By Khaivien Thach
After sending the ball flying back up the field, junior, Matt Lloyd gets tripped and landed face down in the cold mud. He got up and wiped off his face with a look of disgust. On the sideline, his girlfriend, freshman Jesse Stokes, knows exactly what was going through Lloyd’s mind at that moment.
“It’s freezing,” said Stokes. “I can’t believe this is supposed to be spring.”
Lloyd is one out of dozens of students playing in this year’s spring intramural soccer tournament. Ex-high school soccer standouts and wannabe athletes mix together to play in the 12-team, double elimination tournament for four weeks until a champion is finally chosen.
Many of the players in the tournament aren’t new to intramural sports or spring soccer and most of them agree that this year has definitely been different that tournaments in previous years. Late winter weather and changes to intramural rules have been two things that these students have had to get used to.
Because of the rising number of fights and unsportsmanlike behavior in intramural sports, campus recreation has cracked down on students that let their temper get out of control, said one USU intramural director. Intramural officials are trained to look closely for fouls and help end any arguments between players.
“We’re calling everything really tight this year,” said the director. “If you fight, you’re out.”
The rules are made to protect students that are playing, the director said, but most of the students playing said they are annoyed with the changes.
“The tempo of the game gets screwed up when they blow the whistle because of a little contact,” said Lloyd.
In their first game of the seasons Lloyd’s team, named the Dirtybirds, were affected by the new rules. One of their players pushed an opposing player out of bounds. Intramural directors quickly rushed over and immediately threw both players out of the game. The Dirtybirds only had 11 players that game and had to play short for the rest of the time, putting them at an unfair disadvantage, said Lloyd.
Intramural athletes have also had to endure unfavorable playing conditions this spring. Because of a light snowstorm, the first game of the tournament was postponed by a couple of days in hopes that the snow would melt enough for the field to be playable, said the USU intramural director. But when the second day came and there was still snowflakes falling, there was no choice but to play the game, the director said.
Up until Wednesday’s semi-final games, the weather hasn’t gotten any better. Players slipping while they kick and dirty uniforms are seen more often during the games. Injuries are more common when players get cold and stiff, said Lloyd’s teammate, sophomore Dusty Hunt.
“It’s normal to play maybe the first game in the cold,” said Hunt, “but playing four games straight with snow falling, in April, is pretty ridiculous.”
The conditions may not be perfect, but junior Clark Pierson, also on the Dirtybirds’ team, said that he tries to focus on the positives of having cold weather.
“Soccer has had the reputation of a sissy sport,” said Pierson. “Games like these make us look tougher and a little crazier.”
Though playing on a muddy field in cold weather, the Dirtybirds have gone undefeated and will play in the spring intramural soccer tournament championship Thursday at 4:30 on the Tower field.
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