Sports for All: Creating an Intramural Sports Program for Middle and High School Students

The Department of Sports and Athletics should be committed to providing a Sports For All Intramural Sports Program. The mission of Sports For All is to create added experiences for the schools growth and development by encouraging involvement in the present, which will enrich and challenge the future. Competitive and recreational athletics are an integral part of the educational process and experience. Students should have the opportunity to participate and compete as appropriate to their interest and skill. Intramurals provide a co-curricular value by contributing to overall community satisfaction, involvement and learning within a diverse setting, improving student recruitment and retention by adding to the quality of community life and creating a venue for social interaction, integration and leadership activities, which positively affect spirit, mind, and body. As physical educators, we value the lessons that have long been taught by athletic participation: the pursuit of excellence through personal development and teamwork; ethical and responsible behavior on the field and off; adherence to the spirit of rules as well as to their letter; leadership and strength of character; and sportsmanship - including respect for ones opponents, acceptance of victory with humility, and acknowledgement of defeat with grace. In teaching these lessons to students, the Sports For All program will instill habits that will lead students to better and healthier lives. While winning is not an end in itself, we believe that the efforts by our intramural and intermural teams to be their best will lead them to success. Athletic participation is a way for students to grow and learn and to use and develop their personal, physical and intellectual skills. The entire Physical Education and Athletic Departments, including coaches, medical and training staff, facilities and equipment personnel, and administrators, would work to achieve these goals, honor the values of the school and support the principles of the Sports For All intramural program. Physical educators believe that a comprehensive athletic program provides physical, social and emotional benefits that are vitally important in a highly competitive educational environment. Competition, in itself, is a dynamic that plays a vital role in life and is imperative to success. Since the number of students who can compete at the athletic team level is limited, each school should develop an extensive intramural sports program. Let Sports For All be that program!