A word from the editor on the importance of intramural sports
When somebody asks you which sports are offered at UD, you might roll some obvious ones off the top of your head: soccer, basketball, baseball and so on. These are crucial to our community as a school, and our athletics department works tirelessly to recruit the best players possible for these teams. The coaches also work tirelessly to train them, not to mention the tremendous effort paid by our athletes to represent the school to the best of their ability.
But there are many athletic groups within this community outside the official teams, which represent the school just as well. These intramural groups have the power to generate school spirit purely by virtue of the enthusiasm of the players.
The University of Dallas Ultimate Frisbee team (UDU) is perhaps the most obvious of these examples. Their practices can be observed by students as they walk to and from their classes in Braniff, when you can see the players slice the air on the Mall as they practice making their formations tight and their passes more effective.
You could even argue that the UDU jersey is the most recognizable on campus, as many players wear them proudly as they go about their day. These jerseys are recognized by many other universities as well, as UDU often travels for particularly competitive games.
Another team that cultivates an incredible amount of UD pride is the University of Dallas Rugby Club, which has its own dedicated field across the street and frequently packs its bleachers. Members of the rugby team are always very glad to tell you that they’re a part of it, and for good reason–it’s an incredibly physically and mentally demanding sport. If you’ve made your way onto the team, there can be no question as to whether you’ve earned your place.
Rugby has a time-honored tradition at the University, so much so that an integral part of our annual Groundhog celebration includes a match between alumni players and the current team. The rugby players signal their involvement by a signature outfit on the day of a game: a sport coat and tie with a pair of shorts, dress shoes and long socks. While this may appear strange to those unfamiliar with the sport, the function of the style is to demonstrate pride in the team and hopefully pique the interest of those who know nothing about it.
Even without explicit team dynamics, athletic UD students have many avenues to suit their interests. The University of Dallas Martial Arts Club (UDMA) was spearheaded by the late Vinh Nguyen and is continued by senior John Edwards. The club meets twice a week, once on Tuesdays to practice wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu, and once more on Thursdays to practice boxing and Muay Thai.
Though it is not a “team” in the sense of competing against other schools, the beauty of UDMA comes from its injunction to compete against oneself and one another. If a student who struggles with confidence and feels unsure of their abilities to defend themselves comes to UDMA for long enough, you can observe a dramatic improvement in the way they carry themselves and their comfortability with facing the world in front of them.
Beyond all of this, UDMA is just plain fun. It’s not every day that you get the chance to learn a new takedown or hit the stuffing out of a punching bag, but with UDMA, you’ll get that chance at least once a week.
It should be noted that the clubs listed here barely scratch the surface of the available intramural sports offered at UD. There is also the Venture Crew, a club that offers hiking and nature excursions, the Fencing Club and the Swing Dance Club, just to name a few.
This is not to take anything away from the sports offered by the athletics department, but rather to honor the groups that dedicate themselves to forming relationships within the University, regardless of a high school athletic background. These clubs are available to anyone interested in what they have to offer, and taken all together, they offer a little something for everybody.