Sand Volleyball, Flag Football and More
Season 1 doesn’t refer to the first time that intramurals have been held at Monmouth. They have long been an important aspect of student life, although they were put on pause in recent years due to the pandemic.
Rather, Season 1 is what the College’s new director of intramurals, Luke Bradburn, is calling the early fall segment of the year-long program.
“We’ll have four or five seasons, in all,” said Bradburn, who began working at the College during the summer. “In Season 1, we’ll have sand volleyball, as well as men’s and women’s flag football. They’ll run for about a month, plus playoffs.”
As the weather cools, Season 2 will shift indoors, with 3-on-3 basketball and pickleball on the docket.
“I’ve had a lot of interest in pickleball,” said Bradburn. “That’s faculty and staff, students, the whole campus. A lot of people have expressed interest. We’ll have a couple leagues, as well as some tournament weekends.”
Bradburn said Monmouth students are eager to get going in the various areas of competition.
“So far, I’ve seen a lot of interest and excitement that intramurals are back. They’re excited about the potential that intramurals will be more of a staple on campus.” – Luke Bradburn
“So far, I’ve seen a lot of interest and excitement that intramurals are back,” he said. “They’re excited about the potential that intramurals will be more of a staple on campus.”
For some students, the program is a way to continue participating in a sport they enjoyed playing in high school. For others, it’s a chance to blow off some steam, either before or after hitting the books for their classes. For all, hopes Bradburn, intramurals are simply a way to have fun with their friends.
“Intramurals are a great way for students who aren’t college-level athletes but who still want to play and keep going,” he said. “It’s a way for them to stay active and to participate with and against their friends on campus. And it’s a way for them to have a little competition throughout the year.”
There’s an app for that
Bradburn’s office is located in the Huff Athletic Center in the space between the south door of the Trotter Fitness Complex and the M Club Hall of Fame Room. But rather than stop by his office, there’s a simpler way for students to get involved in intramurals.
“We’re using a brand-new platform that we set up in July,” said Bradburn. “It’s called ‘IMleagues.com,’ and students can sign up for intramurals either on the app or online. They sign up with their Monmouth College email, and from there, they can create a team or join a team or be a ‘free agent’ and get picked up by a team.”
Looking ahead to the second half of the school year, students will be able to use the site to register for such offerings as indoor volleyball, badminton, kickball and slow-pitch softball.
“We also plan to have some table-game activities like pool and ping pong, which will likely be single-day events in the winter months,” said Bradburn.
When he’s not overseeing intramural activities, Bradburn can be found on campus serving as an assistant sports information director to Monmouth SID Nate Baliva. Bradburn’s early assignments will involve staffing home volleyball matches.
“I’ll be helping him with the days when we’re double-booked for home games,” said Bradburn, a native of nearby Galesburg who holds a sport management degree from Olivet Nazarene University. “I’ll also be working closely with ASAP (the Association for Student Activity Programming) on some events, like the volleyball fundraiser that’s planned for later in the semester.”
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