Intramurals can help our students, staff, and faculty improve their cardiovascular endurance, reduce obesity, alleviate depression and anxiety, and build bone mass density. Participating in intramurals can improve blood flow to the brain, general circulation, and raises levels of norepinephrine and endorphins in the body which can reduce stress, improve mood, create a calming effect after exercise, and potentially improve achievement.

    It can help freshmen prevent gaining the dreaded ‘freshman 15.’ Many studies have shown that college freshmen can gain up to 15 pounds their first year, and up to another 10 pounds their sophomore year. Once this extra weight is developed, it usually never disappears or is eliminated. College students that are more active and play intramurals have been shown in many studies to avoid gaining the extra weight, and follow up studies have shown that college students that take advantage of campus recreation opportunities such as Intramurals and use fitness facilities and other campus recreation facilities not only avoid gaining weight in college, but adopt healthier lifestyles that last throughout their college careers. Follow up studies have also shown that those college students who participated in organized recreation programs (ORPs) and utilized campus recreation facilities (CRFs) such as fitness centers and tracks, remain physically active years after graduation and pass along their healthier behaviors and lifestyles to their children, their loved ones, and their communities.

    Playing intramurals can significantly affect students’ self-efficacy and self-esteem. Students that play intramurals tend to develop more skill and ability, which gives them more confidence. They experience others giving them encouragement and instruction, and they come to see themselves as better athletes and team members who are making contributions to the team’s success, further developing their “sense of belonging.” Increased self-efficacy and self-esteem have also been shown to enhance the scores on the student persistence variables mentioned above that are directly related to academic performance and retention.

    3. What would you say to a student who might be on the fence about joining?

    I would encourage them to come out and watch intramurals and see what it is all about. We actually have quite a bit of spectators that join us during our events, and it is a great atmosphere. Those who are “on the fence” can then see others participating and perhaps come to the realization that they too can participate and have fun. It is a great way to make lasting friendships and develop that all important “sense of belonging.” We have had several tournaments in which lower division teams have ended up winning the Championship.

    If students have questions about the Concord University Intramurals Program, contact Director of Intramurals Chris Smallwood at smallwood@concord.edu.