Written by Michael Lis-Sette
Seattle University is not known for athletics, but that does not mean its students are a bunch of lazy homebodies. Intramural sports, while not widespread on campus, are a very popular form of both entertainment and physical exercise. There are leagues for both men and women, as well as coed options, and players can get quite competitive, but overall they tend to take things relatively easily. And the variety of sports that are offered is itself large, with students getting the chance to try everything from softball to outdoor volleyball to three-on-three basketball, though what is being offered can change from quarter to quarter. Plus, the Connolly Center has many options for those interested in sport and exercise, and it is always busy. It can be a pain to actually find an open machine in the evenings, but you shouldn’t let that keep you from heading down there for an hour or two.
Varsity sports are another matter. It was only very recently that Seattle University returned to Division I status, and the school is still trying to put together teams for some sports (baseball will not be active until the 2009-2010 year). And while the men’s basketball team did catch attention on campus and in the local media, there still isn’t a very strong following on campus. School spirit in general is lacking, and despite attempts to increase it through student organizations and promotion of athletic events, attention is still only growing. The athletes themselves are helping to raise awareness, too, and take their sports very seriously. This will probably change as Division I becomes more entrenched in the school and the teams start to develop their own reputation on campus and in the local community, but until then be ready for a relative lack of knowledge about school sports among many fellow students.