Intramural Handbook

Intramural Sports Handbook

Intramural Sports, which exists within the framework of the Recreational Sports Outdoor Program, offers UMD students, faculty, and staff a variety of recreational opportunities in which to participate within the university community. Games, leagues and tournaments are offered in various formats (competitive, recreational, and co-recreational leagues) for both men and women to encourage participation for players at all skill levels. The purpose of these programs is to provide a recreational atmosphere in which students and staff may develop social contacts, group affiliations, leadership roles, and interests and skills in recreational activities that may become lifelong avocations.

Assumption of Risk

  • Many recreational activities involve risks of bodily injury, property damage, and other dangers associated with participation. Intramural sports and similar activities intrinsically involve risks of physical injury greater than those in daily life and by taking part in such activities, participants acknowledge and assume risks inherent therein. Participation in the activities offered by the Recreational Sports Outdoor Program is completely voluntary. Individuals participate at their own risk.
  • All students, staff, and faculty are urged to obtain a physical examination before participating in the Intramural Sports program.
  • Participants are responsible for knowing their own physiological limitations and are responsible for their own participation.
  • All accidents and injuries sustained during Recreational Sports activity should be reported to the supervisor on duty or to the Recreational Sports office within 24 hours of injury.
  • Injuries should be treated at the University of Minnesota Student Health Clinic if possible and those persons refusing first-aid treatment must sign the waiver as such.
  • The Recreational Sports Department does NOT carry an insurance policy for injuries. Each participant must have her/his own insurance policy provided personally through the University and, in case of Alumni or other Special Community users, as provided by their personal insurance company. Parents and/or legal guardians of minors who are injured during their participation in Recreational Sports activities will assume full insurance responsibility.
  • Intramural Sports Entry Procedures
  • Please follow these steps to enter an intramural sports team
  • Entry forms for all sports are available in the following areas: Kirby Student Center brochure
  • rack; RSOP office 153 SpHC; RSOP Intramural Office 199 SpHC; and lobby of Sports and Health Center. Entry fees are payable in the RSOP office (153SpHC). Receipts for all payments are issued and should be retained until the league or tournament is over.
  • Entry deadlines for most Intramural events are listed in the RSOP Catalog and on the RSOP website, www.umnrsop.org. In addition, entry deadlines will be listed on the entry form for each sport. All entry frees must be paid by 4:00 PM on Deadline day, unless an earlier deadline is required. No Late entries will be accepted. Enter early as sports do fill up.

Please be aware that Intramural and Recreational Sports reserves the right to edit any team names which may be inappropriate.

Team Representative Meetings

Intramural events require attendance by at least one team representative at a pre-season captain’s meeting. Intramural rules, regulations and any questions participants may have are covered at these meetings. For this reason, Attendance is mandatory for each team. Failure to have a representative at this meeting will result in your team losing the opportunity to advance to post-season play. If there is a waiting list for the league and you fail to attend the meeting, your team will be moved to the end of the waiting list. Teams that are on the waiting list that attend the meeting will be given the opportunity to take the place of the missing teams.

 

Duties of Team Captains

If an organization is to be successful in intramural sports competition, a good team captain is essential. Matters affecting his/her team are communicated through him/her, and the captain, in turn, is responsible for passing the information on to the team members. Each captain will act as the official liaison between the team and the Coordinator of Intramural Sports and must maintain direct contact in order to insure proper communication. The duties of the captain include, but are not limited to:

  • Being familiar with all policy and procedures included in this handbook and communicate this information to all team members.
  • Insure that all members of the team are eligible for every contest in which they participate. 
  • Notifying the members of the team regarding date, time, and location of contests.
  • Promoting fair play and good sportsmanship.
  • Attending mandatory meetings for captains as scheduled by the Coordinator of Intramural Sports.
  • Scheduling
  • Requests for preferred game times and dates will be accepted but not guaranteed. When registering your team you will have the opportunity to select one ‘can’t play day.’ If you fail to specify a preference your request may not be taken into consideration.
  • League Sports:
  • Major team sports are scheduled into men’s, women’s and CoRec leagues which consist of a regular season schedule followed by a tournament or playoffs. The format, Schedule and number of teams in post-season play of leagues will be based on the number of teams entered and level of competition, the number of fields/courts available for play, the number of staff members available, the availability of playing times and availability of facility space.
  • Eligibility
  • To participate in an intramural sport you must present a valid U-Card to the intramural staff prior to every contest. No ID = No play. There are no exceptions to this policy.
  • The following individuals are eligible to participate in the Intramural Sports Program at the University of Minnesota Duluth: Full-Time student service fee paying students and UMD staff and part-time students with current facilities pass. The participation of all individuals, however, will be in accordance with the following guidelines.
  • Current UMD Varsity Athletes:
  • Any individual who participates in a varsity or junior varsity sport and/or whose name appears on an official varsity or junior varsity roster during the academic year is ineligible to participate in that intramural sport or associated sport during the same academic year. Application of this rule applies to red shirt, junior college, transfer, and UMD athletes. Ex-Varsity Athletes

Prior to competing in any intramural sport or related sport, varsity athletes from any college or university must sit out for a minimum of 365 days following their final game. Only two former varsity athletes from the previous year/season may compete per team in the Gold League and only one former varsity athlete from the previous year/season may compete per team in the Maroon League.

Sport Clubs:

Any individual that appears on a Sport Club roster is considered an official Sport Club member. A Club member for the fall semester will be considered a Sport Club member for the entire academic year (i.e., a soccer club team member during the fall is still considered a club team member for intramural soccer in the spring). A sport club member may participate in a specific or related sport. However, if more than two present members of a sport club compete per team, the team must play in the Gold League. In the Gold League, no more than 50% of the team roster may consist of sport club members and must maintain this ratio on the field of competition.

Professional and Elite Athletes:

Anyone who has competed in a sport at a professional or international level shall be ineligible for intramural competition in that sport or its related sport.

Participation

Roster Restriction:

You may not play on both a ‘Gold’ and a ‘Maroon’ team. A player is allowed to participate on one CoRec team while participating in a Men’s or Women’s League. Women may only participate in a Men’s League if there is no Women’s League.

Registration:

Teams will be allowed to add players to their roster throughout the regular season from 8AM – 4PM in SPHC 153. After 4PM a participant with their U-Card or Facility Pass in hand may add themselves to a roster in SPHC 199. Each sport has a maximum number of players that can be listed on their roster and all roster additions must be done in person.

Defaults & Forfeits

Defaults:

In order for a contest to be considered a default, the team captain must contact the Recreational Sports Outdoor Program by Noon the day of the scheduled game. A loss will be assessed for the default, but a forfeit will be avoided. A team is allowed to default only one contest during a sport’s season. A second default will be treated as a forfeit.

Forfeits:

All games shall be played on the date and hour as scheduled. A team not ready to play within five minutes of the scheduled start time will be charged with a forfeit. Games lost by forfeit shall not be rescheduled for any reason.

  • One forfeit will result in the team being dropped from playoff competition. After your first
  • forfeit the team will have the option to appeal in order to reinstated into the post-season competition. In order to appeal the team captain must go to SPHC 153 to fill out the appeal form and pay the $25 forfeit fee before the team’s next contest. The Intramural Sports Coordinator will review all appeals and rule on them.
  • Two Forfeits will result in the individual or team being dropped from further competition in that league.

Cancellations & Rescheduling

In the event that a team wishes to reschedule a game because of conflicts, they may do so only with the consent of the Intramural Staff and BOTH teams and/or captains. Rescheduling procedures are as follows:

o Pick up reschedule form from SpHC 153.

o Contact Intramural Coordinator for opposing captain’s info and approved dates and times to reschedule the game.

o Contact Opposing captain and agree upon a new game time that was given by the Intramural Coordinator.

o Fill Out form and return it to the Intramural Coordinator for final approval.

This form must be completed and submitted to the Intramural Coordinator 48 hours before the originally scheduled game and the Intramural Sports Program does not assure that all games will be rescheduled.

Cancellations occur when the weather or other uncontrollable factors make postponing contests necessary. In the event of a postponement or cancellation, the intramural staff will notify the captains of all teams scheduled to play. In the event that games cannot be rescheduled, each team will receive a win.

Alcohol Policy

In keeping with the alcohol policy of UMD, alcoholic beverages will not be allowed at any program or activity sponsored by the Recreational Sports Outdoor Program. This policy applies to all intramural sports participants, as well as coaches and spectators. Any participant or spectator who is under the influence of alcohol will not be allowed to participate in any intramural sports activity and will be required to leave the facility immediately. Violators will be subject to disciplinary action. The supervisor and/or game officials will have the responsibility and authority to make any decisions regarding participation by a participant or spectator.

Protests Procedures

  • All protests, except those concerning eligibility, must be made on the field of play to the official. The protest must be made at the time of the occurrence. Once play has resumed, the protest will not be valid.
  • There shall be no protests on judgment calls. All protests must deal with the interpretation of a rule or enforcement of a penalty for the infraction of those rules, or player ineligibility.
  • All protests must be made by the team captain, at the time of protest, to the intramural official(s) at the contest. The official is responsible for notifying the Intramural Supervisor of the intent to protest.
  • The team captain must then submit in writing a statement and reason for the protest to the Coordinator of Intramural and Recreational Sports. This must be submitted and filed in the Recreational Sports Outdoor Program Office by Noon the next business day following the event in question.
  • Protests regarding player eligibility must be filed prior to the end of the regular season. During tournament play, player eligibility protests must be filed by 9:00 a.m. the following day.
  • After a thorough analysis of the situation, the Intramural Coordinator will rule on the protest. If a protest is denied, the result of the game will remain. If a protest is upheld, the game will be replayed from the point at which the protest was made.

Misconduct & Ejections

  • Any player, coach, or spectator who is ejected from an intramural contest for any reason is automatically suspended from all intramural sports activities until they are officially reinstated by the Coordinator of Intramural and Recreational Sports. An ejected player must leave the premises immediately. If an ejected player does not leave immediately, then his/her team will be forfeited from the game in progress.
  • The minimum suspension for an ejection is one game in the activity from which the person was ejected. The period of suspension will be dependent upon the severity of the incident. During the period of suspension, the individual may not participate in any intramural activity (team, individual/dual, or special event) until the suspension period expires.
  • Any player, coach, or spectator who is ejected from an intramural sports contest for fighting shall be subjected to a minimum one-season suspension from all intramural sports activities. This includes any attempt to strike, even though there may not be contact. “He/she hit me first,” and “I was just defending myself,” are not acceptable excuses for fighting. Participation in a fight includes anyone who enters the field/court during the fight.
  • Any team, individual players, or associated spectators involved in a “team” fight will be immediately suspended from participation in that sport. This suspension may be longer depending on the severity of the incident. A team will include all participants listed on the score sheet at the time of the fight, as well as any identified members associated with that team who actively participate in the fight. Please note; the individuals involved place the team or organization in jeopardy. If individuals choose to represent an organization, then that organization will be held accountable for those individual’s actions. This suspension does not exist in lieu of other university or community-related penalties which may result from the incident.
  • An ejected person must meet with the Intramural Coordinator as soon as possible to discuss the ejection. The period of suspension for any person suspended from an intramural sports activity shall be determined by the Intramural Coordinator. Please be aware that the period of suspension for an ejected player will not begin until the ejected person has met with the Intramural Coordinator.
  • Any individual or team that wishes to appeal any disciplinary action or sanction made by the Intramural Coordinator must file a formal appeal for review by the Director of the Recreational Sports Outdoor Program. A formal appeal in writing must be made to the Director of the Recreational Sports Outdoor Program within one (1) week of notification of disciplinary action.
  • Sportsmanship Rating System

Good sportsmanship is a basic requirement during intramural activities at all times. Clearly, sporting contests are important to the participant, but the importance should not become so overriding that players lose sight of appropriate behavior. Failure to display an acceptable degree of sportsmanship will render a participant ineligible for further participation in any given sport. Decisions of this kind rest in the hand of the Intramural Coordinator.

After each game, both teams will be given a SPORTSMANSHIP RATING by the officials, scorekeepers, and supervisors. This is on a scale of 1 to 5, with the best sportsmanship being 5. This is based on the attitude and sportsmanship of the players, fans, and coaches before, during, and after the game towards other players, fans, coaches, and officials. A team's AVERAGE rating for all regular season games must be at least 3.5 to be eligible for playoffs. Also, a team will not be eligible for playoffs if a single game rating is below a 2. During the playoffs, teams are expected to show proper sportsmanship and will be held to the same standards as they are during the regular season. Therefore, if a team receives a sportsmanship score of less than 2 in any game, they will be removed from the playoffs. In addition, if a team receives a sportsmanship score of less than 3, they will be placed on probation for the duration of the playoffs. A 2nd sportsmanship score of less than 3 will remove them from the playoffs.

Instances that AUTOMATICALLY decrease your sportsmanship rating: o Unsportsmanlike penalty in flag football

o Technical foul in basketball

o Yellow/red card in soccer/volleyball

o Verbal abuse of an opponent, official, scorekeeper, or supervisor

o Leaving the bench area to enter an altercation

o Verbally threatening an opponent, official, scorekeeper, or supervisor o Physically abusing an opponent, official, scorekeeper, or supervisor o Participating in a fight

o Leaving trash on/around the field/court