The Big Picture

SIUE consists of many recreational sporting events that give students the opportunity to engage in social activities.

Although one objective of recreational sports at SIUE is for students to develop a healthy body, the main objective is for students to have fun.

The Recreational Sports Program consists of contests, leagues and tournaments of all kinds of activities, such as racquetball and strong man and woman competitions, just to name a few.

Students participating in the sporting events are given a sportsmanship rating, which measure the etiquette of the players.

"That is a collaboration between the supervisors and the officials on the field," said Chad Rogers, coordinator of recreational sports, clubs and recreation area coordinator.

Not all of the events have officials and supervisors on the sidelines. Therefore it is up to the players to develop an honor system and act as their own referees. Tennis, for example is a sport without officials, so players do not get a sportsmanship rating.

Last year, Mick Ostrander, director of campus recreation, and the men's and women's basketball coaches acted as the judges for the slam dunk contest.

"That's something we're looking into again," Rogers said. "It just depends on who has what availability." Rogers is unsure whether he or Ostrander will judge the slam dunk contest this year.

Players get two slam dunks per round. The players with the top scores acvance to the next round, which eventually ends in a one-on-one final between the top two scorers.

Soccer leagues for men and women will begin Sept. 4. Teams will be comprised of six players. According to Rogers, the games will be played at the Rec Sports Complex just across from the Early Childhood Center.

Students have the opportunity to compete at a national level by participating in SIUE's Flag Football League. Each year, SIUE sends a team to the Regional Tournament.

The team that wins the school tournament isn't necessarily the team that is sent to regionals. SIUE, as well as any other school, has the option to send the school's best flag football players to the Regional Tournament.

Teams that win regionals are awarded an automatic bid to the National Tournament in New Orleans. According to Rogers, all expenses, including airplane, lodging and transportation, are paid by the school.

An Indian Softball tournament will be held Sept. 15-17. Three players constitute a team, and players pitch to their own team while the opposition plays defense.

Indian Softball differs from regular softball in the fact that hitters do not have to run the bases. Lines are drawn on the field, and if a player hits the ball past a cerain line, that determines whether it is a single, double or home run.

The drawn lines that determine the type of hit also apply to the Whiffleball Tournament on Sept. 30. That tournament will be played in the main gym of the Vadalabene Center to maximize the field space for the games.

On Sept. 23, a racquetball tournament will be held in the racquetball courts of the Student Fitness Center.

"I really want to make the racquet sports into a single and doubles kind of format," Rogers said. "If we have the interest generated from the participants and they come forward to me and ask me, then we could do singles in the fall and doubles in the spring."

The Coed Volleyball League, arguably the most popular among students, begins Sept. 13. The volleyball league is the only coed event that Rec Sports has to offer.

"From all the indications I've had, coed volleyball is by far the most popular," Rogers said. "I think it's just because the genders can mix and it's just a good time."

There are even events that don't involve tennis shoes and sweat bands. Whether you are a card shark or just a card player, a Spades Tournament will take place on Sept. 23.

"We're also looking into doing a euchre tournament," Rogers said. "It just depends on what kind of interest we generate from the Spades Tournament. It's the kind of tournament we can kind of take to the students."

The Floor Hockey League will begin on Oct. 7. Teams will consist of eight players with four on the floor at one time. A roller hockey tournament will take place in the spring.

Studnets will get another opportunity to compete at a regional level by participating in the 3-on-3 basketball league, which begins Oct. 27. The league champion will advance to the campus tournament sponsored by Schick razors. The winner of that tournament will then advance to the regional tournament in Chicago.

Rogers is unsure how many students participated in recreational sporting events last year at SIUE. Rogers added that the number of participants has been on the decline over the past few years.

"It's a national thing," Rogers said. "It's not just here, but most rec sports programs found a huge decline in the amount of participation. People just aren't as competitive as they used to be."

Students can enter a recreational sport by filling out a form at the registration desk of the Student Fitness Center. For more information on Recreational Sports Programs, call 650-B-FIT.