Previously done by paper and pen, intramural registration and scoring have moved to the Web site imleagues.com. Because intramural sports are so popular, the change will ease administrative burden, according to Intramural Coordinator Diane Yee.
The online system provides a central forum for team schedules, standings, game results, discussion, pictures and more, Yee said. "Some teams already have Facebook pages, but the new system will essentially merge all these groups."
The Web site also allows players to create their own player cards, said Linda Chernak MS'08 GS, captain of the Department of Geology's soccer and softball teams. It "could be fun to learn about other players."
The site's organizational efficiency also drove the change, Yee said.
Participant count in intramural sports used to be a "guestimate," she said. "In the past, I had to do everything by hand, and players on more than one team were duplicated. The online software will not only transfer the rosters to the score sheets, but will give us the exact number of participants."
The introduction of an online system will not change the registration fee, Yee said, but team members will no longer pay in-person, instead using credit or debit cards online.
Many schools have moved their intramural registration online, Yee said, but other systems use software that requires one-time or annual fees. "We chose IMleagues.com because it works for the Brown budget — it's free."
Though the new system will eventually bring improved organization to the University's intramural sports, "it will probably take people a certain amount of time to get used to," Chernak said.
Last year, 633 intramural teams participated across 24 events, according to Yee. "There is a range of participants. Whether they be freshman units, (Student Activities Office) clubs, fraternities and sororities, groups of friends or groups of previous athletes, intramural is used as a way to bond outside of class."
ADVERTISEMENT
