Scheduling for intramural sports just got a lot simpler.
Starting with intramural basketball as a test run, IM sports will be using a smartphone application called “Rec*It.”
The application’s website describes it as the “source for everything intramural sports and fitness,” featuring schedules for games and practices, results and stats, ways to communicate with your team, and real-time updates from team captains or administrators regarding any changes.
“We are very excited to be introducing it [Rec*It] this semester for Intramural sports,” Brad Kocher, director of recreational sports and athletic facilities, said.
Alexis Waugh, director of IM marketing, said she is excited about the coming of the application.
“It will be a very easy way for all of our faculty, students, participants, and fans to use to view when, where, what, why, how their games are,” Waugh said. “You will also be able to do things like view records of all teams and participants.”
Rec*It is not the first application Hillsdale IM sports have used. IMLeagues was used about two years ago in an attempt to make scheduling easier for teams.
“It didn’t go too well,” Kevin Foeman, assistant director of recreational sports, said. “We didn’t like it. There were a lot of pop-ups.”
Rec*It is part of IMLeagues, so the school was already registered. Rec*It offers an easier, more user-friendly format.
Foeman emphasized the importance of teams being able to communicate efficiently with each other through their phones outside of an email platform.
“We thought about a way to do text messaging for scheduling because last year we had a lot of conflicts,” Foeman said.
Foeman said he settled on Rec*It after researching similar options.
The test run for the application with IM basketball will push its capabilities. Foeman said they are hoping to have games every night of the week.
“Hopefully this app will make things a little more convenient for people if we have to make switches or if teams have to cancel,” Foeman said.
Beside the high number of games, there is wide student participation in IM basketball. Last year, there were 25 teams with five to nine students on each.
“This year, we have 16 volleyball teams, and we usually double that for basketball,” Foeman said.
IM basketball begins before spring break. If the test goes smoothly for Rec*It, it will be used across all IM sports for easier team communication and scheduling.
