Intramural Sports

• 3v3 Basketball - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 10
• Golf Tournament - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 10
• Bag Toss Tournament - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 10
• Dodgeball - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 10
• Fantasy Football - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 9
• Flag Football - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 10
• Indoor Soccer - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 10
• Kickball - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 10
• Sand Volleyball - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 10
• Softball - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 10
• Tennis - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 10

• Badminton - Registration Opens Oct. 14 and Closes Oct. 29
• Basketball - Registration Opens Oct. 14 and Closes Oct. 29
• College Bowl Pick 'Em - Registration Opens Dec. 1 and Closes Dec. 11
• Futsal - Registration Opens Oct. 14 and Closes Oct. 29
• Innertube Water Polo - Registration Opens Aug. 26 and Closes Sept. 9
• Racquetball - Registration Opens Oct. 14 and Closes Oct. 29
• Table Tennis - Registration Opens Oct. 14 and Closes Oct. 29
• Volleyball - Registration Opens Oct. 14 and Closes Oct. 29
• Wallyball Volleyball - Registration Opens Oct. 14 and Closes Oct. 29

Intramural Sports are traditionally not offered over summer months and winterim terms. If you would be interested in participating in some summer and/or winterim programming, please let us know at imsports@uww.edu.

If you would like to make a suggestion for a future activity schedule, please also let us know at imsports@uww.edu as we welcome all suggestions!

For reference, fall semester schedules are traditionally published to the campus community around early-mid August, and spring semester schedules are traditionally published to the campus community during the time period after the Thanksgiving holiday thru the early new year.

Important items for team captains to be aware of include general responsibilities and when a team representative should attend a pre-season meeting for specific activities.

Team captains (or any team representative when a captain is unavailable) are expected to attend the in-person pre-season captain meeting for applicable activities as determined appropriate by IM Sports administrative staff. The purpose of these meetings is to share pertinent activity season information, dates, review points of emphasis/rules/policies/procedures/expectations and to establish connections with teams to help everyone enjoy their Intramural Sports experiences as much as possible.

In the event a team is absent from the required pre-season meeting, administrative staff will follow-up with team captains accordingly in an effort to get team attendance on-record. If an activity is not listed below, there is no pre-season captain meeting for that activity. Meetings do not intend to be recorded. Complete absence from a meeting may result in a reduction of the team's overall sportsmanship standing with regard to playoff qualification.

Captain responsibilities are outlined in Section Six (6) of the IM Sports Participant Handbook.

Each team is required to appoint a team captain. Captains assume the role of intermediary between the Office of Recreation Sports & Facilities and their team. Any eligible team member may serve as the team captain. Captain responsibilities include, but may not be limited to:

• Serving as the point of contact for administrative staff (answering phone calls and emails)
• Registering their team and confirming team availability to play at given days/times
• Paying for their team (if payment situations apply)
• Assembling the team roster and informing team members of the team’s name
• Attending pre or post-season meetings (depending on activity)
• Informing team members of schedules/upcoming events
• Knowing general participation and activity-specific rules/policies/procedures
• Ensuring roster eligibility and compliance of all team members (including waivers and quizzes, being properly equipped)
• Assisting staff members with enforcing proper contest check-in protocol and ID compliance
• Confirming roster and playing minimums are met in order to start a scheduled contest
• Addressing any/all items related to contest forfeits, including being responsible for paying applicable forfeit fines
• Representing their team at the pre-game captain meeting with applicable staff and opposing team captain
• Ensuring sportsmanship and team conduct policies are followed
• Rendering the official team decision to protest
• Rendering the official team decision regarding contest status (i.e. reschedule requests)
• Understanding post-season qualification requirements and bracket positioning procedures
• Signing the contest scoresheet following each contest played

All participation in the Intramural Sports program is governed by the Intramural Sports Participant Handbook. All team captains, participants, staff members and spectators are encouraged to review the handbook early and often!

Handbook Appendices Available to Access Include (listed in alphabetical order):

• Approved Co-Rec Ratios
• Captain Responsibilities
• Championship Shirt Limitations & Policies
• Forfeit Policy
• General Participation Guidelines
• How to Register-Create-Join
• Protest Policy
• Sportsmanship, Conduct & Decorum Policies
• Table of Coinciding Sports
• Team Name Policy

We understand not all teams/players can attend every scheduled contest/event. In the event that happens, all we ask is a team representative (captain preferred) contacts our office well in-advance of the contest. Forfeit requests are accepted via email to imsports@uww.edu, SchneideMD30@uww.edu, phone call to 262-472-1145 or in-person in Williams Center Room 100.

Forfeits are no fun and impact your scheduled opponent(s), assigned staff, facility schedules and other user groups who could have used facility space. We take experiences of all user groups seriously and ask if you have to forfeit, that your team respects the experiences of all impacted parties.

Forfeits result in a loss in standings and could impact a team's eligibility to participate in future contests, including playoffs. Forfeit fines may also be applied to the team by admin staff, depending on the situation.

Thank you for doing your part in not forfeiting a scheduled contest/event.

Teams and individuals have many different reasons for participating in IM Sports. As a result, contests may not always be competitive or be seen as enjoyable. The best way our program can ensure as many people are having as enjoyable an experience as possible is to enforce a sportsmanship policy. All teams and individuals are expected to treat opponents, staff, officials, scorekeepers, fans and other members/patrons with respect at all times. Believe it or not, good sportsmanship is how we get more teams to register and staff to come back and work subsequent activities. The bottom line is positive sportsmanship helps our program get better!

 Any team player that is not actively participating in a contest is to be considered “bench personnel.” All bench personnel are expected to adhere to “bench decorum” policies at all times, regardless of the situation present during a contest/event. More details and information are included in this section of the handbook, however, to put it simply, the best way to comply to bench decorum policies is to simply act in a sporting manner that is “good for game” and remain in your designated team area/bench when not actively participating in a contest permitted by activity-specific rule.

Bench decorum is defined as practicing appropriate/suitable treatment and sporting conduct while on the bench or in a designated team area. Decorum expectations also apply to team players participating on/in the playing surface area.

Please be advised that given how certain facility spaces are utilized by Intramural Sports, spaces that are designated as “team benches” or “team areas” may have altered dimensions and/or locations and may also include the presence of additional personal items including (but not limited to) as backpacks, jackets and other clothing items.

Teams are expected to follow bench decorum policies regardless of the space available, which may vary from contest to contest. Individuals are also encouraged to use locker room facilities, when available, to secure personal items in an effort to increase the size of available space designated to each team. It is very possible one team may have more designated space available to them, however if that is the case, it is likely because of how teams place personal items. Intramural Sports will ensure each team is afforded equitable designated team spaces.

Intramural Sports takes bench decorum very seriously. Decorum policies play a large role in determining a team and/or individual’s sportsmanship standing with the program. Violating decorum policies and expectations may also be considered violations of the UW-Whitewater Student Code of Conduct and UW System Chapter 17 policies as they relate to Student Non-Academic Compliance.

It is not guaranteed that Intramural Sports will provide an official ball/object for every contest, although every effort will be made to ensure minimal contest equipment is on-hand. Teams are allowed to bring their own equipment or rental certain items from the Williams Center Equipment Room.

Personal Equipment Use
Individuals may use personal equipment during intramural participation. If the personal item is a game ball/object requiring use by both teams, both participating teams AND contest staff must approve the item’s use. Other personal items such as braces, padding, protective equipment, etc. are all permitted to be used.

Please be advised general wear-and-tear happens and the Intramural Sports program is not responsible for any wear-and-tear that may result of using personal items during participation.

Equipment Rental
Certain equipment items are available for rent from the Williams Center Equipment Room. Rentable items are available at no additional cost (some circumstances may apply). A valid HawkCard MUST be presented to applicable staff in order to check out of piece of equipment. Rented equipment MUST be returned by the deadline established by the Equipment Room and failure to return the EXACT piece of equipment that was rented may result in a replacement fine or forfeiture of participation privileges.

Please be advised the Williams Center is the lone place on campus where equipment rental is available. In the event an individual or team needs some equipment in order to participate in an activity where the playing area is not in the immediate vicinity of the Williams Center, it is the responsibility of the team to rent their items and make it to their scheduled contest/event on-time. Forfeit policies and procedures remain in effect in these instances. Intramural Sports will make sure minimum items to facilitate contests are on-site when the site of competition may be  of greater distance away from the Williams Center, although minimum items may not include items required to be on someone’s person (i.e. shin guards or personal protective equipment).

Jersey Rental
Jerseys (i.e. pinnies) are available for checkout from the Williams Center Equipment Room, if necessary/required for a specific activity. Basketball teams playing under traditional 5-on-5 rules MUST have jerseys with visible numbers. Only one number may be used by a team at a time (i.e. no duplicate jersey numbers on a roster). Jerseys must be returned at the end of each participation, NOT activity season. Teams are responsible for returning ALL jerseys that are checked out to them. Each jersey that is not returned and determined to be the responsibility of the rental party will carry a mandatory replacement fee of $50.

Lost or Damaged Items
Intramural Sports does not assume the risk and/or responsibility for personal items used in intramural activities. Therefore, any lost, stolen or damaged personal items are the responsibility of the owner of the item(s).

If anyone believes personal items were lost during any Rec Sports activity, they may contact The Office of Recreation Sports & Facilities to file a lost and found claim. Some items may be returned to applicable staff. Item claim inquiries may be made in Williams Center room 100 or the Williams Center Equipment Room. The University Center also has a general campus lost and found area. Campus police may be contacted in the event a missing item claim beyond the basic scope of lost and found practice is determined necessary (i.e. item of personal or perceived value).

Jewelry & Medical Equipment/Bracelets
All jewelry may be worn during intramural activities but is worn at the wearing individual’s risk. Intramural Sports strongly encourages participants to remove or secure jewelry prior to participation.

Medical equipment such as braces, compression sleeves, support items, etc. are permitted and are worn at the wearing individual’s risk.

If any jewelry or wearable items are determined to pose a risk of injury to any participant, including the person wearing said item in-question, Intramural Sports staff reserves the right to request the item be removed. Once a request of this nature is made, the individual is expected to comply or risk being denied access to participation.

Medical bracelets are strongly encouraged to be present and easily accessible in the event the owner of the bracelet is in-need of medical attention. Medical bracelets may be worn on an individual’s person but should be securely fastened.

Availability of Tape
Various forms of tape, especially athletic tape, are often used to secure loose jewelry or other personal items being worn. Participants are welcome to tape any wearable item on their person at any time, permitted doing so does not violate any activity-specific rule(s). The Intramural Sports program does not provide tape to participants.

Wearable Technology & Other Items
Personal devices that are considered wearable technology (i.e. fitness trackers, heart rate monitors, step counters, etc.) may be worn during intramural participation but are worn at the discretion of the individual participant. If any wearable technology/devices become a risk, staff members reserve the right to request the item be removed. Once a request of this nature is made, the individual is expected to comply or risk being denied access to participation.

Other wearable items may not be permitted. Examples of these items include headphones of any kind. Hats are permitted but should not be worn during participation when indoors. If hats are worn indoors and pose a risk of any kind, staff members reserve the right to request the hat be removed. Once a request of this nature is made, the individual is expected to comply or risk being denied access to participation.

Pockets
Shorts or pants with pockets are permitted in all intramural activities except for flag football (both indoor and outdoor). In the event staff members believe a pair of shorts or pants pose a risk to any participant because of pockets, the individual wearing the article of clothing with pockets may be asked to change or alter their clothing, and the individual is expected to comply or risk being denied access to participation. This general rule of thumb applies to all wearable items, regardless of location on an individual’s person and is subject to change at any time at the discretion of administrative staff.

Intramural (IM) Sports are on-campus activities for the UW-Whitewater campus community only. Activities are both competitive and recreational in-nature and feature a wide variety of options ranging from team sports (i.e. basketball, flag football, soccer, softball, volleyball, etc.) to individual/dual sports (i.e. badminton, bag toss, Esports, fantasy sports, tennis, etc.). Our staff lives by the motto, “A Sport for Everyone, and Everyone in a Sport,” and we take a lot of pride in providing positive, engaging experiences for as many Warhawks as possible.

There are a lot of benefits to participating with Intramural Sports. Not only do our activities provide opportunities to get exercise, compete and continue to play the sports you grew up enjoying, but involvement often leads to increased social interaction, making long-lasting memories, meeting new people and being introduced to some life-long recreational habits. Studies also show recreational involvement often provides good stress relief and may lead to higher academic performance.

Based on a tier of competitiveness and involvement:

Intercollegiate Athletics: Most competitive. Division III athletics as governed by the NCAA and WIAC. Each team has a dedicated coaching staff on university payroll with higher expectations for involvement. Athletes may have minimal (if any) financial commitment/requirement and all equipment is provided. The university arranges travel and university-appointed administrators make decisions on day-to-day team operations. Roster cuts are permitted and strict eligibility guidelines may be in-place. Intercollegiate teams compete in the WIAC and have daily team requirements. Athletes cannot participate on intramural or club teams in comparable activities.

Club Sports: Mainly competitive with some recreational components. Not defined by a specific division (in most cases) and not regulated by the NCAA (although some clubs may use NCAA competition guidelines). Although clubs are student-lead and receive some funding from the institution, members may be asked to make contributions in the form of membership dues and fundraising. There is no full department committed to clubs given their status as student organizations. Clubs have a couple of practices and semi-regular meetings each week and may travel and compete with other institutions across the state, region and country. Although travel roster limitations may apply, no roster cuts are permitted and eligibility guidelines are less strict (mainly academic and behavioral). Club athletes may participate in intramural activities.

Intramural Sports: Activities offered on-campus only. All teams are assembled with other members of the UW-Whitewater campus community. Although the competition level is high, activities tend to be more recreational and fun in-nature. Championship teams compete for the coveted intramural championship t-shirt! All eligibility guidelines are established by UW-Whitewater campus administrators. A small participation fee is required for each team.

Any currently-enrolled student, faculty or staff member may participate in the program. There may be some circumstances in-which an individual comes up as ineligible in our system. If that is ever the case, please contact us and we’ll work with you to find a solution. Please be advised there may be some situations in-which someone may not be eligible.

Alumni, family members, campus visitors, community members, etc. who are not classified as current students, faculty or staff members are not permitted to participate in Intramural Sports as the program does receive funding from segregated fees.

All members must be on a team roster and present a valid UW-Whitewater ID when prompted in order to check in.

Yes! Although a vast majority of IM opportunities are scheduled for the main campus, our office does work with UW-Rock County administrators to offer some programs on the Janesville campus. The intent is to offer at least one opportunity to the UW-Rock County campus per quarter (two per semester), which is subject to change. Opportunities will be listed on the IM Sports website in the "Rock County" category.

Intramural Sports are currently covered via student seg fees, which means there is no additional cost to participate!

Please be advised some activities may require a registration/participation fee. A good example of this is the 9-Hole Golf Tournament, which is played at Spring Creek Golf Course in Whitewater. Applicable fees may vary by activity, if fees are applied. Details would be included in IMLeagues and/or the UWW Rec Sports app.

Other fees may still apply to participation as well. These include forfeit fees, equipment fees, etc. Intramural Sports administrative staff reserve the right to apply registration cancellation or late registration fees, per an agreement with Whitewater Student Government. 

Teams are mainly formed by a group of friends, roommates, floor mates, classmates, organizations, etc. Teams are registered by an appointed captain who then assembles a team roster in IMLeagues.

If someone wants to participate without a team affiliation, they can sign up on the IMLeagues “Free Agents List.” Via this list, free agents can share their availability to participate, past playing experiences, etc. It is not a guarantee a free agent will be picked up, as it is up to a captain to invite a free agent to a roster. Free agents can also request to join a team which a captain must authorize.

In the event there are enough free agents registered to field a legal roster, IM administration may attempt to group free agents together to form a team.

Intramural Sports are played Sundays thru Thursdays in the evening (mainly 7 thru 11 pm). Depending on the activity, teams play either once or twice per week during the regular season. Teams still competing in playoffs may have scheduled contests multiple times throughout a week. No on-campus events are scheduled for Fridays or Saturdays, although independent matches (i.e. Esports, racquet sports) may be played if opponents agree. On average, from contest preparation to cool down, a single contest spans as long as 90 minutes.

The intent is for regular seasons to span five contests. Depending on the activity, that means a season could be 2.5 (two contests per week) or five weeks in-length (one contest per week).

Coaches are not a requirement and are not recognized. If a team wishes to have a “coach,” the individual in that role must be on the team roster and checked in to play. Practices are not scheduled by Rec Sports although teams may choose to “practice” during open recreation periods if the facility space allows.

Teams qualify for playoffs by meeting the following criteria:

• winning at least two regular season contests
• maintaining an average sportsmanship rating of 3.0 out of 4
• adhering to the IM Sports forfeit policy
• not having any outstanding fees or fines (i.e. forfeit fines or lost/damaged equipment)

In the event a team does not receive a full season schedule (five regular season contests), the team is automatically placed into playoffs as long as sportsmanship, forfeits and fine policies are met. Having a forfeited contest does not count as not receiving a full schedule as forfeits count as victories for the offended team and a loss for the offending team.

Intramural Sports are governed nationwide by the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA). NIRSA does make rule and policy suggestions that most campuses adapt. Our program also uses rules and policies established by the WIAA and NFHS and we also make sure we adhere to UW-Whitewater’s student code of conduct. Rules are updated on an as-needed basis and are available upon request.

To ensure our teams understand basic rule and policy items, a brief rules quiz must be passed in IMLeagues as part of the roster addition process.

Intramural Sports also has a participation handbook that goes into greater detail on some of our policies and procedures.

IMLeagues is the third-party Intramural Sports management system used by UW-Whitewater Rec Sports. IMLeagues is your one-stop shop for all things related to your IM Sports involvement! Registrations, payments, rosters, scores, standings, schedules, playoffs and more are all managed via IMLeagues.

This is a free program to use and user accounts are automatically generated for our campus community. Accounts must be activated prior to participating by logging in with your UW-Whitewater NetID and password.

IMLeagues is also used as a way to inform the campus community of upcoming IM opportunities, activity season news, cancellations, etc. Emails are sent by our administrative team using an IMLeagues message feature and users may opt out on automated texts/emails at any time.

Because there are limits to how many teams someone may participate on within a given activity, leagues are classified by gender (men, women, co-rec). Divisions are subsets of a league and are typically labeled by the day and time of competition. For example, a Tuesday 7:00 pm division of the Women’s league indicates a team plays their weekly contest every Tuesday at 7:00 pm and their opponent will also be an all-female team.

IM Sports encourages participants to be involved however they so choose and we will honor the gender in which someone wishes to identify.

Registrations, schedules and standings in IMLeagues are organized by leagues and divisions as well.

We understand teams may not be able to attend a scheduled contest. Teams are permitted to miss one scheduled contest per season. More than one absence results in a team being dropped from competition without receiving a refund. There is no penalty if a team provides advance communication regarding their intent to miss a contest. If a team provides a late notification or if they do not communicate at all, the team is subject to receiving a forfeit fine. This policy is in-place to ensure our registered teams have the opportunity to receive an experience they have paid for. We also have staff who are on-site ready to assist. When teams do not show for a contest, this negatively impacts the experience of teams and staff alike.

Forfeiting teams receive a loss in the standings and their opponents receive a win. Sportsmanship rating situations may also apply.

Teams and individuals have many different reasons for participating in IM Sports. As a result, contests may not always be competitive or be seen as enjoyable. The best way our program can ensure as many people are having as enjoyable an experience as possible is to enforce a sportsmanship policy. All teams and individuals are expected to treat opponents, staff, officials, scorekeepers, fans and other members/patrons with respect at all times. Believe it or not, good sportsmanship is how we get more teams to register and staff to come back and work subsequent activities. The bottom line is positive sportsmanship helps our program get better!

Weather cancellations/postponements do happen for outdoor sports. Our staff will reschedule regular season contests if we are able, but some contests do get lost because of playing conditions. In that case, we work with our teams to be a little more relaxed on our playoff qualifications, although sportsmanship ratings must remain at an appropriate level.

Any playoff contest postponed by unfavorable playing conditions will be rescheduled. Due to bracket progressions, postponed contests typically get rescheduled for the next IM business day (not necessarily for the exact time/location). Other contests may need to be rescheduled as a result as well.

There may be other circumstances where playing a contest would not be safe. In the event of a cancellation, all impacted team captains receive a phone call and all impacted team members receive an IMLeagues email/text notification.

All champions receive a specially-designed and highly-coveted intramural championship t-shirt! The shirts have been worn around campus and the surrounding communities as a badge of honor since 1974! Teams do have shirt quantity limits, but we do our best to ensure all of our champions receive the recognition they deserve! Championship pictures are uploaded to Rec Sports social media accounts for the entire world to see so you can brag to your family and friends!

The program is always looking for individuals to work as officials (i.e. referees). No prior experience is necessary, although there are mandatory training requirements in order to get on the field/court. Learn more about our officiating program. The program also hires scorekeepers for certain activities. All employment opportunities are for students only and scorekeepers must have Work Study.

Other positions (student coordinators, office staff, supervisors, etc.) are hired every spring for the following academic year. We’d love to have you join the team!

Yes! The Office of Recreation Sports & Facilities also oversees the Club Sports program, which currently has 30 club teams. Although our IM Sports program is often competitive, if you are looking for more opportunities to compete against other institutions and have regular practice times, Club Sports may be the right option for you.

UW-Whitewater is also a member institution of the Wisconsin Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (WIRSA). WIRSA does have various events throughout the academic year where IM teams may have the chance to travel around the state and represent UW-Whitewater, although there are typically costs affiliated with this participation.