The last kick of my high school soccer career was one of the lowest lows of my entire life. The game had gone poorly for my school. We were a top seed, playing a home game in the first round of the state tournament, but hadn’t looked like it. Field conditions were very poor, and we hadn’t scored all game. We played the required overtime, and as an unused substitute, I could do nothing but look on as the opposition kick in the final shootout goal to eliminate our team. It left a sour taste in my mouth.

Only about 6% of sports careers make it past high school, and at that moment, it looked like mine was going to be one of them.

As I graduated high school and moved on to college, I found fitness opportunities decreasing. It seems like we are always running around, living the busy lifestyle college students do. On top of that, the fitness opportunities that are readily available didn’t satisfy me. Sure, setting a personal record on the track or squatting a new max gives a good feeling, but for me there was nothing like technically dominating someone on a soccer field. I couldn’t find a similar feeling to flying down the sideline, as defenders tried desperately to kick any part of the ball or your leg.

When a friend asked me to be on an intramural team, I was skeptical at first. I thought Intramurals wasn’t very serious! People don’t show up all the time, and when they do, they don’t give their all. They might not even be in shape for intramurals!

However, when I showed up to my team’s first game, I was quickly proved wrong. Intramural the other team was also quite good, and soon players were flying around, hitting accurate passes and fair tackles. Not only did we not win, we didn’t even score! Turns out, intramurals were a bigger deal than I thought.

For some people, not having a competitive outlet can affect their lives in negative ways. I felt like I was short with people, not having an open mind. I also had less confidence. However, after intramurals helped me to have somewhere to put my competitive spirit, I found I was much more relaxed in other parts of my life. Why don’t you give them a try? Sign up here!

I Hope you reach your fitness goals!

Ethan Maurice