Students at Interurban will be pleased to hear of a new drop-in sport event that Camosun’s Recreation and Fitness office has added. Drop-in basketball started up in the fall as a student project and could become a permanent part of Camosun’s recreation and fitness agenda.
If it’s successful, it will be the first drop-in sports night at Interurban, and it will be the only drop-in night to ever be initiated by students. Melissa Rollin, a student in the Bachelor of Sport and Fitness program with a specialization in Exercise and Wellness, says the project was a team effort.
“A group of eight of us got together for a community project in a leadership class,” says Rollin (the other students involved are Paige Krelow-Weinberger, Kim Teichroeb, Anikka McTavish, Hannah Flahr, Carly McAndrews, Anna Walker, and Aaron Nauta). “We all noticed a community void here on Interurban campus, so we decided to try to get a drop-in night started.”
Rollin points out that all the students pay the same athletics fee when they register at Camosun but, depending on location, could be missing out on all that the fee pays for.
Meghan Lambeth, Camosun’s Recreation and Fitness coordinator, says there’s a good reason for the lack of intramural sports for Interurban-bound students.
“The situation was such at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (PISE) that it wasn’t easy to get access to the gym,” says Lambeth. The combination of bus schedules and evening drop-in times made the location less than desirable, she explains.
Rollin and her classmates discovered the extent of the interest in Interurban intramurals through a survey of the student body.
“With surveys, we got over 280 positive responses,” says Rollin. “We booked four trial dates for our pilot period, and they went really well.”
With their positive results in hand, the students met with Lambeth to discuss their findings.
“We talked about how there was interest there,” says Lambeth. “I was more than happy to put a little funds towards continuing it, to see if that interest remains for a full academic year, and so far it’s looking successful.”
Holly Dickinson, a third-year Sport and Fitness Leadership student at Interurban and a regular attendee, considers the drop-in basketball nights a success so far.
“It’s really fun,” she says. “We get a good mix of guys and girls and it’s a nice medium, not playing competitively, but still having fun.”
Dickinson says that Rollin and her classmates were encouraged by their peers to continue the project after the completion of the assignment.
“I think it’s just great,” says Dickinson. “The people are great who come out; they’ve got the right attitude and it’s not too competitive. It’s enjoyable, for sure.”
And this kind of positive response is just what Rollin, her classmates, and Lambeth are hoping for.
“If it goes well, we will incorporate it in and make it a regular part of the drop-in sports that we fund every year,” explains Lambeth. “I’m hoping that we start seeing reasonably good numbers out there, and I’m willing to run it for another year and see if that interest grows.”
Seven sessions are planned so far, after which an assessment can be made as to whether the drop-in night will be a permanent event at Interurban. Rollin and her classmates are hoping for the best.
“We really wanted to unite the community of Camosun here through something that we enjoy doing,” says Rollin. “We chose a good sport, with minimal setup and simple rules. We just want it to be a fun, social, and safe environment for everyone.”
Drop-in basketball runs every Tuesday from 8:30 to 9:30 pm at the PISE gym at Interurban.