It’s not very often that a journalist gets to pat himself on the back. So when such an opportunity comes about, it’s almost impossible to resist.
On that note, I’d like to congratulate the University College division two basketball team that was crowned Intramural div. two champions this past November. The victory was a culmination of a journey that began four years ago as a laughing stock, but has ended at the top; it was a journey that I am proud to have been involved in.
Stories like mine are certainly not rarities among the intramural ranks, and as much as I could go on and on about my own tales of intramural competition, there were several other exciting playoff runs that capped off the 2005 fall season. The following is a recap of some of the intramural squads that took home top spot this past season:
Basketball: The fact that every championship game was decided by six points or fewer shows how extremely balanced and competitive this sport is across all of its divisions. The Faculty of Physical Education of Health (FPEH) and Victoria College (VC) took home the co-ed championships, while the University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM) and the Department of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy (PT/OT) dominated the women’s ranks. On the men’s side, Where’s Darko? won the division three title, and SMC/Innis topped division four. The men’s division one schedule is at its halfway break with University College (UC) leading the way with an undefeated record.
Flag Football: In a game that featured no offensive touchdowns, the Faculty of Engineering (Skule) won its second straight men’s division one flag football crown, registering a 7-0 victory over the Faculty of Law. St. Michael’s College (SMC) needed overtime to knock off a joint Innis College/OISE squad to capture the men’s division two title. In women’s division one, the University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC) Deuces defeated the UTSC Titans in a battle of UTSC teams, and in div. two, PT/OT squeaked by St. Hilda’s College to secure its first flag football championship in recent memory.
Volleyball: A different college or faculty was crowned champ in each division, once again giving evidence of the competitiveness of the intramural program. Skule, New College and Trinity College captured the co-ed championships for divisions 1-3, respectively, while Pharmacy and the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) took home their respective women’s titles. In the men’s divisions, SMC and Woodsworth College were victorious in finals both decided by 2-1 scores.
Ultimate Frisbee: In the division 1 final, Law knocked off UC quite handily. PT/OT marched through the division two playoffs en route to a convincing 7-3 victory over a joint SMC/Innis team.
Rugby: SMC also took home the Nankivell Trophy (intramural rugby’s top prize) for 2005 after dominating the schedule and posting an undefeated 7-0 record. They defeated Skule 11-5 in the final to secure the title.
Soccer: In men’s soccer, SGS, VC, and the Romanian Soccer Club were all crowned champions. Victoria College needed overtime to crack a 0-0 score versus Rotman in the division two final, while SGS stunned Skule by shutting them out in the div. one championship game. In the women’s bracket, UTSC won its third straight division one championship, with St. Hilda’s and PT/OT knocking off traditional powerhouses to win the div. two and div. three titles, respectively.
Hockey: The women’s hockey divisions featured two championship teams that cruised to their respective titles. In division one, UTSC didn’t suffer a loss throughout the entire season, and Skule posted a pair of shutout victories in the playoffs to become div. two champs.
The men’s side featured an incredible display of talent and some extremely exciting finishes. FPEH won in the division one contact league to secure its first hockey championship since 2003, whereas in the division one non-contact final Trinity College blew out defending champions UTSC 8-2. After narrowly making the playoffs and winning its semifinal in a shootout, the UTSC division two non-contact squad shut Innis out to regain dominance in that division. SGS Phys./Chem. took home the div. three non-contact title, while in div. four non-contact it was Pharmacy that was crowned champion.
The above results certainly reflect a healthy intramural program that is fueled by a projected 9,000 participants spread over countless sports and divisions. Although there are traditional powerhouses, several of the outcomes from the fall season indicate that balance and competitiveness are at the forefront of U of T intramurals-a point also shown by the several close races for the college and faculty year-end awards.
With the program operating at full capacity and waiting lists for almost every sport, there is no question that anticipation for the 2006 winter term is extremely high. With teams primed to take another run at the top, new stories are destined to take shape-some brand new, others several years in the making.
