By: River Plouffe Vogul, Sports Editor
Getting involved is an easy and great way to meet new people, learn new games, have a fun time and stay in shape. While sportsmanship and fun are first and foremost, it is also competitive and anyone who joins should expect to laugh hard and play hard.
USM intramurals, which take place predominantly, in Gorham, run from September 3 until October 18. Although teams have been playing for several weeks, it is never too late to bring your own team or show up as an individual to play. Often there are only a few teams so all participants welcome new competition. Mondays are forever and always dodgeball, at 8:30 p.m. in the Costello Field House in Gorham. On Tuesday nights there is indoor soccer at 8:30 p.m. in Costello. Wednesday is ultimate frisbee at 8:30 p.m., also in Costello. Last but not least, there is flag football every Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. on Hodgdon Field in Gorham. Intramural sports staff keeps score, brings jerseys, keeps track of the time and usually referees the boundary lines. For more information visit the website at https://usm.maine.edu/athletics/intramurals, or check out their Facebook page for updates, fun videos and more, https://www.facebook.com/intramuralsUSM or you can always follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/usmintramurals.
There is also a variety of classes available to students in the Costello Sports Complex on the Gorham campus. All classes, with the exception of Zumba which begins on Sept. 27, started on Sept. 18. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Kim Tuner offers a free spin class at 6:00 a.m. in the group exercise from for any earlier risers out there. However, the class size is limited to ten people, so if you want to join, get there early. Every Wednesday at noon in the group exercise room there is yoga with Donna Bird, who is as cool as a California quail. For a fee of $25, participants can access an entire semester’s worth of classes. Another opportunity for morning people includes the Friday bootcamp class at 6:15 am in the Costello Field House with Lori Gower. It is a great way to learn new and dynamic exercises. It also costs $25 for the entire semester. Lastly there is Zumba every Wednesday evening at 5:00 p.m. in the group exercise room with Matt Hohman. Zumba does not start until Sept. 27 and has a class limit of 20. Zumba costs $25 a semester for students, but you will never have more fun with $25, guaranteed. For any other information visit the Costello Sports Complex website, which has a direct link from the USM home page.
The Portland campus offers the unique opportunity to meet more people from the community who are not students at USM. On Monday and Wednesday there is a free Cross Training class starting Oct. 2 from 5:00-6:00 p.m. On Tuesday afternoons from 1:00-3:00 p.m. there is pickleball, which is a game like ping pong and tennis combined. There are free Zumba classes every Tuesday from noon until 1:15 pm, and at night there is ultimate frisbee from 7:00-9:45 p.m. There is also indoor soccer every Thursday night from 7:30-9:30 p.m. and there is a Women’s Strength and Power hour on Tuesday and Thursday from 1:30-2:30 p.m. One of the most heavily participated pick-up sports is mid-morning basketball that runs Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. The open gym hours are all over the place and best viewed on the Sullivan Gym website, along with any other details about the above programs. Available for reservation at all gym hours are squash, racquetball and volleyball courts. Sullivan will also provide the equipment, however it is limited.
For any outdoor enthusiast, check out the Outdoor Adventures Club, which organizes hikes, kayak trips, ski trips and much much more. Email them at [email protected] or check out their webpage at https://usm.maine.edu/sga/oab or view them on instagram @oab.usm. It can never hurt to call or ask either the Sullivan or Costello Complex for more information or to ask about other additional activities not listed, there are whispers of Quidditch joining the mix!