Claire Voltarel, Campus Carrier Sports Editor
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| Bailey Albertson | CAMPUS CARRIER |
| Players rush to make a quick play. Once the ball is snapped, teams had five seconds to make a pass. |
Berry Department of Recreation introduced a new intramural program, four-on-four flag football, which held its tournament last Sunday.
Valhalla hosted six teams of around 10 students per team to compete in a single-elimination tournament. The football field was split in half to have games playing simultaneously, which also better suited the size of the sport. While the intramural players only trained on Thursday and competed on Sunday, the overall turnout was successful.
“I think the intramural department is trying to reach out and hit other areas,” intramural coordinator Robert Bradham said. “This was a unique take on one of our more popular sports that we have.”
According to Bradham, only four participants per team creates action and excitement for all players on the field, compared to regular flag football which holds its season in the fall. Junior participant Dominc Miller noted this difference but enjoyed having both opportunities.
“I really liked this new intramural sport,” Miller said. “It’s nice to get to play flag football in both spring and fall semesters.”
The idea for the intramural came from graduate assistant Terran Kidner, who played recreational four-on-four flag football during his time at Kennesaw State.
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| Junior Dominic Miller talks with a referee between plays. |
“The games are quicker and you can enroll more participants, so having been active in it at Kennesaw I was really inspired to bring it up here,” Kidner said.
Kidner reached out to the coordinator at Kennesaw State to obtain their handbook for the sport and modify it for Berry players to use.
Both Bradham and Kidner hope to implement the intramural into a full season in the future.
“The long term goal is to make a league out of it,” Kidner said.
Bradham noted that more games and teams could help players to better acclimate to the way the game works.
While getting teams of four are easier for students to manage, there are still some questions involving the establishment of a full season. Figuring out location, timing and schedules are all a potential project for the intramural staff in the summer. Kidner’s ideal location for the league play would be Valhalla, however the intramural fields are doable.
According to Kidner, the department would potentially have to remove another intramural sport in order to start the new flag football due to limitation of time and space. He noted that spring is a busy time for the department, but they do not want two flag football leagues in the same season.
However, Kidner and Bradham look forward to the sport’s future.
Students still have time to register for other spring intramurals. The tennis registration deadline is Feb. 17, ultimate Frisbee and softball deadlines are March 20, and finally the disc golf tournament deadline is April 10.