By: Kyle Isaacs
The reasons college students partake in physical activities on a daily basis vary greatly.
While some students seek a physical release from their loaded schedules, others simply look to stay in shape and avoid the dreaded weight gain that often comes with being at college.
Regardless of motive, remaining active and participating in sports can prove to be very beneficial for all students, from first-years to seniors.
However, one major difficulty is finding a sport that multiple people can enjoy and be relatively good at, notwithstanding skill level or expertise.
Alas, this guide to the ‘nonconventional sports’ should clear things up and hopefully spark an interest in a new physical activity.
Dodgeball
Dodge, dip, duck, dive and dodge. The five D’s of this sport were essential for Peter La Fleur in the 2004 movie “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,” but they are also excellent tips to getting started in this classic game.
Most people have some experience with this sport, dating back to gym class in middle school. The fast-paced game keeps everyone active, encourages total involvement from every player and promotes kinship and camaraderie.
Remember, nothing says “You’re my best friend and I cherish our relationship” quite like pegging your buddy in the face with a rubber ball.
Spikeball
This is a new sport that focuses on everyone’s favorite aspect of volleyball: spiking the heck out of the ball.
The game features a small trampoline, a miniature volleyball and a ton of open-space creativity. Played with two teams of two players, the object is to simply spike the ball violent enough that the opposing team cannot return your hit.
Similar to volleyball, each team has three hits before they must bounce the ball off the trampoline, but in true spikeball fashion, every return is guaranteed to be ferociously packed with vigor.
There is no better way to release the pent-up frustration from that “C” you got on your latest Economics test than by killing a ball onto a trampoline on your way to victory.
Frisbee golf
The ultimate game that comes to mind when envisioning a college campus is Frisbee, essentially because it is inexpensive and enables dozens of students to play at one time.
If you are struggling to find enough players but still long to throw the disc around, look no further than Frisbee golf.
As the name suggests, the goal of this game is to hit the desired target in as few throws as possible.
With as few as two players or as many as you desire, simply map out a course using certain objects as the “hole.”
If you find yourself becoming a true pro at the game and seek to challenge yourself, head north about 12 miles to Winton Woods, where you can compete on a Frisbee golf course.
If none of these sports whet your appetite, then simply do what so many of our nation’s pioneers have done before us: create a new one.
Whether you are playing an age-old classic such as baseball or pushing through a sport you created 20 minutes ago, any physical activity is better than none.
So head outside, loosen up those legs and add some zest in your life as you start to sweat away any unwanted stress.