Students across campus are talking about the new Bearkat Cup competition created by Intramural Sports. Details pass from person to person, many correct and many false; a situation that seems to arise any time there is something new that happens on a college campus.
Steven Wright, the assistant director of Intramural Sports, said that people are eager to participate in the competition.
“People definitely seem excited about it. We’ve had a lot more interest than what we expected at this point,” he said. “About 75 percent of the teams that have signed up for our different sports have also signed up to participate in the Bearkat Cup as well.”
But what exactly is this cup and how do you win it? Let’s clear up some of the confusion.
The Bearkat Cup is an all points competition, designed by Intramural Sports to increase participation and reward teams for playing multiple sports. Teams playing in intramurals under the same team name will accrue points toward the competition in several different ways in hopes of having the most by the end of next semester.
To clear up one element of misunderstanding, there is not just one Bearkat Cup. There are four. The competitions are spread out to the four different divisions of intramural sports: Men’s, Women’s, Co-rec, and Greek. In other words, you can have the same team name for a Men’s, Women’s, Co-rec, and Greek team if you want to, but their points will not be added together. Each team is competing and earning points for the Bearkat Cup within its own division.
So how does a team earn points? A quick look at the website for intramurals will give you the answer.
“You can earn points three different ways: simply registering and showing up for your games, having above average sportsmanship, and succeeding in the sports that you play,” according to the Intramural Sports Bearkat Cup Guidelines.
This means that even if your team doesn’t place as a sport or event you sign up for, you are still earning points toward the overall standings for the Bearkat Cup. So it is to a team’s advantage to sign up for as many intramural competitions as possible to gain points, which was the goal of the Intramural Sports Department.
“Our hope is that the Bearkat Cup will encourage teams and players to participate in sports that they don’t normally play and just be more active in the Intramural Sports program,” Wright said.
However, in order to compete in the Bearkat Cup, teams must sign up to participate at each competition’s captain’s meeting. If a team does not sign up, their points will not be tracked.
So how many points can you earn in each sport?
Intramural Sports has divided the competitions it offers into three groups: major sports, non-major sports, and individual/dual sports, each with its own points system. In each grouping only two teams or individuals can earn points for a specific team and these “points teams” must be specified when they sign up for the events.
What is the prize for the team that wins?
The prize for the winning team has still not been decided according to Wright, however, there are a few things that are almost certain to be included.
“The prize hasn’t been 100% finalized yet,” he said. “However, we’re considering having a plaque made for the winners of each Bearkat Cup division (Men, Women, Co-rec, Greek). On the plaques, we’re going to be put a picture of each team along with a few of the team accomplishments. The plaque would be hung in the HKC permanently.”