Column: Obscure murals

It’s the greatest time of the year.

The sun is shining and Picnic Day is under a week away. The best part – intramural sports – has nothing to do with either of these glorious things.

Sunday marked opening day for spring quarter IMs. Spring mixes the best of all the IMs with the likes of football, soccer and, of course, softball.

But there are a few athletic contests out there that don’t have a spot on the schedule. Some might not necessarily call them “sports” but they nonetheless deserve to be endorsed by Campus Recreation and the winners need a spot on that wall in the ARC.

Beer pong: This is the prototypical university sport. Granted, it involves alcohol, but almost every college student has played it. Beer pong can be the most competitive “sport” at UC Davis. Go to a party and see how intense a few individuals can get while playing it.

Some might say that beer pong isn’t a sport. I counter that with golf. It is pretty universally accepted the golf is a sport. Beer pong is not much different. It involves putting a ball (ping-pong) into a hole (red Solo cup) while battling hazards (feelings of alcohol.) And just imagine how intense the beer pong-palooza can be?

Underwater basket weaving: This just sounds awesome.

Hot dog eating: It’s an Independence Day tradition. Every year Nathan’s Famous hosts the nationally renowned contest at Coney Island in New York. Some of the sport’s best “athletes” come out to show how large their stomachs are. People would definitely show up for this contest. We’ve all seen that person who milks every cent of a dining commons swipe. These people would be the first ones in line to compete.

Like beer pong, the idea of whether or not this is a sport comes into question. If it’s on ESPN, it’s a sport.

Bocce ball: Bocce ball might sound like a boring sport, but you’d be surprised how intense it can get. For those of you who need a refresher in the contest, it’s a lot like bowling – except on grass. Though it may only get exciting late in the matches, alcohol would make it more fun.

Curling: I, like a lot of other people, wanted to be a curler after watching the sport at the Winter Olympics. And who could blame me? The object is to glide a silver rock on ice onto a bull’s eye – basically the Canadian version of shuffleboard. Don’t worry; you have two teammates helping you in the process by sweeping the ice. It’s probably a lot harder than it seems, but probably not.

There won’t be lack of arrogant individuals who think they can dominate this sport, so Campus Rec won’t have issues finding people to pay the ridiculous entry fee to play. The problem here is finding a place to host the Curling-palooza. There are a couple ice rinks in Vacaville and Sacramento that could host the event. Also, on Picnic Day, there is an ice hill next to The Pavilion on Hutchison Field. Cover the entire field with ice and you have a playing surface.

Mutton busting: If you don’t know what this is, look it up. This would be amazing (and really dangerous) as an intramural sport.

Got any other ideas for new intramural sports? Are you a member of a club team that wants an article written about your squad? E-mail JASON ALPERT at sports@theaggie.org with your ideas.