Take a deep breath. What’s that smell? Is spring in the air? No, not technically; however, the spring semester of intramural sports is off and running, continuing with the success and popularity that it had in the previous semester. There are plenty of opportunities for students to participate this year, but first let’s take a look at who prevailed in the Fall of 2006.

In one of our most competitive seasons of flag football yet, the veteran squad Just Forfeit defeated Men’s Lax 58-28 in the Division I Championship Game, while the Brothers handily defeated BD’s 40-7 for the Division II Championship.

When the football fields of Whitnall became the soccer pitches of Whitnall, a pair of houses was left standing in Division I’s Theta Chi and Division II’s East Stillman.

On two nice Sundays in the fall, the Ultimate Frisbee tournament took over Whitnall Field and saw the senior squad of the Crazy Flamingos defeat the Milk Duds in the finals.

It was a cold evening on Tyler’s Field when Just Forfeit became champions of yet another sport, this time four-on-four football.

When team bowling took to the lanes, Food Exhibition 22 walked away with the crown in hand, defeating Delta Upsilon in the finals.

Before regular basketball started up, a three-on-three basketball tournament took place on the first Sunday of November. The Gate House Ballers won that contest.

On the individual sports front, sophomore Jon Spagnola won trap shooting and juniors Andrew Potter and Jeff Davenport won the gross golf score and Peoria golf score titles, respectively.

In basketball, the Running Suckers defeated Cobra Chi in the Division I Finals. Cobra Chi had a great run, defeating number one seed and IM football powerhouse Just Forfeit in the quarterfinals. In the Division II Finals, Clifford the Big Red Dawgz defeated Curtis Hall. Clifford was great in the playoffs after winning only one game in the regular season.

The ice hockey playoffs are underway with the finals set to take place on March 4. The bowling singles tournament will be held next Wednesday. The opening games of the volleyball season have already been played. The squash tournament begins today, while the racquetball and table tennis tournaments begin on Sunday.

At the end of the fall semester, Theta Chi led the All-Intramural Sports Standings with 135 points. Phi Delt was a mere two points behind. Rounding out the top five were Jason, BD’s, and Just Forfeit.

So, with all that out of the way, what’s left to partake in? Plenty. The foul shooting competition will be held on Sunday. No prior sign-ups are required to take part in that. New favorite dodgeball, which came on the scene last year on an experimental basis, becomes an official intramural sport this semester. The dodgeball qualifying round and tournament will be on February 25 and March 4. Softball, which has surprisingly been even more popular than flag football in recent years, begins April 2. For team entry deadlines and forms, stop by the Department of Recreational Sports in Huntington or go online to the Recreational Sports web site at http://athletics.colgate.edu/RecSports.

Officials are also needed for all sports that require them. Volleyball, dodgeball, and softball all have paid positions open. Information on officiating can be found online at the Rec Sports website or in the Rec Sports office.